Getting beaten, getting cheated on, and getting treated badly continuously could turn even the best of people into devils. We hear Queen singing about what breaks a man.
In the third verse, we get a more in-depth view of life in general. Steve is only left to question if she is happy with the choices she made! She probably turned him into a killer, and those footsteps are approaching her. Did he cheat? Did the wife cheat? Was it some other dispute? Steve is kicked out of his own house for some unknown reason. He has lost his love, everything he cared about and eventually his property. As he walks that solemn street, we get to hear his thoughts. In these lyrics, we are given the perspective of Steve. May be, this second verse is able to shed some light as to why Steve is walking towards destruction. ‘Biting the dust’ is a phrase used to reference ‘death.’ People are buried in the earth when passed away, and in the wild west, the fallen were buried in the desert land. This surprisingly coincides with the number of people shot down at the ‘St. In the chorus, “another one bites the dust” is repeated 6 times. Next comes the bullets ripping off, and the shot sounds match with the bass riff. “Are you ready?” repetitions built intensity in the song, intriguing the listener. The streets are empty, he can only hear his footsteps. Steve-a typical man-walks down the street, his head down and mind heavy. In the first verse of “Another One Bites the Dust,” momentum is built towards the carnage about to unfold. But there are many reasons that have put him into this situation. The song talks about a person-Steve who walks to a shoot out. The iconic bass riff is a signature part of this song and has been sampled by many artists afterwards. Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “Another One Bites the Dust” Hence, when analysing the song lyrics, it would be ideal to view it in this perspective. So we did and it did.” Listen to “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen Release it and it will top the charts,” he said. I knew we had a hit as he bobbed his head up and down. We worked it out and once it was ready, played it for Michael. He was a fan and friend of ours and kept telling me, “Freddie, you need a song the cats can dance to.” John introduced this riff to us during rehearsal that we all immediately thought of disco, which was very popular at the time. “Credit for the song should go to Michael Jackson in many ways. He was a fan of ours and used to come to our shows.”įreddie Mercury also thanked MJ for guidng them in the right direction
Michael Jackson actually suggested we release it as a single. 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. I could hear it as a song for dancing but had no idea it would become as big as it did. Gradually I filled it in and the band added ideas. 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. “I listened to a lot of soul music when I was in school, and I’ve always been interested in that sort of music. In a 1996 interview, John Deacon reminisced about the song and how it came to be Queen members have talked about their hit single on several ocassions. The song title in chorus, when played backwards is claimed to be heard as “It’s fun to smoke marijuana” or “Start to smoke marijuana.” However, it has been denied by Queen. The “Smoke Marijuana” Message ControversyĪnother fun fact that propelled the fame of “Another One Bites the Dust” is the alleged hidden message in the song. It is also considered one of Queen’s best-selling singles with over 7 million copies sold worldwide, only falling behind Queen’s epic ballad “ Bohemian Rhapsody.” The song spent three weeks at #1 on Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen weeks on top 10 in the same chart. And the song took Queen on a whirlwind, becoming their second numbe 1 single in the US charts. Fun fact about the song is that it was never meant to be released as a single but the band was convinced by Michael Jackson to do so. Written by bass guitarist John Deacon, the song made into the band’s eighth studio album ‘The Game’ released in 1980. “Another One Bites the Dust” was a game-changer for Queen. But oftentimes, the simplest meanings could be misinterpreted. The recent Queen biopic ‘ Bohemian Rhapsody‘ re-ignited a passion for classic hits and today we have “Another One Bites the Dust,” which has been dubbed the most difficult Queen song to understand. From the ’70s to the ’80s, Queen ruled the international Rock/Pop/Soul arena and their influence is still felt to-date. The undying Queen band has produced some iconic songs which have defied the laws of time.