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Queen - Michael Jackson Urged Queen To Release Another One Bites The Dust

Bubs

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Michael Jackson Urged Queen To Release Another One Bites The Dust

Queen star Roger Taylor has credited Michael Jackson with the success of one of the band's biggest U.S. hits - because he urged the band to release it.

The rocker admits he and his bandmates didn't think Another One Bites The Dust was chart ready and Jackson convinced them to reconsider.

Taylor says, "We'd already had one number one from that album, The Game, and then we had another hit and I remember Michael Jackson saying, 'You guys are mad if you don't release Another One Bites the Dust'.

"I remember saying, 'That will never be a hit.' How wrong can you be?'"

The song became one of the band's biggest hits in the U.S. and Brian May credits Queen's black fans for the success.

He adds, "Apparently most of the DJs playing it thought we were a black group and that Freddie was black."

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/mi...to-release-another-one-bites-the-dust_1409158
 
I saw a Queen documentary a week or two ago and Taylor said the same thing. Michael used to visit during recording sessions and he LOVED Another one bites the dust.

This is the documentary it was mentioned in:
 
Yeah, it was mentioned in Days Of Our Lives. Mike knew a hit when he heard one and he was right with ANOBTD.

A song which barely made it on The Game (much like Billie Jean on Thriller) yet became one of their biggest hits. I'm pretty sure Michael was inspired by ANOBTD when he came up with Billie Jean. Both songs are bass driven, both have that main bass riff that start the song and runs it from there, andthey also have a very similar drum loop that 'co-drives' the song, so to speak.

Two very iconic live performances, as well.

Nadia1981 said:
I saw a Queen documentary a week or two ago and Taylor said the same thing. Michael used to visit during recording sessions and he LOVED Another one bites the dust.

This is the documentary it was mentioned in:
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53:49 is the part about ANOBTD, if anyone's interested.
 
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Yep heard that before too.Good thing they listened to Michael,he was so right about this song being a hit.
 
Queen - Freddie (what a performer!)/Brian (guitar GOD), Kerry Ellis and Michael are all idols of mine. Love seeing this kind of thing. Seen Brian quite a few times, normally with Kerry.
 
This is an old story that seems to be doing the rounds again but anyway it was a good idea of MJ to give the advice to Freddie and now its one of Queens best songs :D
 
T.N.A. said:
^No love for Roger and John, as always. :(
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Hell yeah! :yes:

Roger was the cutest chick on I Want To Break Free :p (Freddie in second) and I really think he's a great drummer andit's weird not seeing John performing with the band on stage, he really nailed the bass on AOBTD.
I really love that song and I'm glad Brian and Roger gave Michael credit for giving them such genius piece of advice! BRAVO MICHAEL! :clap:
 
For whoever's interested, here's a short bonus feature from the Blu-Ray of Days Of Our Lives with archive footage of John talking about how he came up with the song, details about recording it and etc.

 
Here is a fantastic combination of Another One Bites The Dust and Michael Jackson. Enjoy!

 
Christmas Rappin'

T.N.A. said:
I'm pretty sure Michael was inspired by ANOBTD when he came up with Billie Jean. Both songs are bass driven, both have that main bass riff that start the song and runs it from there, andthey also have a very similar drum loop that 'co-drives' the song, so to speak.
Click to expand...
I've always thought that the bass on Another One Bites The Dust sounded similar to Kurtis Blow's Christmas Rappin', which came out in 1979. Christmas Rappin' bass line is kinda influenced by Good Times by Chic. There were several songs of the time with the Good Times bass.
 
I have always been a Queen fan. But unlike with Michael I never really bothered to also read about them. I just enjoyed their music and that was it. I think Michael, Freddie and perhaps Prince are the most talented and awesome guys pop and rock music ever produced. But Michael and Freddie are definitely the top 2 to me on talent, personality, charisma, stage presence.

What was really shocking to me recently, that I went through their albums on Wikipedia and the critical response to them. And I never knew they were so much despised by critics! Of course, after Freddie's death everybody praised them and suddenly everyone thought they were awesome and great, critics included. A bit like what you see now with Bad 25: suddenly Bad is a great album. It hasn't been for critics for 25 years.

Some of the criticism is even below the belt and really disgusting. Rolling Stone seemed to hate them just as much as they hated Michael...

Take this for example about the Innuendo album:

Rolling Stone stated "Innuendo is so lightweight you'll forget it as soon as it's over – which, with this band, should go without saying anyway – but there's nothing cynical about it. Unlike most fortyish rock relics, the boys in Queen are still too kooky and insincere to settle for any of that "well-earned wisdom of middle age" bunk. They just throw food at the wall, and if it sticks, fine. And if it doesn't stick, well, that's fine too."
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Innuendo is not my favorite Queen album, but the title track is one of my favorite Queen songs ever. Pure genius IMO. Not to mention the haunting The Show Must Go On. And well, no one forgot songs like The Show Must Go On or Innuendo. I wonder if the same can be said of all the acts that RS rated highly at the time, as opposed to Queen or MJ. At least RS liked Britney Spears and Madonna and Justin Timberlake (more than they ever liked MJ or Queen). That gives them credibility, doesn't it? :smilerolleyes:

About A Kind of Magic (which is now considered one of their best albums):

The Times described the album as one of "the most spectacularly successful releases this year", yet questioned its appeal, asking, "why does it not extend to those of us who are given the records to review?"[2] People Weekly wrote, "There's hardly a personal expression, let alone an intimate one, in this album... The group can be dazzling. In this case they're just overbearing."[9]
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Rolling Stone rated it 2/5. Usually RS gave 2 or 3 stars to their albums. The highest I saw was, I think, 3,5...

I have to say this makes me love Queen even more - for not being the darling of the establishment. It seems just like Michael they weren't very much in the graces of the media and critics, for whatever reason. I wonder if for all these narrow minded "rock purists" Queen was "too theatrical"?

I'm also surprised how they never really became popular in the US. Their biggest selling album in the States was The Game from 1980 and it sold 4 million copies in the US. Normally their albums sold like 500k there. Can you believe that?
 
Re: Christmas Rappin'

DuranDuran said:
I've always thought that the bass on Another One Bites The Dust sounded similar to Kurtis Blow's Christmas Rappin', which came out in 1979. Christmas Rappin' bass line is kinda influenced by Good Times by Chic. There were several songs of the time with the Good Times bass.
Click to expand...

I can definitely hear the similarities in this two.Very interesting.
 
Re: Christmas Rappin'

teli-mj said:
I can definitely hear the similarities in this two.Very interesting.
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It's possible Queen's bassist John Deacon heard Christmas Rappin'. Blondie came out with Rapture around that time also. Rap was mostly played on R&B radio at the time, and Another One Bites The Dust and Rapture became R&B hits.
 
This is also mentioned in a documentary about Queen that focuses on Freddie Mercury. I wish they had more of a chance to work together, I hope to hear what they recorded one day! These two to me and two of the most charismatic and talented performers EVER. For them to be brought together on an album would have blown my mind :)

(I am a performer and in awe of them both!)
 
I agree completely! Two of the most charismatic performers ever!
 
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