Queen's 1980 soundtrack for the film Flash Gordon marked a groundbreaking moment in rock music, as guitarist Brian May said the band achieved something that had "never been done" before. Rather than simply compiling songs to accompany the film, the group wove dialogue and sound effects from the movie directly into their music, creating what May described as a "tapestry" designed to make listeners feel as though they had watched the film itself. The approach was a significant departure from Queen's usual studio albums and came at a time when rock music was rarely used in films unless they were specifically about music.

The soundtrack included standout tracks such as the title song "Flash", a duet between Freddie Mercury and May with high harmonies from Roger Taylor, and the anthemic "The Hero". May recalled that not everyone welcomed the innovation initially: while director Mike Hodges thought the demo sounded "brilliant", producer Dino De Laurentiis was hesitant, calling it good but "not for my movie" before eventually coming round to support it. Queen's fusion of dialogue and music went on to influence numerous later works, including Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes and Pulp Fiction.