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| Caption =
| Caption =
| Artist = [[Queen (band)|Queen]] & [[Wyclef Jean]] featuring [[Pras]] and [[Free (rapper)|Free]]
| Artist = [[Queen (band)|Queen]] & [[Wyclef Jean]] featuring [[Pras]] and [[Free (rapper)|Free]]
| from Album = [[Greatest Hits III (Queen)|Greatest Hits III]], [[Small Soldiers (soundtrack)|Small Soldiers O.S.T]], [[Ghetto Supastar]] and [[The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book]]
| from Album = [[Greatest Hits III (Queen)|Greatest Hits III]], [[Small Soldiers (soundtrack)|Small Soldiers O.S.T]] & [[Ghetto Supastar]]
| Released = 1 November 1998
| Released = 1 November 1998
| Format = [[CD single]], [[12-inch single|12" single]], [[Compact Cassette|cassette]]
| Format = [[CD single]], [[12-inch single|12" single]], [[Compact Cassette|cassette]]

Revision as of 00:05, 25 April 2012

"Another One Bites the Dust"
Song
B-side"Don't Try Suicide" in US

"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 US Billboard Hot 100, number two on the R&B charts and the Disco Top 100, and number seven in the UK Singles Chart.[2][3] The song is credited as Queen's best selling single, with sales of over 7 million copies.[4] This version was ranked at number 34 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[5]

History

The bass line was inspired by the song "Good Times" by the disco group Chic.[6][7] 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".[8]

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.[9] 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.[10] The band lost to Bob Seger's album Against the Wind.[10] The music video for "Another One Bites the Dust" was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.[11]

Alleged backward masking

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"[12] or "It's fun to smoke marijuana".[13] A spokeswoman for Hollywood Records (Queen's current US label) has denied that the song contains a backward message.[14]

Queen comments on the record

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.

— John Deacon[15]

Personnel

Charts

Country Peak position Certification
Argentina 1
Canada 1
Guatemala 1
Spain 1
US 1 Platinum[16]
New Zealand 2
US R&B 2
Ireland 4
Australia 5
Austria 6
Belgium 7
Germany 6
Brazil 28
UK 7
South Africa 3
Sweden 12
Switzerland 8
Italy 10
Netherlands 14
France 24
Finland 4

Re-releases and remixes

Captain Jack version

"Another One Bites the Dust"
Song

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.

Tracklisting

Europe CD Single
  1. "Another One Bites The Dust" (Radio Mix) - 3:48
  2. "Another One Bites The Dust" (Club Mix) - 5:29
  3. "Another One Bites The Dust" (DJs Extended Mix) - 6:23

Chart performance (Captain Jack version)

Chart (1996-1997) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 33
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] 41
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[17] 5
Germany (Media Control Charts)[18] 66
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 12

Wyclef Jean version

"Another One Bites the Dust"
Song

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.[20] 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.[21] 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.

Tracklisting

American CD Single
  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Radio Edit) (4:00)
  2. "Another One Bites the Dust" (LP version) (4:20)
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Instrumental) (4:17)
  4. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Acappella) (4:45)
UK CD Single
  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (LP Version) (4:20)
  2. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Team 1 Black Rock Star Main Pass Mix) (4:46)
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Team 1 Black Rock Star Radio Edit) (4:17)
EU CD Single
  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Small Soldiers Remix) (4:20)
  2. "Rock And Roll (Part 2)" (3:51)
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Instrumental) (4:17)

The Miami Project Remixes

The song was remixed again in 2006. The single reached the UK top 40, credited to Queen vs The Miami Project.[22]

  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Cedric Gervais & Second Sun Radio Edit) - 3:22
  2. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Cedric Gervais & Second Sun Vocal Mix) - 7:17
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Oliver Koletzki Remix) - 6:14
  4. "Another One Bites the Dust" (A Skillz Remix) - 5:34
  5. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Soul Avengerz Remix) - 7:12
  6. "Another One Bites the Dust" (DJ Pedro & Olivier Berger Mix) - 6:29

Cover versions

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.[23]

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".[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas (1982). The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 254.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2006). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits. Billboard Books
  3. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited
  4. ^ McLeod, Ken (2011-08-31). We Are the Champions: The Politics of Sports and Popular Music. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
  5. ^ "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (40-31)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-04-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ "Queen Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  7. ^ "Biography - Chic". Billboard. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help) Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Good Times". www.superseventies.com. Retrieved 2010-04-11. Excerpt from Bronson, Fred (1988). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. Billboard. {{cite book}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock p.155. Voyageur Press, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2011
  10. ^ a b 23rd Grammy Awards Rock On The Net. Retrieved 3 July 2011
  11. ^ 1980 The Game North American Tour Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 3 July 2011
  12. ^ Luman, Betty. (UPI) "Subliminal smut hidden in rock-record lyrics" Telegraph Herald October 30, 1981: E11
  13. ^ Attention: This template ({{cite doi}}) is deprecated. To cite the publication identified by doi:10.1037/0022-3514.87.3.327, please use {{cite journal}} (if it was published in a bona fide academic journal, otherwise {{cite report}} with |doi=10.1037/0022-3514.87.3.327 instead.
  14. ^ Searcey, Dionne (January 9, 2006). "Behind the Music: Sleuths Seek Messages In Lyrical Backspin". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2010-04-11. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  15. ^ Bassist and Bass Techniques April 1996
  16. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  17. ^ a b c "Another One Bites the Dust", in various singles charts Lescharts.com (Retrieved February 19, 2008)
  18. ^ German peak singles positions
  19. ^ Dutch Top 40 peak (1996)
  20. ^ Queen - Greatest Hits III Allmusic. Retrieved 12 August 2011
  21. ^ Queen/Wyclef Jean - Another One Bites The Dust ft Pras And Free Chart Stats. Retrieved 14 August 2011
  22. ^ Queen Vs The Miami Project Chart Stats. Retrieved 13 August 2011
  23. ^ Palmer, Robert (1980-09-26). "The Pop Life; Confident disk from Jerry Lee Lewis". The New York Times (New York City, USA: Arthur Ochs Sulzberger, Jr.): p. C14.
  24. ^ 'Another One Bites The Dust (Glee Cast Version) Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2011
Preceded by Billboard number one single
4 October 1980 – 18 October 1980 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian RPM 100 number-one single
25 October 1980 – 15 November 1980 		Succeeded by

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