Context

This line is from the song "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, from the album The Game (1980).

This song is all about watching adversaries fall around you. Mwahaha! The songwriter said he was inspired by the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and the opening verses do indeed portray a bunch of guys with machine guns ready to head out and mow some people down. That's why bullets are ripping and people are biting the dust (i.e., dying) left and right. Yeah, it's pretty grisly.

But most folks would probably say these verses are about triumph. You're still standing while those other are falling down all around you. You, 1. Other Guys, 0.

Where you've heard it

"Another one bites the dust" was a common reference before this song came out, but today, if you hear someone singing along to this tune, they're probably just trying to psych themselves up to win something big.

Additional Notable References:

• Did you know that some CPR teachers use the rhythm of "Another One Bites the Dust" to teach the proper technique for CPR? Yeah, it's pretty morbid.
• Wyclef Jean remixed this song back in 1998.
• Gwen Stefani gave a shout-out to this line in her hit Hollaback Girl.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Guys are biting the dust left and right and you're singing about it? Sure, it might be accurate, but you seem just a little bit full of yourself.