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Another One Bites the Dust

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"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 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. 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.[2]

History

The bass line was inspired by the song "Good Times" by the Disco group Chic.[3][4] 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".[5]

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.[6] 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.[7] The band lost to Bob Seger's album Against the Wind.[7] The music video for "Another One Bites the Dust" was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas.[8]

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." or "It's fun to smoke marijuana".[9] A spokeswoman for Hollywood Records (Queen's current US label) has denied that the song contains a backward message.[10]

Personnel

Charts

Country Peak position Certification
Argentina 1
Canada 1
Guatemala 1
Spain 1
US 1 Platinum[11]
New Zealand 2
US R&B 2
Ireland 4
Australia 5
Austria 6
Germany 6
UK 7
Switzerland 8
Italy 10
Netherlands 14
France 22
Finland 4

Re-Releases & Remixes

Small Soldiers Remix (1998)

"Another One Bites the Dust"
Song

In 1998, Wyclef Jean remixed the song for the film Small Soldiers. This version also featured rap verses from Pras Michel and Free, and appeared on Queen's compilation Greatest Hits III released in 1999. 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. 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.

It was ex-Fugees member Pras' third UK Top 10 hit from his debut solo album Ghetto Supastar following the title track and Blue Angels. However, Pras was not available for the filming of the video and the rapper Canibus recorded a new verse to take his place. This version was used only for the promotional video.

Tracklists and formats

US 5-inch 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" (A cappella) (4:45)
UK 5-inch single
  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (New 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)
Italy 12-inch single

A-side

  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (LP version) (4:20)
  2. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Small Soldiers Video Mix) (4:00)
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Instrumental) (4:17)
  4. "Another One Bites the Dust" (A cappella) (4:45)

B-side

  1. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Team 1 Black Rock Star Main Pass) (4:48)
  2. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Team 1 Black Rock Star Radio Edit) (4:17)
  3. "Another One Bites the Dust" (Team 1 Black Rock Star Remix Instrumental) (4:46)

The Miami Project Remixes (2006)

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

  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 1997, the original track was sampled by Foxy Brown and Jay-Z on the Trackmasters Remix of her single "I'll Be".

In 2002, the song was covered by Queen Factory, a French project of Stéphane Durand who was inspired by Mad'House (house covers of Madonna) and King of House (house covers of Michael Jackson).

In 2004, the song was covered by Greek-American singer Kalomoira for her debut self titled album released in Greece and Cyprus in September 2004. The album reached number 1 in both countries and was certified gold.

In 2010, the song was covered by the cast of Glee.[12] The episode "Funk" aired June 1.[13]

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.

See also

References

  1. ^ Schaffner, Nicholas (19822). The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 254. {{cite book}}: Check date values in: |year= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  2. ^ "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)
  3. ^ "Queen Biography". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  4. ^ "Biography - Chic". Billboard. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help) Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "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)
  6. ^ Queen: The Ultimate Illustrated History of the Crown Kings of Rock p.155. Voyageur Press, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2011
  7. ^ a b 23rd Grammy Awards Rock On The Net. Retrieved 3 July 2011
  8. ^ 1980 The Game North American Tour Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 3 July 2011
  9. ^ Luman, Betty. (UPI) "Subliminal smut hidden in rock-record lyrics" Telegraph Herald October 30, 1981: E11
  10. ^ 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)
  11. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2010-04-11.
  12. ^ 'Another One Bites The Dust (Glee Cast Version) Billboard. Retrieved 3 July 2011
  13. ^ "Funk: Featured Music". Fox Retrieved 3 July 2011
Preceded by Billboard Hot 100 number one single
4 October 1980 – 18 October 1980 (3 Weeks) 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Canadian "RPM" Singles Chart number-one single
25 October 1980 – 15 November 1980 		Succeeded by

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