Anyone who takes a CPR class now is taught that when you do chest compression you can sing "Stayin' Alive" to get the beat of how often you should press down on the chest. When they made this change, I heard on the radio a DJ mention that this would work just as well with "Another One Bites the Dust". The other day my daughter was in swim class and over the speakers "Stayin' Alive" came on and I have to admit I kinda looked around with all those lifeguards there for someone to be in cardiac arrest. It got me to thinking about the two songs and how maybe "Another One Bites the Dust" might be the more appropriate song to do when doing CPR. Let's look at the lyrics.
Stayin' Alive
Well, you can tell by
the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man no time to talk
Music loud and women warm,
I've been kicked around
Since I was born
And now It's all right, it's ok
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man
Whether you're a brother or
Whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin'
and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin'
alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Well now I get low and I get high
And if I can't get either, I really try
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
I'm a dancin' man and I just can't lose
You know it's all right, it's ok
I'll live to see another day
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect of man
Whether you're a brother or
Whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin'
and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin'
alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin'
alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody
help me, yeah
Well, you can tell by
the way I use my walk
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm
I've been kicked around since I was born
And now it's all right, it's ok
And you may look the other way
We can try to understand
The New York Times' effect on man
Whether you're a brother or
Whether you're a mother
You're stayin' alive
Feel the city breakin'
and everybody shakin'
And we're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin'
alive, stayin' alive
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin' alive
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Somebody help me, yeah
I'm stayin' alive
[Repeat]
Another One Bites the Dust
Let's go!
Steve walks warily down the street
With the brim pulled way down low
Ain't now sound but the sound of his feet
Machine guns ready to go
Are you ready, hey
Are you ready for this
Are you hanging on the edge of your seat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat, yeah
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
How do you think I'm going to get along
Without you, when you're gone
You took me for everything that I had
And kicked me out on my own
Are you happy, are you satisfied
How long can you stand the heat
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
To the sound of the beat, listen
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone,
and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Hey, Oh, take it. Bite the dust hey,
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust, hey, hey
Another one bites the dust, hey
There are plenty of ways
you can hurt a man
And bring him to the ground
You can beat him
You can cheat him
You can treat him bad
You can leave him when he's down
But I'm ready, yes I'm ready for you
I'm standing on my own two feet
Out of the doorway the bullets rip
Repeating the sound of the beat
Another one bites the dust
Another one bites the dust
And another one gone
and another one gone
Another one bites the dust
Hey, I'm gonna get you too
Another one bites the dust
Shootout
Alright
First Stayin' Alive. The only positive things he has to say in the song is that he's a "woman's man" and that he's a "dancin' man" who "just can't lose", though, that does not appear to be the case, as that is what he is doing in the song. All he IS doing is staying alive. He's been "kicked around" since the day he was born and life hasn't gotten any better. The city is breaking apart to pieces, people are shaking and it doesn't matter whether you're a mother or a brother, all you are capable of doing is staying alive. Just barely hanging on. He isn't even fighting to live. In fact he says that "life's going nowhere", then begs for somebody to "help me". This is a man who is on the verge of giving up on life. Yes, he does say that "he'll live to see another day", but it almost has a question mark after it, or at least a huge sigh. And you really don't want to mention the part about having heaven's wings on his shoes. Is this the song you want to be singing to someone whose life you're trying to save?
Now let's look at "Another One Bites the Dust". It opens up with a shout of "Let's go!" Then "Steve walks warily down the street" and he his "machine gun's ready to go". This is a guy going into battle. He's not giving up. He's a fighter. A woman has done everything possible to bring him low, but does he take this lying down? No. The bullets come flying out and he's gonna take her down and everyone else involved too. And he's going to win. It ends with him taking one after another down and he never gets hit himself. He's like Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. You want the person you're working on to feel that strong. Invincible. Like they can take on the world, just like this guy did and win too. You can always play with the pronouns to fit the situation so it sounds like that person is the one doing the fighting. And if they believe they are fighting they will and they will want to win, just like Steve does in the song. In my opinion, this one beats "Stayin' Alive" hands down.
By the way I love both of these songs for precisely the reasons I listed above. The Bee Gees tap into a desperation we all feel at some point in our lives and Queen ramps up up for the fight we must fight. And yes, both of them hold places in my CD collection. One day I will make it into the 21th century and get an ipod or and mp3 or mp4 player, but not today.
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