| "Another One Bites the Dust" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Queen | ||||
| from the album The Game | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Try Suicide" in US | |||
| Released | 22 August 1980 | |||
| Format | 7" vinyl | |||
| Recorded | 1980 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:36 | |||
| Label | EMI, Elektra (US) | |||
| Writer(s) | John Deacon | |||
| Producer | Queen, Mack | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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"Another One Bites the Dust" is a song by the English rock band Queen. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song featured on the group's eighth studio album The Game (1980). The song was a worldwide hit, charting number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and the Disco Top 100, and number seven in the United Kingdom Singles Chart.[1][2] The song is credited as Queen's best selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies. This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[3]
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The bass line was inspired by the song "Good Times" by the Disco group Chic.[4][5] In an interview with New Musical Express, Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards stated, "...that Queen record came about because that Queen bass player... spent some time hanging out with us at our studio".[6]
Recording sessions were produced by Reinhold Mack at Musicland Studios in Munich (West Germany) and consisted of Deacon playing almost all the instruments: bass, piano, rhythm and lead guitars and handclap percussion. Roger Taylor added a drum loop and Brian May contributed some noises with his guitar and an Eventide Harmonizer. There are no synthesisers used in the song: all effects are created with pianos, guitars, and drums, with subsequent tape playback performed in reverse at various speeds. Finally, some sound effects were run through the harmonizer for further processing. The effect of the harmoniser can be heard clearly in the "swirling" nature of the sound immediately before the first lyric. After attending a Queen concert in Los Angeles, Michael Jackson suggested to Freddie Mercury backstage that "Another One Bites the Dust" be released as a single.[7] The earlier live performances of the song had drummer Roger Taylor on lead vocals during the chorus, as opposed to the album version which was sung by Mercury in its entirety. In later performances, parts of the chorus were sometimes not sung by any member of the band, letting the audience sing it instead.
The song garnered Queen a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[8] The band lost to Bob Seger's album Against the Wind.[8] The music video for "Another One Bites the Dust" was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.[9]
In the early 1980s, "Another One Bites the Dust" was one of many popular rock songs that Christian evangelists alleged contained subliminal messages through a technique called backward masking. It was claimed that the chorus, when played in reverse, will be heard as "decide to smoke marijuana"[10] or "It's fun to smoke marijuana".[11] A spokeswoman for Hollywood Records (Queen's current US label) has denied that the song contains a backward message.[12]
| “ | I'd been wanting to do a track like 'Another One Bites The Dust' for a while, but originally all I had was the line and the bass riff. Gradually, I filled it in and the band added ideas. I could hear it as a song for dancing but had no idea it would become as big as it did. The song got picked up off our album and some of the black radio stations in the US started playing it, which we've never had before. Michael Jackson actually suggested we release it as a single. He was a fan of ours and used to come to our shows. | ” |
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—John Deacon[13] |
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| Country | Peak position | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Argentina | 1 | |
| Canada | 1 | |
| Guatemala | 1 | |
| Spain | 1 | |
| US | 1 | Platinum[14] |
| New Zealand | 2 | |
| US R&B | 2 | |
| Ireland | 4 | |
| Australia | 5 | |
| Austria | 6 | |
| Belgium | 7 | |
| Germany | 6 | |
| UK | 7 | |
| South Africa | 3 | |
| Sweden | 12 | |
| Switzerland | 8 | |
| Italy | 10 | |
| Netherlands | 14 | |
| France | 24 | |
| Finland | 4 |
| "Another One Bites the Dust" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Queen Dance Traxx featuring Captain Jack | ||||
| from the album Queen Dance Traxx 1 | ||||
| Released | 10 October 1996 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" single, cassette | |||
| Genre | Eurodance | |||
| Length | 3:48 | |||
| Writer(s) | John Deacon | |||
| Producer | Udo Niebergall Richard Witte |
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| Captain Jack singles chronology | ||||
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In 1996, Queen Dance Traxx and German Eurodance group Captain Jack covered the song for the album Queen Dance Traxx 1 and released it as a single in October 1996. The song reached number 5 in Finland and peaked at number 12 in the Netherlands. It also reached number 33 in Austria, number 41 in Belgium and number 66 in Germany. The music video for this version was directed by Rudi Dolezal and was filmed in Berlin, Germany.
| Chart (1996-1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart[15] | 33 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart[15] | 41 |
| Dutch Top 40[16] | 12 |
| Finnish Singles Chart[15] | 5 |
| German Singles Chart[17] | 66 |
The song was remixed again in 2006. The single reached the UK top 40, credited to Queen vs The Miami Project.[18]
| "Another One Bites the Dust" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Queen & Wyclef Jean featuring Pras and Free | ||||
| from the album Greatest Hits III, Small Soldiers O.S.T, Ghetto Supastar and The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book | ||||
| Released | 1 November 1998 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" single, cassette | |||
| Recorded | 1998 | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 4:20 | |||
| Label | Dreamworks | |||
| Writer(s) | John Deacon | |||
| Producer | Queen, Mack, Wyclef Jean, Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis | |||
| Queen singles chronology | ||||
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In 1998, American rapper Wyclef Jean covered and remixed the song for the film Small Soldiers. His version also features rap verses from Pras Michel and Free, and music by Queen. The track appears on Queen's compilation Greatest Hits III released in 1999.[19] It enjoyed the most success in the UK, where it entered the chart at #5, its highest chart position, going on to spend six weeks on the chart.[20] It also reached the top ten in Finland. It charted #18, #23, #50 and #62 in New Zealand, Austria, Sweden and France, respectively. The music video for this version was directed by Michel Gondry. The song became Pras' third UK Top 10 hit from his debut solo album Ghetto Supastar, following the title track and follow-up single Blue Angels. However, Pras was not available for the filming of the video, and rapper Canibus recorded a new verse to take his place. This version was used only for the promotional video.
The song was remixed again in 2006. The single reached the UK top 40, credited to Queen vs The Miami Project.[21]
In 1981, parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic wrote a parody of the song titled, "Another One Rides the Bus". This version was recorded live on the Dr. Demento Show and was released on his debut album.[22]
In 1997, the original track was sampled by Foxy Brown and Jay-Z on the Trackmasters remix of her single "I'll Be".
In 2010, the song was covered by the cast of Glee in the episode, "Funk" .[23]
| Preceded by "Upside Down" by Diana Ross |
Billboard number one single 4 October 1980 – 18 October 1980 |
Succeeded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand |
| Preceded by "Sailing" by Christopher Cross |
Canadian RPM 100 number-one single 25 October 1980 – 15 November 1980 |
Succeeded by "Woman in Love" by Barbra Streisand |
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