Creative tension has fueled some of the greatest moments in rock history, but few internal disagreements backfired as spectacularly as this one. In a twist of musical fate, Roger Taylor once tried to stop what would become Queen’s biggest commercial success — a song he was convinced betrayed everything the band stood for.
That song, of course, was Another One Bites the Dust.
Looking back decades later, Taylor has openly admitted he misjudged the track’s potential, largely because of its unapologetic groove. At the time, Queen were global rock titans, known for operatic excess, blistering guitar solos, and thunderous live shows. Disco, funk, and minimalist bass lines felt like enemy territory.
The conflict emerged during the recording of Queen’s 1980 album The Game, produced by Reinhold Mack. Bassist John Deacon arrived with a stripped-down, hypnotic bass riff inspired by Chic and the rising funk-disco crossover dominating American radio. It was sleek, repetitive, and dangerously catchy.
Taylor hated it.
A self-described rock purist, he felt the dry, loop-driven rhythm was a betrayal of Queen’s bombastic identity. He reportedly went so far as to tape his drums to make them sound flat and lifeless, hoping the track would feel unappealing enough to abandon. To Taylor, releasing it as a single would alienate their loyal rock fanbase.
The song survived the studio battles — but barely.
Everything changed backstage in Los Angeles, when a visitor with near-mythical pop instincts stepped in. Michael Jackson, already a global superstar and a devoted Queen fan, heard the track and was stunned. According to band members, Jackson didn’t hedge his opinion. He told them bluntly: “You’re mad if you don’t release it. It’s a hit.”
Queen listened.
Released as a single in August 1980, “Another One Bites the Dust” didn’t fracture their audience — it expanded it. The song spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, crossed into R&B charts, and ultimately became Queen’s best-selling single worldwide, moving over seven million copies.
Its impact rippled far beyond Queen’s catalog. The track helped normalize genre-crossing in mainstream rock and arguably influenced the groove-forward pop dominance Jackson would later perfect on Thriller. It also permanently altered Queen’s creative trajectory, encouraging bolder experimentation — for better or worse — on later albums like Hot Space.
Today, Roger Taylor freely admits he got it wrong. His instincts as a rock drummer blinded him to the song’s undeniable magnetism. Sometimes, it turns out, the person who knows a hit best isn’t behind the kit — it’s the one already dancing to it backstage.