Since you asked again about Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” here is a summary focused on the song’s groundbreaking production and the surprising story of its release.
The Birth of a Funk-Rock Classic
“Another One Bites the Dust” was written by bassist John Deacon and released in 1980 on the album The Game. It stands out in Queen’s catalogue for its stripped-down, funk, and disco sound, a deliberate departure from the band’s typical layered rock style.
Production and Sound
The track’s unique sound is built on a few key elements:
- The Iconic Bass Line: The relentless, funky bass riff is the song’s foundation. It was inspired by the bass line in the 1979 Chic hit, “Good Times,” after John Deacon reportedly spent time with Chic’s bassist, Bernard Edwards. Deacon played most of the instruments on the track: bass guitar, piano, electric guitar, and handclaps.
- The “Tight” Drums: Drummer Roger Taylor was reportedly reluctant about the song’s direction, but he recorded a precise, dry drum loop (before the widespread use of drum machines). To achieve this sound, he muffled his drums with blankets.
- No Synthesizers: Although the sound is highly electronic, the band made a point that there were no synthesizers used. The strange, swirling sound effects were created by Brian May running his guitar through an Eventide Harmonizer and by playing tape recordings of instruments (like the piano) backward at different speeds.
- Tempo for CPR: The song’s rhythm has a practical application, as its tempo of around 110 beats per minute is often cited in medical training as the ideal rate for performing chest compressions during CPR.
The Michael Jackson Factor
The song might never have been a single—let alone one of their biggest hits—without a crucial piece of advice:
- Queen’s other members, particularly Roger Taylor and Brian May, had misgivings about releasing the track as a single because it was so different from their signature rock sound.
- However, after attending a Queen concert in Los Angeles in 1980, Michael Jackson went backstage and enthusiastically urged Freddie Mercury to release the song as a single, telling him, “Freddie, you need a song the cats can dance to. That’s it, that’s the gravy!”
- The band followed Jackson’s advice, and the single shot to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming a worldwide smash hit.