In rock history, few songs feel as inevitable as “Another One Bites the Dust.” Its pulsing bassline, stripped-down beat, and unmistakable swagger helped define an era. Yet behind its global success lies a surprising truth: one member of Queen actively tried to stop the song from becoming a single. And his objection came down to one word—disco.
The resistance came from drummer Roger Taylor, a self-professed rock purist. Written by bassist John Deacon, the song was built around a tight, funky groove inspired by Chic, a band synonymous with late-’70s disco. To Taylor, that influence crossed a line. He felt the dry, loop-like drum pattern stripped Queen of their bombast and betrayed the raw power that defined tracks like “We Will Rock You.”
During the sessions for The Game, recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich with producer Reinhold Mack, tensions ran high. Taylor reportedly dismissed the track as “not rock,” arguing that releasing it as a single would confuse—or even alienate—the band’s loyal fanbase. Disco, at the time, was still viewed by many rock musicians as the enemy.
While Freddie Mercury immediately recognized the song’s potential, the internal debate dragged on. The track sat in limbo, destined—at least in Taylor’s mind—to remain a deep album cut rather than a flagship release.
Then came an unexpected intervention.
While Queen were performing in Los Angeles, they were visited backstage by Michael Jackson, already one of the most influential artists on the planet and a huge fan of the band. When Jackson heard “Another One Bites the Dust,” his reaction was instant and decisive. According to band lore, he turned to them and delivered a blunt, three-word verdict: “You gotta release it.” He reportedly added that they were crazy not to, instantly grasping the song’s crossover potential.
That advice proved historic.
Released as a single in 1980, “Another One Bites the Dust” shot to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it stayed for three weeks. It crossed genre boundaries, reaching No. 2 on the R&B chart and dominating radio formats that Queen had never conquered before. In the United States alone, it became Queen’s best-selling single, with more than seven million copies sold.
Ironically, the very disco influence Roger Taylor feared became the key to Queen’s biggest American triumph. While Taylor later acknowledged the song’s brilliance, the episode remains a legendary example of how genre lines can blind even the greatest musicians—and how one outsider’s instinct can change music history forever.