"Dragon Attack" is a song produced by British band Queen with Reinhold Mack, for the album 'The Game'. Credited to guitarist, Brian May, it's the second song on the album in chronological order and was released as the B-side to the single "Another One Bites The Dust".
Background
In the early 1980s, after working in the studio, the band would relax at ‘Sugar Shack’, a rock club in Munich, Germany. Among other artists, they played Queen's music; but it didn't inspire people to get up and dance. Sometime later, the four members, under the influence of alcohol,[2] improvised some elements for a new song, including a Deacon and May riff.
Because of the experience at the club, Brian wanted to make a song that would work for Sugar Shack, so he took the band's jam session and began to shape it for that purpose.
| “ | “It was a pretty wild time for us, and that’s what I attempted to put in the song. It’s all about us and the way things were, and the sort of sexy side of the peripherals of rock. That track was designed to be uniquely a dance track.” | ” |
–Brian May, GuitarWorld Interview (2024)[3] | ||
Live Performances
It's live debut was on August 26 in Providence, USA, performed as a middle song interlude during "Now I'm Here", typically, following Freddie's vocal interaction with the crowd between 1980 and 1982. From 1984-1985, it was performed as a song in its own right, until May 15 in Osaka, Japan. Some years later, it would return for the tours with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.
Appears in:
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Queen On Fire: Live at the Bowl (2004) |
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Queen: Rock Montreal (2007) |
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Deep Cuts: Volume 2 (2011) |
Trivia
- It's the favorite (Queen) song of John Deacon[4] and Kirk Hammett[5], lead guitarist of Metallica.
- A tribute album with the same name was released in 1996, covered by several rock musicians.[6]
- Reinhold Mack, the audio engineer for the track, was mentioned in a verse of the song.