Another One Bites the Dust is a song by Queen. It was written by John Deacon for the band's 1980 album The Game. It was also released as a single with Dragon Attack (UK) or Don't Try Suicide (US) on the B-side.
Inspired by Bernard Edwards’ descending bassline from Good Times, John Deacon created the initial bassline and played most of the instruments on the track.
Another One Bites the Dust quickly became the band's biggest US hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also saw similar success in the UK, reaching #5. The song marked a departure for Queen into the genre of funk rock and disco. Queen, now having successfully topped the charts with their new sound, would expand into the disco genre on their 1982 album Hot Space.
History[]
Composition[]
The early development of Another One Bites the Dust came from John Deacon, who developed the bassline off of the bassline from Chic's 1979 hit Good Times. Deacon created a simple riff based on the descending bassline from Good Times, and used it as a foundation for the rest of the song.
| “ | Well, that Queen record came about because that bass player spent some time hanging out with us at our studio. But that's OK. What isn't OK is that the press started saying that we had ripped them off! Can you believe that? 'Good Times' came out more than a year before, but it was inconceivable to these people that black musicians could possibly be innovative like that. It was just these dumb disco guys ripping off this rock 'n' roll song. | ” |
–Chic bass player Bernard Williams, referring to Deacon's inspiration for Another One Bites the Dust | ||
Deacon soon created lyrics for the song, originally themed around cowboys. When the band started performing Another One Bites the Dust in the studio, however, Deacon realized that the lyrics were too tongue-and-cheek and decided to tone down the cowboy aspect of the lyrics.
Allegations of backmasking[]
In the early 1980s, Another One Bites The Dust was one of the most popular tracks that Christian fundamentals went around and accused of having supposed "subliminal messages" when the track was played backwards. The chorus at the 2:20 mark (Another One Bites The Dust (4x)), when played in reverse was reported to become, "It's fun to smoke Marijuana". A spokesperson for Queen's currently US label, Hollywood Records (as well as the band's remaining members) denied these claims and stated that there is a backwards masked piano played by Deacon.
Chart performances[]
| Chart (1980-81) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 5 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50) | 9 |
| Canada (RPM) | 1 |
| France (IFOP) | 24 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 6 |
| Israel (IBA) | 1 |
| Italy (Musica e dischi) | 10 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 14 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 11 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 2 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 3 |
| Spain (AFYVE) | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 12 |
| Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade) | 8 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 7 |
| United States (Billboard Hot 100) | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts) | 6 |
Certifications[]
| Country | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Denmark) | Platinum | 90,000 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 2x Platinum | 100,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Platinum | 600,000 |
| United States (RIAA) (physical) | Platinum | 3,000,000 |
| United States (RIAA) (digital) | 4x Platinum | 1,156,000 |
Gallery[]
Main article: Another One Bites the Dust/Gallery
