“Another One Bites the Dust” is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by bassist John Deacon. It was included in the group’s eighth studio album, The Game (1980). The song achieved global success, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for three weeks from October 4 to October 18, marking Queen’s second and final number-one single in the country. It remained in the Billboard top 10 for 15 weeks, the longest-running top ten song of 1980, including 13 weeks in the top five, and a total of 31 weeks on the chart, surpassing any other song in 1980. Additionally, it reached number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart and the Disco Top 100 chart, and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. “Another One Bites the Dust” is recognized as Queen’s best-selling single, with sales exceeding 7 million copies. Billboard’s All-Time Top Songs ranked this version at number 34.
From Initial Hesitation to Global Hit: The Journey of Queen’s ‘Another One Bites the Dust
The song received an American Music Award for Favorite Rock Single and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Since its release, “Another One Bites the Dust” has been covered, remixed, and sampled by numerous artists and has been featured in various media including TV shows, commercials, films, and sports events.
It’s believed that John Deacon’s bass line was influenced by “Good Times” by the disco group Chic. Bernard Edwards, co-founder of Chic, mentioned in an interview with NME that the Queen bass player spent time with them in their studio, which contributed to the creation of the Queen record.
The recording sessions, produced by Reinhold Mack at Musicland Studios in Munich (West Germany), saw Deacon playing nearly all instruments, including bass guitar, piano, electric guitar, and handclaps. Roger Taylor added a drum loop, while Brian May contributed guitar noises using an Eventide Harmonizer. There are no synthesizers in the song; all effects are produced by piano, electric guitars, and drums, with subsequent tape playback performed in reverse at various speeds. Finally, sound effects were run through the harmonizer for further processing.
The song’s chorus was initially sung by Roger Taylor in early live performances, contrasting with the studio version sung entirely by Freddie Mercury. However, as the song gained popularity, audiences would often sing the chorus themselves. 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.
At the 1981 American Music Awards, the song won Favorite Pop/Rock Single. It also earned Queen a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, though it lost to Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind”. The music video for “Another One Bites the Dust” was filmed at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas, on August 9, 1980, and the song was included in Queen’s Greatest Hits album in 1981.
The phrase “bite the dust” means to die or to suffer defeat. The lyrics depict a scene akin to a mobster movie, with “machine guns ready to go”. Later, the lyrics refer to a failed relationship as “another one bites the dust”. Despite setbacks, the singer remains resilient, declaring “standing on my own two feet”. The song was initially considered for use in Rocky III but was replaced by Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”.