Musical Monday - Another One Bites the Dust by Queen

#1 on the Billboard Hot 100: October 4, 1980 through October 18, 1980.

#1 on the Cash Box Top 100: October 4, 1980 through October 25, 1980.
#1 on the U.K. Chart: Never.

I recently saw someone make the claim that the bass line from Fleetwood Mac's song The Chain is the most recognizable bass line in rock history. I think that is debatable, and I offer the bass line from this song as a competing alternative for the title of most recognizable bass line in rock history. After all, the bass line in The Chain doesn't really get going until deep into the song, whereas the bass line in Another One Bites the Dust smacks the listener in the face at the very outset of the song and never lets up. In many ways, the bass line in Another One Bites the Dust is the song, which makes sense given that the song was written by Queen's bassist John Deacon.

Bohemian Rhapsody is generally regarded as Queen's musical masterpiece, and rightly so, but Another One Bites the Dust is, I think, the band's most notable song. It isn't the most definitely "Queen" song, as it is kind of out of the ordinary for the band, but I think it is at or near the top of the list of responses one would get if you asked a bunch of people to name a Queen song. I might be biased in this regard, as Another One Bites the Dust was the first Queen song that I recognized as actually being a Queen song. I may have heard other Queen songs prior to the moment I identified this song with the band, but I didn't mentally connect them with Queen. On the other hand, Another One Bites the Dust was Queen's most commercially successful song, so I think my assertion concerning its place in the Queen canon is supportable.

Oddly, despite it being so prominent in their repertoire, this is probably one of the most "unQueen" songs that the band ever released as a single. Queen was prone to lavish, over-the-top songs, full of big sweeping drama like Bohemian Rhapsody, or Somebody to Love, or goofy, silly songs like Bicycle or Flash. Another One Bites the Dust is stripped down - it consists of little more than the bass line, a very dry drum beat, and Freddie Mercury snapping out lyrics in an almost clipped and staccato manner. The sharp contrast between this song and the rest of Queen's career output is almost breathtaking, and yet, Another One Bites the Dust is brilliant and somehow immediately recognizable as being Queen. Perhaps it is a testament to the greatness of Queen that this is so.

Previous Musical Monday: Don't Stand So Close to Me by the Police

Subsequent Musical Monday: Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand

Previous #1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Upside Down by Diana Ross

Subsequent #1 on the Billboard Hot 100: Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand

Previous #1 on the Cash Box Top 100: Upside Down by Diana Ross

Subsequent #1 on the Cash Box Top 100: Woman in Love by Barbra Streisand

List of #1 Singles from the Billboard Hot 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles from the Cash Box Top 100 for 1980-1989
List of #1 Singles on the U.K. Chart for 1980-1989

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