The Book

Introduction What is it all good for? Scope of work Project History

Music theory in nutshell Harmony Chord notation used in the analyses The degrees of notes Chord functions Keys, Sharps and flats, neighbour keys Guitar friendly and piano-friendly keys Modulations, key changes Parallel key modulations Relative key modulations Neighbour key modulations Combined modulations Step-up/down modulations Unusual modulations Key-shifts Pivot Modulation Borrowed chords Cliche chord progressions Modes Ambigous harmony Rhythms Exercies Syncopations Shuffle beat Metrical modulations, metrical anomalies Compound meters Disorienting Rhythms Songforms General aesthatics of popular and rock music

Repetitions and variants

Queen - The four of them as musicians Brian May Roger Taylor Freddie Mercury John Deacon

Songwriting Analyses Smile Ibex "No Synth" era Queen Keep Yourself Alive Doing All Right Great King Rat My Fairy King Liar The Night Comes Down Modern Times Rock'n'roll Son And Daughter Jesus Seven Seas Of Rhye Silver Salmon Hangman Mad The Swine Queen II Procession Father To Son White Queen (As It Began) Some Day One Day The Loser In The End Ogre Battle The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke Nevermore March Of The Black Queen Funny How Love Is Seven Seas Of Rhye See What A Fool I've Been Sheer Heart Attack Brighton Rock Killer Queen Tenement Funster Flick Of The Wrist Lily Of The Valley Now I'm Here In The Lap Of The Gods Stone Cold Crazy Dear Friends Misfire Bring Back That Leroy Brown She Makes Me In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited A Night At The Opera Death On Two Legs Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon I'm In Love With My Car You're My Best Friend Sweet Lady '39 Seaside Rendezvous The Prophet's Song Love Of My Life Good Company Bohemian Rhapsody God Save The Queen A Day At The Races Tie Your Mother Down You Take My Breath Away Long Away The Millionaire Waltz You And I Somebody To Love White Man Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy Drowse Teo Torriate News Of The World We Will Rock You We Are The Champions Sheer Heart Attack All Dead All Dead Spread Your Wings Fight From The Inside Get Down Make Love Sleeping On The Sidewalk Who Needs You It's Late My Melancholy Blues Feelings Jazz Mustapha Fat Bottomed Girls Jealousy Bicycle Race If You Can't Beat Them Let Me Entertain You Dead On Time In Only Seven Days Dreamers Ball Fun It Leaving Home Ain't Easy Don't Stop Me Now More Of That Jazz Live performances in the 70s Modern-era Queen The Game Play The Game Dragon Attack Another One Bites The Dust Need Your Loving Tonight Crazy Little Thing Called Love Rock It (prime Jive) Don't Try Suicide Sail Away Sweet Sister Coming Soon Save Me Human Body Sandbox Flash Gordon Flash's Theme In The Space Capsule Ming's Theme The Ring Football Fight In The Death Cell Execution Of Flash The Kiss Arboria Escape From The Swamp Flash To The Rescue Vultan's Theme Battle Theme The Wedding March Marriage Of Dale And Ming Flash's Theme Reprise Crash Dive On Mingo City The Hero Hot Space Staying Power Dancer Back Chat Body Language Action This Day Put Out The Fire Life Is Real Calling All Girls Las Palabras De Amor Cool Cat Under Pressure Soul Brother The Works Radio Ga Ga Tear It Up It's A Hard Life Man On The Prowl Machines (or 'Back To Humans') I Want To Break Free Keep Passing The Open Windows Hammer To Fall Is This The World We Created? I Go Crazy A Kind Of Magic One Vision A Kind Of Magic One Year Of Love Pain Is So Close To Pleasure Friends Will Be Friends Who Wants To Live Forever Gimme The Prize (Kurgan's Theme) Don't Lose Your Head Princes Of The Universe The Miracle Party Khashoggi's Ship The Miracle I Want It All The Invisible Man Breakthru Rain Must Fall Scandal My Baby Does Me Was It All Worth It Hang On In There Chinese Torture Hijack My Heart My Life Has Been Saved Stealin' New Life Is Born Dog With A Bone Guess We're Fallin Out Innuendo Innuendo I'm Going Slightly Mad Headlong I Can't Live With You Don't Try So Hard Ride The Wild Wind All God's People These Are The Days Of Our Lives Delilah The Hitman Bijou The Show Must Go On Lost Opportunity Face It Alone Self Made Man My Secret Fantasy Made In Heaven It's A Beautiful Day Made In Heaven Let Me Live Mother Love My Life Has Been Saved I Was Born To Love You Heaven For Everyone Too Much Love Will Kill You You Don't Fool Me A Winter's Tale My Life Has Been Saved It's A Beautiful Day (reprise) No-One But You Live performances in the 80s

Appendix Special instruments Special effects Special playing techniques Classical quotes Musical terms Index References

Path: Queen Songs - The Book - Songwriting Analyses - The Game: Another One Bites The Dust

Another One Bites The Dust

Composer: John Deacon
Single:
Meter: 4/4
Key e-minor
Form:

   | Intro (A'A'AAA)| Verse (AABB')| Chorus (AAA'D)|
                AA  | Verse'       | Chorus        | Interlude |"Title"|
                AA  | Verse"       | Chorus        | Outro (AABB')

This song is one of the most important turning point in the band's carrier both chart-wise and style-wise and also image-wise (the debute of the mustache mon the video-clip). The success of this mere single inspired the band to experiment more with black/funk music the new trend for the "Hot Space" album. The very first experiment was "Fun It" off the Jazz album.
This song makes heavy use of repeating bass-riffs. The main riff is tad reminiscent of that of the Chiq's "Good Times" (1979), which is famous for being the first major proto-rap hit. Deacon's riff also starts with three low E notes followed by a characteristic pause, the rest is different.
The song is also famous for the band using looped drumlines, in order to achive an extra-tight rhythm department.
The songform shows three cycles of Verse - Chorus the second one followed by an interlude.
This transcription of the song uses slow beats determined by the three low E bass notes. The syncopations on the other hand suggest double frequency quarter beats.
The harmonic backing is very economic, except two phrases in two verses and the outro we have no chords. The homekey is minor which is rare among Queen singles but usual in funk music.


Intro
The song starts with the famous two measure riff played five times (five phrases), the first two times a variant with upbeat. Only riff uses only three different notes (E, G, A). For the third phrase where the main version of the ostinato riff debutes enters the guitar doubling it. The last two phrases add flanged synth chord (Em7) fading in and abruptly stopped (see also "Play The Game" "Death On Two Legs" (no synth)).
The second and third cycle starts with a shortened (two phrases) version of the intro including the fade in chord.

Verse
We have three 8 measure verses (2+2+2+2, AA'BB'). The second and third one is sung an octave higher with incredible energy and funky strummed guitar chords are added in contrast with the more economic first verse. The lead tune (in the second verse only) features a b5th in m6, and the bass line also features some chromatic passing notes the last one (A...) is copied by the lead vocal. The last measure adds a dissonant guitar chord (G-A#-C-F).

e:
/----- 2x -----\
| Em   | - Am  |
| i    | - iv  |

| C1 G1| C1 G1 |
| 6  3 | 6  3  |

| C1 G1| A1 B1 |
| 6  3 | 4  5  |

The first verse ends with reversed cymbals. The second Verse adds more weird noises. Except the octave up transposition, the lead tune is also changed. The third verse offers furhter variants of the lead melody in m5-7 adding also single part harmonies.

Chorus
The chorus consists of eight neasures, four phrases the first three of which is backed by the riff (AAA'...).

/----- 2x-----\
| E1   | - A1 |

| E1   | - A1 |

| F#5 A5 | F#1 B1 G1 |
| 2   4  | 5/5 5  3  |

The second and third chorus adds guitar power chords in mthe last phrase.


Interlude
At the end of the second cycle we have a long economic interlude. Economic in terms of harmony and arrangement. See a similar interlude fro example in "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" (Abba).
The interlude measure by measure.
m1-2: only the rhythm loop. Plus a "hey".
m3- : handclap-like drums are added
m5- : guitar noise fading in.
m7- : Brian with his Red Special here creates a doubletracked lion-shout, ad-lib vocals by Freddie.
m9- : guitar with harmoniser (see also "Get Down Make Love")
m12-: reversed piano fades in (G-A#-F).
m16-: the reversed chord abruptly stops and slowing down percussion figure is added.
m19-22: title phrase repeated four times with different endings each time. Only handclaps. It sounds distinctly enough to be threated as an individual section.


Outro
It is mainly the same as the backing track of the verse. The live version features Brian playing more funky figures.