John Deacon dominates this track, with minimal involvement from others at first.

e was no sign of any suitable new material from the bassist. It was producer Reinhold Mack who suggested the band take a break while Deacon could work on a new song.He found Deacon tapping away in the studio, searching for the perfect bass sound.Mack told Queen biographer Mark Blake: “John had been fooling around with a drum riff for Another One Bites The Dust for weeks. He had the riff. But the song was so skeletal, it didn’t sound like anything.”Mack pushed the bassist for a melody and worked on the track for a whole day with him.Starting as a drum machine loop, the producer added piano, synthesizer, drums, and bass on top, creating the song’s distinctive groove.In a 2000 BBC Radio 2 masterclass interview with Brian Matthew, May said: “I remember being dragged kicking and screaming to Another One Bites The Dust – I did not think it was Queen. But I’m in the business of being wise and shutting up and watching things happen. But it was a huge hit. It’s catchy. And we became well-known in other parts of the world.”Released as the fourth single from The Game, Another One Bites The Dust topped the US charts in September 1980 and stayed there for three weeks. It was Queen’s first major hit in that country since Bohemian Rhapsody. The song also reached the top of the charts in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, and more. Queen performed the track live for the first time in February 1981 as part of The Game Tour.Visually, the band’s 80s video – which won two MTV Video Music Awards the first year the awards were held – added to the song’s appeal. Another One Bites The Dust laid the groundwork for the dance-rock that dominated the early 1980s pop charts around the world.

In an interview with Peter Goddard for the Toronto Star in December 1981, Mercury described the track’s impact, saying: “When we first went out on tour after playing Another One Bites The Dust live, we didn’t realize what was going to happen. The audience reacted to the track in ways we hadn’t seen before. We knew then that the song had become big. For the first time, we felt like we were the band no one else could touch.”Another One Bites The Dust remains among Queen’s most beloved songs – a defining track for the band and a turning point in their career. The song’s commercial success, danceable beat, and innovative sound helped solidify Queen’s international superstar status and continue to thrill audiences worldwide.