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Christopher Hopper; distributed by Elektra Records (left), Matthew Rolston; Distributed by Epic Records (right)

Michael Jackson had a surprising influence on one of Queen's greatest hits.

When a band strikes gold (or platinum) with a hit song, it's easy to think that success was predictable. After all, a great song with wide popular appeal is a great song with wide popular appeal, right?

But when you dig into the history of some of the world's iconic hit songs, you often find a fascinating backstory filled with surprising details that make it clear how unpredictable the music industry really is. Case in point: Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust."

 queen, freddie mercury, another one bites the dust "Another One Bites the Dust" is one of Queen's greatest hits.  Giphy  

The YouTube channel Behind the Track shared the fascinating story of how Another One Bites the Dust became one of Queen's greatest hits. The song was written by John Deacon, Queen's bassist, who was the last member to join the band. Deacon wrote some of the band's other songs, including "You're My Best Friend" and "I Want to Break Free," but none had the massive popular success of "Another One Bites the Dust."

However, the would-be-hit almost wasn't.

Known for its catchy drumbeat and powerful bass line, "Another One Bites the Dust" was an unusual song that didn't fall in line with Queen's usual sound. No big guitar riffs. No layered harmonies. In fact, drummer Roger Taylor didn't even like the song. The band debated putting it on their album and didn't plan to release it as a single at all until the King of Pop himself intervened.

 

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

 

Jackson was a fan of the band and often attended their shows. After a concert in Los Angeles in 1980, he showed up backstage and told the band members that they needed to release "Another One Bites the Dust" as a single. Taylor did not think it would be a hit at all, but the others listened to Jackson's advice, and the song was released in August of 1980. It went to No. 1 in the U.S. and spent 31 weeks on the Hot 100.

But there's even more to the story of how the song came about. Deacon had come up with the idea for the song initially after scribbling lines from old western American films. One line that kept coming back to him was "another one bites the dust." The lyrics were all about cowboys at first, a bit light-hearted and humorous, but Deacon was too embarrassed to even show his bandmates that version.

  Old West Movie GIF by GritTV  Giphy  

When the band began to record the bass line, Deacon realized the song needed to be edgier and he changed the lyrics from cowboys to a vague story about a guy named Steve who gets into a street fight. That iconic bass line was inspired by disco funk music, specifically "Good Times" by Chic, a band that Deacon had hung out with. Deacon wanted the drum beat to be very simple, and Taylor's drums were covered in tape and the basic beat looped—a technique Taylor really didn't care for at the time. "I didn't really want to get into dance music," Taylor later explained. "Wasn't my thing."

In 2024, Brian May shared with Guitar World how Deacon led the band through the song recording:

"He would tell Freddie what the words were, and play the tune on the guitar. You can imagine it was quite a strange process. Freddie absolutely adored it. He just stepped into it with a vengeance. And he sang it until he bled! He was forcing himself to get those high notes and he loved it. Freddie really was such a driving force."

 freddie mercury, queen, another one bites the dust Freddie Mercury was Queen's larger-than-life lead singer.  Giphy  

However, the rest of the band wasn't as fond of the song.

“You know, Roger actually didn’t want to have it on the album, didn’t like it," May said. "It was much too funky and not enough rock for him. I was a bit on the fence. I kind of enjoyed it. But it obviously wasn’t the rock that I would have been creating. And I remember saying, ‘Look, it needs a little bit of something a bit more dirty on it.’

“So I started playing these little bits of the more grungy guitar. I don’t think the word ‘grungy’ existed in those days. But the distorted guitar is obviously me, and that punctuates it and gives it another dimension, takes it to a slightly more rocky place."

May remembers Michael Jackson hearing the song and saying that's what he wanted to do. "I think his whole album which followed [Thriller] was deeply influenced by 'Another One Bites The Dust' and the fact that it straddled funk and rock," May said. "Michael came to the same place from a different direction.”

 michael jackson, thriller, queen, another one bites the dust Michael Jackson pushed Queen to release "Another One Bites the Dust" as a single. Matthew Rolston; Distributed by Epic Records (Public domain) 

It seems that Queen and Michael Jackson had one another to credit for at least some of their success, and apparently we can thank them both for one of the best bop-alongs ever made.

Flickr/Wikipedia, America's Got Talent/YouTube

Prince would be so proud.

When the 2024 Summer Olympics ended, few knew we weren't quite done marveling at elite-level humans at the top of their game. America’s Got Talent returned from its two week hiatus in August 2024 with eleven incredible acts, but it was R&B singer Liv Warfield who stole the show with her rendition of “The Unexpected,” a song that just so happened to be written specifically for her by Prince. No big deal.

Warfield had already wowed audiences with her initial audition, which earned a Golden Buzzer from Simon Cowell. But this next performance had Cowell saying, “If this was the Olympics for singing, you would have won the gold medal.”

 simon cowell, america's got talent, golden buzzer Simon Cowell gave Liv Warfield the Golden Buzzer at her initial audition.  Giphy GIF by America's Got Talent 

Judges Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel echoed similar praises. Vergara called Warfield’s set “perfection,” while Mandel, a self-proclaimed Prince fan, told Warfield that "The Purple One knew what he was doing when he gave you this gem. That was a million-dollar performance.”

And it’s not hard to see why Warfield got such high remarks. Beyond her unbelievable vocals was her undeniable star power and ability to transport us all back in time to the days of 70s rock n’ roll.

As one viewer put it, “If Prince and Janis Joplin had a baby = Liv Warfield!”

Just watch:

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

 

Warfield’s connection to Prince began in 2009, when she joined his New Power Generation band. Though she noted that “backing up Prince was a dream,” not to mention the fact that she’s already made several chart topping achievements on her own, she still felt like her ultimate potential had yet to be reached, hence her AGT audition. Now, her quarterfinal performance has made Cowell declare another defining moment in her career.

“It felt to me like all those years you’ve been climbing the ladder to where you want to be, it all came out in those three minutes,” he said.

Indeed, what a testament to the power of steadily going after your dreams. Raw talent is great, but even with God-given gifts, there’s still so much work that goes into being ready for big opportunities. Though she didn't win the competition in the end, Warfield is already a winner through and through.

Warfield is continuing on her musical path in her hometown of Chicago and was invited to perform the Star-Spangled Banner at a Chicago Cubs baseball game in May of 2025.

@livwarfield

Thank you @cubs for inviting me out to sing. ✨Beautiful Day, Beautiful People,Energy at @cubs game! With my @zinzannichicago Family❤️✨. Although sis, was hiding out like the 🦀 that I am. 😂😂🤘🏾 Love y’all! Yesterday was necessary 🫀. PR Queen @aidanhenri 😘✨🫶🏾 @princenolov3 😘

 

Her Prince roots are alive and well in her stage performances as she performs in a tribute concert series during the summer of 2025. She also has multiple albums under her belt, beginning with "Embrace Me" in 2006 and continuing through her 2023 album "The Edge."

Warfield has credited Prince with her musical development, telling NPR in 2014:

"He's influenced me first and foremost, as a performer. Just kind of like taking chances first. It took me a while. Like I thought I was a good performer, but when I got part of the New Power Generation, I was like, 'Whoa this is a whole new world for me.' And even in the writing and arranging, and him just teaching me how to really listen to the music. Listen to every instrument, give space, and I wasn't really thinking about those things. I just wanted to hear everything. I thought, 'If everybody plays, it's good.' ... Sometimes it could sound like noise, but he just really kind of developed my ear."

 prince, liv warfield, music legends Prince is a legend among musicians.  Giphy GIF by Coolidge Corner Theatre 

Just more proof that musical legends live on not only in the music they leave behind but in the talent they help nurture and develop.

This article originally appeared last year.

Truly a once in a lifetime talent.

When we think of badass, alt rock icons of the 90s, few are as singular and unique as Dolores O’Riordan, who gave The Cranberries its signature sound, and who was once described as having "the voice of a saint trapped in a glass harp.”

It wasn’t just that O’Riordan flawlessly blended traditional Celtic singing techniques like lilting and keening into rock music (which in itself is an amazing feat) but that her performances never compromised emotional authenticity for the sake of aesthetics. The result, as any fan will tell you, was something both ethereal and raw all at the same time.

 the cranberries linger song Dolores O'Riordan had a singularly unique voice  Giphy  

So it should probably be of no surprise that in this resurfaced clip, presumably from the late 90s, O’Riordan’s stunning cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” is every bit as magical. As @oldmansrock, the account that posted the video, wrote, “the way that Dolores could challenge the pitch but still stay on key, that is the mark of an accomplished singer. It sounds dissonant compared to the manufactured material of today, where every tone is perfect, but hers is oh so human, and so very Irish! It is beautiful!”

But don’t just take their word for it. Watch:

 


If this had you wanting to pull up a Cranberries playlist on your Spotify to listen to for the rest of the day, you're not alone. Down in the comments, the renewed love for O’Riordan was palpable.

“What sits deep with me is that no one sounds like her. Her voice is unmistakable. Whatever her take on a song/lyric? It was authentically, soul-touching Dolores.

“She was unbelievably talented and the cranberries are criminally underrated.”

“Her Irish vocal sweep ups are amazing.”

 ireland, irish, irish flag, shamrock The Cranberries hailed from Limerick, Ireland.  Giphy GIF by Curtains Cool 

“She was just brilliant!!! Incredibly talented as well as a lovely and kind human being. I love and miss her. I don't know how anyone can have a bad word to say about this. I thought it was brilliant, both her live cover and studio cover. I wish people weren't so stubborn. I can accept covers no problem if the singer is talented enough, and she most certainly is. ❤️”

“A keening Irish queen. Her voice will always stir me.”

“An actual once in a generation talent.”

“Also a master of the microphone. She knows exactly where the sweet spot is for every note.”

“She could melt your heart with that voice, or completely blow you away. Missed dearly, but never forgotten. ❤️”

 the cranberries, dolores o'riordan, music, irish bands Dolores O'Riordan in 2007 upload.wikimedia.org  

This cover would go on to be a part to the Cranberries’ third album, To The Faithful Departed, which was released in 1996 and became the band’s highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, and was praised for its darker tone as well as its themes of grief and loss.

After O’Riordan died from drowning due to alcohol intoxication in January 2018, the Cranberries would disband in 2019, but they released their final album, In the End, that year. It was comprised of some of O'Riordan's unfinished demo tapes.

While O’Riordan met the same tragic fate that befalls many artists, especially those in the music industry, her spirit lives on in her art. Because she put so much of herself into her craft, even bite-sized clips of her performances, many years later, inspire those who listen to it. That’s something worth celebrating.

By the way, you can catch a full video of the cover below.

  - YouTube  youtu.be  

 

This article originally appeared in February.

Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani wows audiences with his amazing musical talents.

Mozart was known for his musical talent at a young age, playing the harpsichord at age four and writing original compositions at age five. So perhaps it's fitting that a video of five-year-old piano prodigy Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani playing Mozart has gone viral as people marvel at his musical abilities.

Alberto's legs couldn't even reach the pedals, but that didn't stop his little hands from flying expertly over the keys as incredible music pours out of the piano at the 10th International Musical Competition "Città di Penne" in Italy in 2022. Even if you've seen young musicians play impressively, it's hard not to have your jaw drop. Sometimes a kid comes along who just clearly has a gift.

 


Of course, that gift has been helped along by two professional musician parents, but no amount of teaching can create an ability like this.

Alberto first started playing in 2020 in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Italy was one of the first countries to experience a serious lockdown, and Alberto's mother used the opportunity to start teaching her son to play piano. Alessia Cingolani and her husband Simone Cartuccia are both music conservatory graduates, and mom Alessia told Italian entertainment website Contrataque that she and her husband recognized Alberto's talent immediately.

 piano, child playing piano, piano prodigy, impressive, children, prodigy Some kids discover and develop their musical talents very early.Photo credit: Canva

She said that although Alberto spends a lot of time at the piano, he also has plenty of time for school and play and television, like a normal kid.

There's genuinely nothing "normal" about this kid's piano playing, though. Watch him playing a piece by Edvard Grieg in front of a crowd in Italy at age five:

 

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

 

Wow, right? There are countless adults who took years of piano lessons and never got to that level of playing.

According to Corriere Adriatico, by the time he was four and a half years old, Alberto had participated in seven national and international online competitions and won first place in all of them. His mother told the outlet that he started out practicing for about 10 minutes a day and gradually increased to three hours.

"He has a remarkable flair for the piano," she said. Um, yeah. Clearly.

Some commenters expressed some concern for the boy based on his seriousness and what looks like dark circles under his eyes in the competition video, but if you check out other videos of Alberto playing at home, he is more relaxed. In interviews, his mother has made it clear that they prioritize normal childhood activities.

Alberto also plays with other musicians. Watch him playing Haydn along with a small orchestra at age eight in 2025:

  - YouTube  www.youtube.com  

Where musical ability comes from continues to be somewhat of a mystery, and experts frequently debate how much is due to nature and how much is due to nurture. Some argue that anyone can develop musical skills with enough practice and a supportive environment, but sometimes a kid clearly displays an innate musical sensibility that defies explanation. Some children are just genuine prodigies, and Alberto certainly seems to fit that bill. Can't wait to see what kind of musical future awaits him.

This article originally appeared three years ago and has been updated.