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{{short description|1981 single by Queen and David Bowie}} | {{short description|1981 single by Queen and David Bowie}} | ||
{{about|the song by Queen and David Bowie}} | {{about|the song by Queen and David Bowie}} | ||
{{EngvarB|date= | {{EngvarB|date=August 2025}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=August | {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}} | ||
{{Infobox song | {{Infobox song | ||
| name = Under Pressure | | name = Under Pressure | ||
| cover = Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure.jpeg | | cover = Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure.jpeg | ||
| caption = | | caption = UK picture sleeve | ||
| type = single | | type = single | ||
| artist = [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and [[David Bowie]] | | artist = [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and [[David Bowie]] | ||
| Line 14: | Line 14: | ||
* {{Start date|df=y|1981|10|27}} (US)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.queenvault.com/underpressuresingle.html|title=QueenVault|website=Queen Vault }}</ref> | * {{Start date|df=y|1981|10|27}} (US)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.queenvault.com/underpressuresingle.html|title=QueenVault|website=Queen Vault }}</ref> | ||
* {{Start date|df=y|1981|11|2}} (UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/|title=BPI certifications}}</ref> | * {{Start date|df=y|1981|11|2}} (UK)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/brit-certified/|title=BPI certifications}}</ref> | ||
| recorded = | | recorded = September 1981 | ||
| studio = [[Mountain Studios|Mountain]], [[Montreux]] | | studio = [[Mountain Studios|Mountain]], [[Montreux]] | ||
| genre = | | genre = | ||
* [[Dance-rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Essential Queen: 40 songs that will rock you|url=https://www.avclub.com/queen-40-best-songs-ranked-1850629579/slides/40|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|quote=The sleek dance-rock hybrid—informed by disco but not belonging to it—is essentially ephemeral and amorphous, built upon a lithe John Deacon bassline that anchors interwoven harmonies and melodies that build to an overwhelming crescendo culminating with Bowie and Freddie Mercury singing “This is our last dance.”|date=13 July 2023}}</ref> | * [[Dance-rock]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|title=Essential Queen: 40 songs that will rock you|url=https://www.avclub.com/queen-40-best-songs-ranked-1850629579/slides/40|website=[[The A.V. Club]]|quote=The sleek dance-rock hybrid—informed by disco but not belonging to it—is essentially ephemeral and amorphous, built upon a lithe John Deacon bassline that anchors interwoven harmonies and melodies that build to an overwhelming crescendo culminating with Bowie and Freddie Mercury singing “This is our last dance.”|date=13 July 2023}}</ref> | ||
* [[Rock music|rock]]<ref name="banas">{{cite web | url= https://wmmr.com/2018/05/25/a-look-back-at-under-pressure-2/ | title= A Look Back At "Under Pressure"| first=Erica| last=Banas| work=[[WMMR]] | quote=there was one monster rock track that stood out among the rest | date=25 May 2018 | access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> | * [[Rock music|rock]]<ref name="banas">{{cite web | url= https://wmmr.com/2018/05/25/a-look-back-at-under-pressure-2/ | title= A Look Back At "Under Pressure"| first=Erica| last=Banas| work=[[WMMR]] | quote=there was one monster rock track that stood out among the rest | date=25 May 2018 | access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref> | ||
| length = {{duration|m=4|s=8}} | | length = {{duration|m=4|s=8}} | ||
| label = | | label = | ||
| Line 57: | Line 56: | ||
}} | }} | ||
"'''Under Pressure'''" is a song by the British [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and singer [[David Bowie]]. | "'''Under Pressure'''" is a song by the British [[Rock music|rock]] band [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and singer [[David Bowie]]. Released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album ''[[Hot Space]]'' (1982). The song reached number one on the [[UK Singles Chart]], becoming Queen's second number-one hit in their home country and Bowie's third; it also charted in the top 10 in more than 10 other countries. | ||
The song has been described as a "monster rock track that stood out" on the ''Hot Space'' album | The song has been described as a "monster rock track that stood out" on the ''Hot Space'' album.<ref name="banas"/> "Under Pressure" was listed at number 31 on [[VH1]]'s 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, and voted the second-best collaboration of all time in a poll by ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. In 2021, it was ranked number 429 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]. It was played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of the band's touring career in 1986.<ref>[http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/hotspaceus.html Queen live on tour: Hot Space (world)] Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/works1985.html Queen live on tour: The Works 1985] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623235407/http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/works1985.html |date=23 June 2011}} Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011</ref><ref>[http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/magic.html Queen live on tour: Magic tour] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715135349/http://www.queenconcerts.com/live/queen/magic.html |date=15 July 2011}} Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011</ref> Live recordings appear on Queen live albums, including ''[[Queen Rock Montreal]]'' and ''[[Live at Wembley '86]]''. | ||
The song was included on some editions of Queen's first ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' compilations, such as the original 1981 Elektra release in North America. It | The song was included on some editions of Queen's first ''[[Greatest Hits (Queen album)|Greatest Hits]]'' compilations, such as the original 1981 Elektra release in North America. It appears on the band's compilation albums ''[[Greatest Hits II (Queen album)|Greatest Hits II]]'', ''[[Classic Queen]]'', and ''[[Absolute Greatest]]'', and on Bowie compilations such as ''[[Best of Bowie]]'' (2002), ''[[The Platinum Collection (David Bowie album)|The Platinum Collection]]'' (2005), "[[The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987]]" (2007), ''[[Nothing Has Changed]]'' (2014), ''[[Bowie Legacy|Legacy]]'' (2016), and ''[[A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982)|Re:Call 3]]'' (2017). | ||
"Under Pressure" was sampled by American rapper [[Vanilla Ice]] for his 1990 single "[[Ice Ice Baby]]". Vanilla Ice initially did not credit Bowie or Queen | "Under Pressure" was sampled by American rapper [[Vanilla Ice]] for his 1990 single "[[Ice Ice Baby]]". Vanilla Ice initially did not credit Bowie or Queen, who sued and gained a songwriting credit on Ice's song. "Under Pressure" has been recorded by American rock bands [[My Chemical Romance]] and [[the Used]], and singer [[Shawn Mendes]], whose version featured singer [[Teddy Geiger]]. [[Xiu Xiu]] covered the song, with [[Swans (band)|Swans]] frontman [[Michael Gira]], for Xiu Xiu's 2008 album ''[[Women as Lovers (album)|Women as Lovers]]''. | ||
{{TOC limit|3}} | {{TOC limit|3}} | ||
==Background and composition== | ==Background and composition== | ||
"Under Pressure" was recorded at [[Mountain Studios]] in [[Montreux]], Switzerland, in | "Under Pressure" was recorded at [[Mountain Studios]] in [[Montreux]], Switzerland, in September 1981.<ref>[https://images.45worlds.com/f/ab/queen-elektra-58-ab.jpg Queen - Greatest Hits (USA pressing, 1981) sleeve notes] accessed via 45worlds.com</ref> Queen, working on their 1982 album ''Hot Space'', had been working on a song called "Feel Like", but were not satisfied with the result.<ref>[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/songs/unreleasedqueen.htm#feellike Unreleased Queen Tracks – Feel Like] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011</ref> Although it was said that the collaboration started from Queen running into David Bowie at Mountain while recording "[[Cat People (Putting Out Fire)]]",{{sfn|Trynka|2011|p=366}} the story told in interviews was that Bowie happened to be around in Montreux and lived nearby to the studio, so Queen invited Bowie down to the studio and it took off from there.<ref>[https://www.queensongs.info/quotes/queen/hot-space/under-pressure Quotes related to 'Under Pressure' from 'Hot Space' album] via queensongs.info</ref> The track was recorded during one marathon evening session at Mountain, with vocals and mixing completed at the [[Power Station (recording studio)|Power Station]] in New York a couple of weeks later.<ref>[https://www.queensongs.info/quotes/826 Peter Freestone quote taken from ''An Intimate Memoir'', published 2001] via Queensongs.info]</ref> | ||
Also, some confusion has arisen about who had created the song's [[bassline]]. John Deacon said (in Japanese magazine ''Music life'' in 1982) that David Bowie created it. In more recent interviews, Brian May and Roger Taylor credited the bass riff to Deacon. Bowie, on his website, said the bassline was already written before he became involved.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110309001056/http://www.queenzone.com/news/bowie-talks-about-under-pressure.aspx Bowie Talks About Under Pressure] Retrieved 15 January 2011</ref> Roger Taylor, in an interview for the BBC documentary ''Queen: The Days of Our Lives'', stated that Deacon did indeed create the bassline, and that all through the sessions in the studio, he had been playing the riff over and over. He also claims that when the band returned from dinner, Deacon misremembered the riff, but Taylor was still able to remember it.<ref>O'Casey, Matt, dir. (2002) Queen – Days of Our Lives. Part 2. Queen Productions Ltd. Retrieved 9 June 2011</ref> Brian May | Bowie sang backing vocals for Queen's song "Cool Cat",{{sfn|O'Leary|2019|p=166}} but his vocals were removed from the final song because he was not satisfied with his performance. Afterwards, they worked together for a while and wrote "Under Pressure".{{sfn|Pegg|2016|p=57}}<ref>Peter Freestone (2001) [https://books.google.com/books?id=AH8zZsbmB98C&dq=queen+and+bowie+under+pressure+montreux&pg=PA78 Freddie Mercury: an intimate memoir by the man who knew him best] p.78. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 15 January 2011</ref> It was credited as being co-written by the five musicians. The [[scat singing]] that dominates much of the song is evidence of the jam-beginnings as [[improvisation]]. However, according to Queen bassist [[John Deacon]] (as quoted in a French magazine in 1984),<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/the-making-of-under-pressure.html|title=The Making of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 Hit "Under Pressure": Demos, Studio Sessions & More|work=Open Culture|access-date=19 September 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> the song's primary musical songwriter was [[Freddie Mercury]] – though all contributed to the arrangement. As [[Brian May]] recalled to ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'' magazine in October 2008, "It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it's a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that. It's a significant song because of David and its lyrical content."<ref>[http://www.queencuttings.com/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=407 "Queen, The Second Coming"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727091412/http://www.queencuttings.com/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=407 |date=27 July 2011}}. ''Mojo'', October 2008,</ref> The earlier, embryonic version of the song without Bowie, "Feel Like", is widely available in bootleg form, and was written by Queen drummer [[Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)|Roger Taylor]].<ref>{{cite news |title=The Making of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 Hit "Under Pressure": Demos, Studio Sessions & More |url=http://www.openculture.com/2014/06/the-making-of-under-pressure.html |access-date=26 March 2019 |agency=Open culture.com}}</ref> | ||
Also, some confusion has arisen about who had created the song's [[bassline]]. John Deacon said (in Japanese magazine ''Music life'' in 1982) that David Bowie created it. In more recent interviews, Brian May and Roger Taylor credited the bass riff to Deacon. Bowie, on his website, said the bassline was already written before he became involved.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110309001056/http://www.queenzone.com/news/bowie-talks-about-under-pressure.aspx Bowie Talks About Under Pressure] Retrieved 15 January 2011</ref> Roger Taylor, in an interview for the BBC documentary ''Queen: The Days of Our Lives'', stated that Deacon did indeed create the bassline, and that all through the sessions in the studio, he had been playing the riff over and over again. He also claims that when the band returned from dinner, Deacon misremembered the riff, but Taylor was still able to remember it.<ref>O'Casey, Matt, dir. (2002) Queen – Days of Our Lives. Part 2. Queen Productions Ltd. Retrieved 9 June 2011</ref> According to Brian May in a 2016 article for [[Mirror Online]], it was actually Bowie, not Taylor, who had inadvertently changed the riff. The riff began as "Deacy began playing, 6 notes the same, then one note a fourth down". After the dinner break, Bowie changed Deacon's memory of the riff to "Ding-Ding-Ding Diddle Ing-Ding".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/brian-tells-how-david-bowie-7161073|title=Brian May tells how David Bowie and Queen wrote the legendary track Under Pressure|author=Brian May|date=11 January 2016|publisher=Mirror Online}}</ref> | |||
== Reception == | == Reception == | ||
"Under Pressure" has received critical acclaim since its release, with multiple publications ranking it among Queen and Bowie's best songs and among the greatest songs of all time. On release, Sandy Robertson of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' called "Under Pressure" the "cornerstone" of its parent album.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Robertson |first=Sandy |title=Queen: ''Hot Space'' (EMI)**** |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/queen-ihot-spacei-emi |magazine=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |date=8 May 1982 |access-date=17 August 2021|via=Rock's Backpages {{subscription required}}}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that "Bowie and Freddie Mercury combine for a spellbinding musical experience."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=November 7, 1981|page=1|access-date=2023-03-02|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-11-07.pdf}}</ref> Reviewing ''Hot Space'' decades later, [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]] called "Under Pressure" as the album's "undeniable saving grace" and "the only reason most listeners remember this album".<ref name="hot space AllMusic">{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=''Hot Space'' – Queen |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-space-mw0000195391 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> He described the song as "an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet{{nbsp}}... that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music."<ref name="hot space AllMusic" /> Similarly, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "anthemic, showy, and warm-hearted, [and] a clear standout for both acts".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raggett |first1=Ned |title="Under Pressure" – Queen / David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/under-pressure-mt0044908466 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> | "Under Pressure" has received critical acclaim since its release, with multiple publications ranking it among Queen and Bowie's best songs and among the greatest songs of all time. On release, Sandy Robertson of ''[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]]'' called "Under Pressure" the "cornerstone" of its parent album.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Robertson |first=Sandy |title=Queen: ''Hot Space'' (EMI)**** |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/queen-ihot-spacei-emi |magazine=[[Sounds (magazine)|Sounds]] |date=8 May 1982 |access-date=17 August 2021|via=Rock's Backpages {{subscription required}}}}</ref> ''[[Record World]]'' said that "Bowie and Freddie Mercury combine for a spellbinding musical experience."<ref name=rw>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=November 7, 1981|page=1|access-date=2023-03-02|title=Hits of the Week|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/81/RW-1981-11-07.pdf}}</ref> Reviewing ''Hot Space'' decades later, [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] of [[AllMusic]] called "Under Pressure" as the album's "undeniable saving grace" and "the only reason most listeners remember this album".<ref name="hot space AllMusic">{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=''Hot Space'' – Queen |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hot-space-mw0000195391 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> He described the song as "an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet{{nbsp}}... that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music."<ref name="hot space AllMusic" /> Similarly, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "anthemic, showy, and warm-hearted, [and] a clear standout for both acts".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Raggett |first1=Ned |title="Under Pressure" – Queen / David Bowie |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/under-pressure-mt0044908466 |website=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=25 May 2019}}</ref> | ||
Following [[Death of David Bowie|Bowie's death]] in 2016, Jack Hamilton of ''[[slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called "Under Pressure" a "masterpiece" and is a reminder to the public that Bowie could be "wonderfully, powerfully human."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hamilton |first1=Jack |title="Under Pressure" Is a Reminder That David Bowie Could Also Be Wonderfully, Powerfully Human |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/01/david-bowie-and-queens-under-pressure-is-the-greatest-song-he-never-put-on-an-album.html |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=25 May 2019 |date=11 January 2016}}</ref | Following [[Death of David Bowie|Bowie's death]] in 2016, Jack Hamilton of ''[[slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' called "Under Pressure" a "masterpiece" and is a reminder to the public that Bowie could be "wonderfully, powerfully human."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hamilton |first1=Jack |title="Under Pressure" Is a Reminder That David Bowie Could Also Be Wonderfully, Powerfully Human |url=https://slate.com/culture/2016/01/david-bowie-and-queens-under-pressure-is-the-greatest-song-he-never-put-on-an-album.html |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |access-date=25 May 2019 |date=11 January 2016}}</ref> | ||
The September 2005 edition of online music magazine ''[[Stylus Magazine|Stylus]]'' singled out the bassline as the best in [[popular music]] history.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1843|magazine=[[Stylus Magazine|Stylus]]|date=12 September 2005|access-date=23 July 2010|title=Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Basslines of all Time|archive-date=4 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804220205/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1843|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2004, | The September 2005 edition of online music magazine ''[[Stylus Magazine|Stylus]]'' singled out the bassline as the best in [[popular music]] history.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1843|magazine=[[Stylus Magazine|Stylus]]|date=12 September 2005|access-date=23 July 2010|title=Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Basslines of all Time|archive-date=4 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804220205/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/feature.php?ID=1843|url-status=dead}}</ref> In November 2004, ''Stylus Magazine'' music critic Anthony Miccio commented that "Under Pressure" "is the best song of all time" and described it as Queen's "[[Masterpiece|opus]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/queen-hot-space.htm |title=Queen – Hot Space – On Second Thought |work=Stylus Magazine |access-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070614203823/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/on_second_thought/queen-hot-space.htm |archive-date=14 June 2007}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Slant Magazine]]'' listed "Under Pressure" as the 21st best single of the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/best-singles-of-the-1980s/P8|title=Best Singles of the 1980s|work=[[Slant Magazine]]|date=20 August 2012|access-date=12 May 2013}}</ref> It was listed at number 31 on [[VH1]]'s 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2006/vh180s.htm |title=VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's |publisher=Rock on the Net |access-date=11 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130904165749/http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/2006/vh180s.htm |archive-date=4 September 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> and voted the second best collaboration of all time in a poll by ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/readers-poll-best-collaborations-of-all-time-20110810|title=Readers Poll: Best Collaborations of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=10 August 2011 |access-date=4 March 2018}}</ref> It is ranked number 429 on ''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s list of [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]].<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/pete-rock-c-l-smooth-they-reminisce-over-you-1224908/|title=Under Pressure ranked #429 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=15 September 2021 |access-date=24 September 2021}}</ref> | ||
==Music video== | ==Music video== | ||
The [[music video]] for the song features neither Queen nor David Bowie due to touring commitments.<ref name="MusicVid">[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/videos/queenpromo.htm Queen Promo Videos – Under Pressure] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 20 September 2011</ref> Taking the theme of pressure, director [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]] edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed, and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably [[Sergei Eisenstein]]'s influential Soviet film ''[[Battleship Potemkin]] | The [[music video]] for the song features neither Queen nor David Bowie due to touring commitments.<ref name="MusicVid">[http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/videos/queenpromo.htm Queen Promo Videos – Under Pressure] Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 20 September 2011</ref> Taking the theme of pressure, director [[David Mallet (director)|David Mallet]] edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed, and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably [[Sergei Eisenstein]]'s influential Soviet film ''[[Battleship Potemkin]], [[The Eagle (1925 film)| The Eagle]], [[My Lady of Whims]],'' the silent ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 Paramount film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' starring [[John Barrymore]], and [[F.W. Murnau]]'s ''[[Nosferatu]]'', a masterpiece of the [[German Expressionism|German Expressionist movement]].<ref name="MusicVid"/><ref name="Video">[https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/100-greatest-music-videos/P15 Queen and David Bowie, "Under Pressure" (David Mallet and Andy Morahan)] ''[[Slant Magazine]]''. Retrieved 10 March 2018</ref> The video explores the pressure-cooker mentality of a culture willing to wage war against political machines, and at the same time love and have fun (there is also footage of crowds enjoying concerts, and many black and white kissing scenes).<ref name="Video"/> ''[[Top of the Pops]]'' refused to show the video in its original form due to it containing footage of explosions in Northern Ireland, so an edited version was instead shown.<ref>''Greatest Flix II'' liner notes for "Under Pressure"</ref> In 2003, ''Slant Magazine'' ranked "Under Pressure" number 27 among the 100 greatest music videos of all time.<ref>[https://www.slantmagazine.com/features/article/100-greatest-music-videos/P15. "The 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time"]. ''Slant'' magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2018.</ref> | ||
=="Ice Ice Baby" sampling controversy== | =="Ice Ice Baby" sampling controversy== | ||
{{See|List of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputes}} | {{See|List of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputes}} | ||
After [[Vanilla Ice]] sampled the song's intro bassline and piano chords for his 1990 single "[[Ice Ice Baby]]", he did not initially give songwriting credit or pay royalties to Queen and Bowie.<ref>Westfahl, Gary (2000). "Legends of the Fall: Behind the Music". ''Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture''. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. {{ISBN|0-313-30847-0}}.</ref><ref>''Feature: Has Vanilla Ice been stealing other people's songs''?" ''[[Smash Hits]]'' (EMAP Metro) (12–25 December 1990): 59.</ref> When asked to do so, he denied having sampled the song, then he acknowledged the sample but said he had modified it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/article_766d27d2-dc56-5ff3-9040-47e44d46094f.html |title=''Word to your mother'' |access-date=13 February 2009 |last=Stillman |first=Kevin |date=27 February 2006 |work=[[Iowa State Daily]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304173901/http://www.iowastatedaily.com/news/article_766d27d2-dc56-5ff3-9040-47e44d46094f.html |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Bowie and Queen sued and received songwriting credit.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-lists/songs-on-trial-12-landmark-music-copyright-cases-166396/vanilla-ice-vs-queen-and-david-bowie-1990-61441/|title=Songs on Trial: 12 Landmark Music Copyright Cases |author= Jordan Runtagh|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|quote=The case was settled out of court, costing Ice an undisclosed sum and earning him a not-insignificant amount of public scorn. Bowie and members of Queen all received songwriting credits on the track.}}</ref> Vanilla Ice later claimed that he had purchased the publishing rights to "Under Pressure",{{r|siriusxm|cnnanderson}} saying that buying the song made more financial sense than paying out royalties,{{r|siriusxm}} but a Queen spokesman said Vanilla Ice's statement was untrue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/vanilla-ice-under-pressure/|title=Vanilla Ice Claims He Owns Queen's 'Under Pressure'|author=Michael Gallucci|date=13 July 2017 |quote=A spokesman for Queen tells Ultimate Classic Rock that Vanilla Ice's statement is inaccurate: An arrangement was made whereby the publishing in the song was shared.}}</ref> | |||
== Track listing == | == Track listing == | ||
| Line 118: | Line 119: | ||
== Live performances == | == Live performances == | ||
Although very much a joint project, only Queen incorporated the song into their live shows at the time. Bowie chose not to perform the song before an audience until the 1992 [[Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]], when he and [[Annie Lennox]] sang it as a duet (backed by the surviving Queen members).<ref name="Tribute"/> However, after Mercury's death and the ''[[Outside (David Bowie album)|Outside]]'' tour in 1995, Bowie performed the song at virtually every one of his live shows, with bassist [[Gail Ann Dorsey]] taking Mercury's vocal part. The song also appeared in set lists from [[A Reality Tour]] mounted by Bowie in 2004, when he frequently would dedicate it to Freddie Mercury. [[Queen + Paul Rodgers]] have performed the song. In summer of 2012, [[Queen + Adam Lambert]] toured, including a performance of the song by Lambert and Roger Taylor in each show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/reality-rocks/queen-adam-lambert-rock-london-queenbert-concert-094922439.html|author=Parker, Lyndsey|title=Queen + Adam Lambert Rock London With "Queenbert" Concert|newspaper=Yahoo Entertainment |date=12 July 2012|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> | Although very much a joint project, only Queen incorporated the song into their live shows at the time. Mercury sang Bowie's parts, as Bowie was never present for a live performance of the song with him. Bowie chose not to perform the song before an audience until the 1992 [[Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert]], when he and [[Annie Lennox]] sang it as a duet (backed by the surviving Queen members).<ref name="Tribute"/> However, after Mercury's death and the ''[[Outside (David Bowie album)|Outside]]'' tour in 1995, Bowie performed the song at virtually every one of his live shows, with bassist [[Gail Ann Dorsey]] taking Mercury's vocal part. The song also appeared in set lists from [[A Reality Tour]] mounted by Bowie in 2004, when he frequently would dedicate it to Freddie Mercury. [[Queen + Paul Rodgers]] have performed the song. In summer of 2012, [[Queen + Adam Lambert]] toured, including a performance of the song by Lambert and Roger Taylor in each show.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/reality-rocks/queen-adam-lambert-rock-london-queenbert-concert-094922439.html|author=Parker, Lyndsey|title=Queen + Adam Lambert Rock London With "Queenbert" Concert|newspaper=Yahoo Entertainment |date=12 July 2012|access-date=12 March 2013}}</ref> | ||
== Live recordings == | == Live recordings == | ||
* Queen first recorded a live full version of the song at the [[Montreal Forum]] in Canada on | * Queen first recorded a live full version of the song at the [[Montreal Forum]] in Canada on 25 November 1981. This was included in the concert films ''[[We Will Rock You (video)|We Will Rock You]]'' and ''[[Queen Rock Montreal]]''.<ref>[http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1239496 Queen Rock Montreal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018005645/https://www.allmusic.com/album/queen-rock-montreal-mw0000489040 |date=18 October 2019}} ''Allmusic''. Retrieved 29 August 2011</ref> Incidentally, it is one of the few times in concert where Mercury used [[falsetto]] in the song on the line "these are the days it never rains but it pours". | ||
* A second live version of the song was recorded at [[Milton Keynes]], England, in 1982. This was released in 2004 on the live album/DVD ''[[Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl]]''. Prior to the concert, rumours circulated that Bowie would appear with Queen to sing his parts on stage, but he probably did not even attend the concert. | * A second live version of the song was recorded at [[Milton Keynes]], England, in 1982. This was released in 2004 on the live album/DVD ''[[Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl]]''. Prior to the concert, rumours circulated that Bowie would appear with Queen to sing his parts on stage, but he probably did not even attend the concert. | ||
* In September 1982, the band performed the song during an appearance on the [[Saturday Night Live (season 8)|eighth-season premiere]] of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', which turned out to be Freddie Mercury's final live performance with Queen in the United States. | * In September 1982, the band performed the song during an appearance on the [[Saturday Night Live (season 8)|eighth-season premiere]] of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', which turned out to be Freddie Mercury's final live performance with Queen in the United States. | ||
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==Charts== | ==Charts== | ||
In the U.K., "Under Pressure" was Queen's second number-one hit and Bowie's third. Queen's smash hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached number one in November 1975, just two weeks after Bowie's "Space Oddity" had done the same. Bowie also topped the British charts in August 1980 with "Ashes to Ashes", his [[answer song]] to "Space Oddity".<ref name=answer_tom>{{cite web |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/06/25/music-124/ |title=He's Got More Channels | work=[[The Village Voice]] | date=5 June 2002 | access-date=3 April 2018 }}</ref> | In the U.K., "Under Pressure" was Queen's second number-one hit and Bowie's third. Queen's smash hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached number one in November 1975, just two weeks after Bowie's "Space Oddity" had done the same. Bowie also topped the British charts in August 1980 with "Ashes to Ashes", his [[answer song]] to "Space Oddity".<ref name=answer_tom>{{cite web |url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/06/25/music-124/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073127/https://www.villagevoice.com/2002/06/25/music-124/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 April 2018 |title=He's Got More Channels | work=[[The Village Voice]] | date=5 June 2002 | access-date=3 April 2018}}</ref> | ||
===Original version=== | ===Original version=== | ||
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| 1 | | 1 | ||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| Canada Top Singles (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0444&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.0444.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0444|title=Top Singles – Volume 35, No. 23 Jan 16, 1982|work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|date=17 July 2013|access-date=17 March 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160518071039/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0444&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0444.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0444|archive-date=18 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> | ! scope="row"| Canada Top Singles (''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0444&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.0444.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0444|title=Top Singles – Volume 35, No. 23 Jan 16, 1982|work=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]|date=17 July 2013|access-date=17 March 2016|archive-url=https://archive.today/20160518071039/http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.0444&URLjpg=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f4/nlc008388.0444.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.0444|archive-date=18 May 2016|url-status=live |last1=Canada |first1=Library Archives }}</ref> | ||
| 3 | | 3 | ||
|- | |- | ||
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{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" | ||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="col"| Chart (1999) | ! scope="col"| Chart (1999-2000) | ||
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position | ! scope="col"| Peak<br />position | ||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| Netherlands | !scope="row"|Italy Airplay (''[[Music & Media]]'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/00s/2000/MM-2000-01-29.pdf|title=Major Market Airplay: Italy|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=17|issue=5|page=31|date=29 January 2000}}</ref> | ||
| 3 | |||
|- | |||
! scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | |||
| 19 | | 19 | ||
|- | |- | ||
! scope="row"| UK | ! scope="row"|[[UK Singles]] ([[Official Charts Company|OCC]]) | ||
| 14 | | 14 | ||
|} | |} | ||
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{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|award=Platinum|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear=2022|id=11097|access-date=9 March 2022|title=Under Pressure}} | {{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|award=Platinum|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear=2022|id=11097|access-date=9 March 2022|title=Under Pressure}} | ||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear=2024|access-date=October 7, 2024|title=Under Pressure|id=13325}} | {{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear=2024|access-date=October 7, 2024|title=Under Pressure|id=13325}} | ||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Queen feat. David Bowie|title=Under Pressure|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear= | {{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Queen feat. David Bowie|title=Under Pressure|type=single|relyear=1981|certyear=2025|award=Platinum|number=6|source=radioscope|access-date=28 July 2025}} | ||
{{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1981|certyear=2024|artist=Queen / David Bowie|title=Under Pressure|access-date=24 January 2024}} | {{Certification Table Entry |region=Spain|type=single|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1981|certyear=2024|artist=Queen / David Bowie|title=Under Pressure|access-date=24 January 2024}} | ||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=2011|certyear=2023|id=7880-361-1|access-date=3 November 2023|title=Under Pressure}} | {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|award=Platinum|number=3|artist=Queen & David Bowie|type=single|relyear=2011|certyear=2023|id=7880-361-1|access-date=3 November 2023|title=Under Pressure}} | ||
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In October 2018, Canadian singer-songwriter [[Shawn Mendes]] featuring American singer-songwriter [[Teddy Geiger]] (credited as teddy<3) released a version of the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/under-pressure-feat-teddy-3-single/1438534954|title= Under Pressure (single) feat. Teddy 3|website=iTunes Store|date= 11 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | In October 2018, Canadian singer-songwriter [[Shawn Mendes]] featuring American singer-songwriter [[Teddy Geiger]] (credited as teddy<3) released a version of the song.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/under-pressure-feat-teddy-3-single/1438534954|title= Under Pressure (single) feat. Teddy 3|website=iTunes Store|date= 11 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | ||
The song was released to coincide with the release of the film ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]''. [[Universal Music Group]] released three tracks by different artists "channeling their inner [[Freddie Mercury]]"; this was the first installment, released in October 2018 followed by [[5 Seconds of Summer]]'s "[[Killer Queen#5 Seconds of Summer version|Killer Queen]]" cover track.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/music/2018/10/12/shawn-mendes-under-pressure-queen/|title=Shawn Mendes drops cover of Queen's 'Under Pressure' |work=EW|date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="Billboard Mendes Geiger">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/ | The song was released to coincide with the release of the film ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]''. [[Universal Music Group]] released three tracks by different artists "channeling their inner [[Freddie Mercury]]"; this was the first installment, released in October 2018 followed by [[5 Seconds of Summer]]'s "[[Killer Queen#5 Seconds of Summer version|Killer Queen]]" cover track.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ew.com/music/2018/10/12/shawn-mendes-under-pressure-queen/|title=Shawn Mendes drops cover of Queen's 'Under Pressure' |work=EW|date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="Billboard Mendes Geiger">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/shawn-mendes-teddy-geiger-under-pressure-8479646/|title= Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger Pay Tribute to Queen With Acoustic 'Under Pressure' Cover: Listen|magazine=Billboard| date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/shawn-mendes-teddy-geiger-under-pressure-queen-david-bowie-736296/|title=Hear Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger Cover Queen's 'Under Pressure'|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018|archive-date=14 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181014204318/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/shawn-mendes-teddy-geiger-under-pressure-queen-david-bowie-736296/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
A portion of the profits from the "Under Pressure" cover was donated to Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was founded by Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor (and the group's manager, Jim Beach) after Mercury's death to help fight [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] worldwide. Mendes said in a statement: "I am so honoured to be able to support the amazing legacy of Freddie and Queen by doing a cover of one of my favourite songs, 'Under Pressure'".<ref name="Billboard Mendes Geiger"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/10/shawn-mendes-under-pressure-queen-cover-video/|title= Watch Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger Cover Queen's 'Under Pressure'|work=Spin|date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | A portion of the profits from the "Under Pressure" cover was donated to Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was founded by Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor (and the group's manager, Jim Beach) after Mercury's death to help fight [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]] worldwide. Mendes said in a statement: "I am so honoured to be able to support the amazing legacy of Freddie and Queen by doing a cover of one of my favourite songs, 'Under Pressure'".<ref name="Billboard Mendes Geiger"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spin.com/2018/10/shawn-mendes-under-pressure-queen-cover-video/|title= Watch Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger Cover Queen's 'Under Pressure'|work=Spin|date=12 October 2018|access-date=27 October 2018}}</ref> | ||
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[[Category:Shawn Mendes songs]] | [[Category:Shawn Mendes songs]] | ||
[[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]] | [[Category:UK singles chart number-one singles]] | ||
[[Category:Songs written by David Bowie]] | [[Category:Songs written by David Bowie]] | ||
[[Category:Songs written by Freddie Mercury]] | [[Category:Songs written by Freddie Mercury]] | ||
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[[Category:Virgin EMI Records singles]] | [[Category:Virgin EMI Records singles]] | ||
[[Category:Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)]] | [[Category:Music videos directed by David Mallet (director)]] | ||
[[Category:Vocal collaborations]] | |||
Latest revision as of 06:26, 10 November 2025
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about". Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates Script error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Template:Main other
"Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album Hot Space (1982). The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Queen's second number-one hit in their home country and Bowie's third; it also charted in the top 10 in more than 10 other countries.
The song has been described as a "monster rock track that stood out" on the Hot Space album.[1] "Under Pressure" was listed at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, and voted the second-best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone. In 2021, it was ranked number 429 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of the band's touring career in 1986.[2][3][4] Live recordings appear on Queen live albums, including Queen Rock Montreal and Live at Wembley '86.
The song was included on some editions of Queen's first Greatest Hits compilations, such as the original 1981 Elektra release in North America. It appears on the band's compilation albums Greatest Hits II, Classic Queen, and Absolute Greatest, and on Bowie compilations such as Best of Bowie (2002), The Platinum Collection (2005), "The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987" (2007), Nothing Has Changed (2014), Legacy (2016), and Re:Call 3 (2017).
"Under Pressure" was sampled by American rapper Vanilla Ice for his 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby". Vanilla Ice initially did not credit Bowie or Queen, who sued and gained a songwriting credit on Ice's song. "Under Pressure" has been recorded by American rock bands My Chemical Romance and the Used, and singer Shawn Mendes, whose version featured singer Teddy Geiger. Xiu Xiu covered the song, with Swans frontman Michael Gira, for Xiu Xiu's 2008 album Women as Lovers.
Background and composition
"Under Pressure" was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in September 1981.[5] Queen, working on their 1982 album Hot Space, had been working on a song called "Feel Like", but were not satisfied with the result.[6] Although it was said that the collaboration started from Queen running into David Bowie at Mountain while recording "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)",Template:Sfn the story told in interviews was that Bowie happened to be around in Montreux and lived nearby to the studio, so Queen invited Bowie down to the studio and it took off from there.[7] The track was recorded during one marathon evening session at Mountain, with vocals and mixing completed at the Power Station in New York a couple of weeks later.[8]
Bowie sang backing vocals for Queen's song "Cool Cat",Template:Sfn but his vocals were removed from the final song because he was not satisfied with his performance. Afterwards, they worked together for a while and wrote "Under Pressure".Template:Sfn[9] It was credited as being co-written by the five musicians. The scat singing that dominates much of the song is evidence of the jam-beginnings as improvisation. However, according to Queen bassist John Deacon (as quoted in a French magazine in 1984),[10] the song's primary musical songwriter was Freddie Mercury – though all contributed to the arrangement. As Brian May recalled to Mojo magazine in October 2008, "It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it's a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that. It's a significant song because of David and its lyrical content."[11] The earlier, embryonic version of the song without Bowie, "Feel Like", is widely available in bootleg form, and was written by Queen drummer Roger Taylor.[12]
Also, some confusion has arisen about who had created the song's bassline. John Deacon said (in Japanese magazine Music life in 1982) that David Bowie created it. In more recent interviews, Brian May and Roger Taylor credited the bass riff to Deacon. Bowie, on his website, said the bassline was already written before he became involved.[13] Roger Taylor, in an interview for the BBC documentary Queen: The Days of Our Lives, stated that Deacon did indeed create the bassline, and that all through the sessions in the studio, he had been playing the riff over and over again. He also claims that when the band returned from dinner, Deacon misremembered the riff, but Taylor was still able to remember it.[14] According to Brian May in a 2016 article for Mirror Online, it was actually Bowie, not Taylor, who had inadvertently changed the riff. The riff began as "Deacy began playing, 6 notes the same, then one note a fourth down". After the dinner break, Bowie changed Deacon's memory of the riff to "Ding-Ding-Ding Diddle Ing-Ding".[15]
Reception
"Under Pressure" has received critical acclaim since its release, with multiple publications ranking it among Queen and Bowie's best songs and among the greatest songs of all time. On release, Sandy Robertson of Sounds called "Under Pressure" the "cornerstone" of its parent album.[16] Record World said that "Bowie and Freddie Mercury combine for a spellbinding musical experience."[17] Reviewing Hot Space decades later, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called "Under Pressure" as the album's "undeniable saving grace" and "the only reason most listeners remember this album".[18] He described the song as "an utterly majestic, otherworldly duetTemplate:Nbsp... that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music."[18] Similarly, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "anthemic, showy, and warm-hearted, [and] a clear standout for both acts".[19]
Following Bowie's death in 2016, Jack Hamilton of Slate called "Under Pressure" a "masterpiece" and is a reminder to the public that Bowie could be "wonderfully, powerfully human."[20]
The September 2005 edition of online music magazine Stylus singled out the bassline as the best in popular music history.[21] In November 2004, Stylus Magazine music critic Anthony Miccio commented that "Under Pressure" "is the best song of all time" and described it as Queen's "opus".[22] In 2012, Slant Magazine listed "Under Pressure" as the 21st best single of the 1980s.[23] It was listed at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s[24] and voted the second best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine.[25] It is ranked number 429 on Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[26]
Music video
The music video for the song features neither Queen nor David Bowie due to touring commitments.[27] Taking the theme of pressure, director David Mallet edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed, and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably Sergei Eisenstein's influential Soviet film Battleship Potemkin, The Eagle, My Lady of Whims, the silent Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John Barrymore, and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, a masterpiece of the German Expressionist movement.[27][28] The video explores the pressure-cooker mentality of a culture willing to wage war against political machines, and at the same time love and have fun (there is also footage of crowds enjoying concerts, and many black and white kissing scenes).[28] Top of the Pops refused to show the video in its original form due to it containing footage of explosions in Northern Ireland, so an edited version was instead shown.[29] In 2003, Slant Magazine ranked "Under Pressure" number 27 among the 100 greatest music videos of all time.[30]
"Ice Ice Baby" sampling controversy
Template:See After Vanilla Ice sampled the song's intro bassline and piano chords for his 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby", he did not initially give songwriting credit or pay royalties to Queen and Bowie.[31][32] When asked to do so, he denied having sampled the song, then he acknowledged the sample but said he had modified it.[33] Bowie and Queen sued and received songwriting credit.[34] Vanilla Ice later claimed that he had purchased the publishing rights to "Under Pressure",Template:R saying that buying the song made more financial sense than paying out royalties,Template:R but a Queen spokesman said Vanilla Ice's statement was untrue.[35]
Track listing
7": EMI / EMI 5250 (UK)
Side one
- "Under Pressure" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon, Bowie) – 4:08
Side two
- "Soul Brother" (Mercury) – 3:38
7": Elektra / E-47235 (US)
Side one
- "Under Pressure" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon, Bowie) – 4:08
Side two
- "Soul Brother" (Mercury) – 3:38
1988 3" CD: Parlophone / QUECD9 (UK)
- "Under Pressure" – 4:08
- "Soul Brother" – 3:40
- "Body Language" – 4:33
Personnel
According to Bowie biographer Chris O'Leary and Queenvinyls:Template:Sfn[36]
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, Hammond organ, piano, handclaps, finger snaps
- Brian May – electric guitar, handclaps, finger snaps
- Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals, handclaps, finger snaps
- John Deacon – bass guitar, handclaps, finger snaps
- David Bowie – lead and backing vocals, Jupiter-8, handclaps, finger snaps
- David Richards – piano[37]
Live performances
Although very much a joint project, only Queen incorporated the song into their live shows at the time. Mercury sang Bowie's parts, as Bowie was never present for a live performance of the song with him. Bowie chose not to perform the song before an audience until the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, when he and Annie Lennox sang it as a duet (backed by the surviving Queen members).[38] However, after Mercury's death and the Outside tour in 1995, Bowie performed the song at virtually every one of his live shows, with bassist Gail Ann Dorsey taking Mercury's vocal part. The song also appeared in set lists from A Reality Tour mounted by Bowie in 2004, when he frequently would dedicate it to Freddie Mercury. Queen + Paul Rodgers have performed the song. In summer of 2012, Queen + Adam Lambert toured, including a performance of the song by Lambert and Roger Taylor in each show.[39]
Live recordings
- Queen first recorded a live full version of the song at the Montreal Forum in Canada on 25 November 1981. This was included in the concert films We Will Rock You and Queen Rock Montreal.[40] Incidentally, it is one of the few times in concert where Mercury used falsetto in the song on the line "these are the days it never rains but it pours".
- A second live version of the song was recorded at Milton Keynes, England, in 1982. This was released in 2004 on the live album/DVD Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl. Prior to the concert, rumours circulated that Bowie would appear with Queen to sing his parts on stage, but he probably did not even attend the concert.
- In September 1982, the band performed the song during an appearance on the eighth-season premiere of Saturday Night Live, which turned out to be Freddie Mercury's final live performance with Queen in the United States.
- Later, Queen recorded a third live version of the song at Wembley Stadium, London, in 1986. This was released on the live album/DVD Live at Wembley Stadium.[41] Another rendition from this same tour (from Queen's concert in Budapest) appeared in edited form on the album Live Magic in 1986. A recording taken from Queen's last gig in Knebworth Park in 1986, appears, albeit in remixed form, as a B-side from second CD single of "Rah Mix" version of this song, released in 1999. (See below)
- During the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, the surviving members of Queen along with Bowie and Annie Lennox (fulfilling Mercury's role) performed the song.[38] The concert was later released on DVD in 2002 for the 10th anniversary.[38]
- A version recorded by David Bowie's live band in 1995 was released on the bonus disc included with some versions of Outside – Version 2. This live version was also released on the single "Hallo Spaceboy" in 1996. Two live recordings from the Outside Tour appear on Bowie's live concert albums Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95) (2020) and No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95) (2020).
- Bowie's 25 June 2000 performance of the song at the Glastonbury Festival was released in 2018 on Glastonbury 2000.[42]
- Bowie's DVD A Reality Tour (2004) and album A Reality Tour (2010) include a November 2003 live version from the A Reality Tour, recorded in Dublin, with Bowie's bassist Gail Ann Dorsey singing Mercury's parts.
- The 2006 VH1 Rock Honors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, featured Queen + Paul Rodgers performing "Under Pressure" along with "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" as a live broadcast.[43]
Remixes and other releases
Rah Mix
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A remixed version (called the "Rah Mix") was issued in December 1999 to promote Queen's Greatest Hits III compilation, reaching No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart. The video for the Rah Mix was directed by DoRo, featuring footage of Freddie Mercury from Queen's Wembley concert on 12 July 1986 and David Bowie at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert also at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1992 spliced together using digital technology (with Annie Lennox carefully edited out). This version is featured on the Greatest Hits III compilation, the Rah Mix CD single (as an Enhanced CD video) and the 2011 iTunes LP edition of Hot Space.
Track listing
Two CD singles (one multimedia enhanced) released 6Template:NbspDecember 1999 and 7" picture disc released 13 December 1999. As "Bohemian Rhapsody" won The Song of The Millennium award, this was released with Bohemian Rhapsody as B-side [44]
CDS No. 1
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix)
- The Song of the Millennium – "Bohemian Rhapsody"
- "Thank God It's Christmas"
CDS No. 2
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix – Radio Edit)
- "Under Pressure" (Mike Spencer Mix)
- "Under Pressure" (Knebworth Mix)
- Enhanced section
7-inch single
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix)
- The Song of the Millennium – "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Other releases
- It was initially released in the US on the Elektra Records US and Canadian versions of Queen's Greatest Hits as a new track.
- It was released in the UK on Queen's Greatest Hits II in 1991 (which would later be included in The Platinum Collection (2000, 2002 and 2011) in a version removing the second time David Bowie sings, "This is our last dance."
- It was released as a bonus track on the Virgin Records reissue of Bowie's Let's Dance in 1995.
- Hollywood Records remixed the song for their 1992 release, Classic Queen. This version features improved sound quality but also removes Mercury's interjection "that's okay!" at about 0:53.
- It also appeared on the Bowie compilation Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993).
- The original single version appears on disc three of Bowie's The Platinum Collection (2005). This disc was later released separately as The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007).
- The original single version also appears on Bowie's Nothing Has Changed (2014), Legacy (2016), and the Re:Call 3 compilation included in A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) (2017).
- An instrumental version was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on their 1995 album The Queen Collection.[45][46]
Other remixes
"Mouth Pressure". Released in January 2017 as a part of the Neil Cicierega album Mouth Moods, "Mouth Pressure" pairs the instrumentals from "Under Pressure" with the vocals from Smash Mouth's "All Star".[47][48]
"Percy's Pressure". A karaoke version of the song was released in September as a part of the soundtrack of the animated Warner Brothers musical film Smallfoot whose lyrics detail one of the central human characters Percy's (voiced by James Corden) fall from fame and his need to bounce back. Additional lyrics were written by Karey Kirkpatrick, the film's director, and his brother Wayne Kirkpatrick.[49]
Use in other media
A radically remixed version is used in Charlotte Wells' 2022 BAFTA winning film Aftersun. The track appears at the climactic ending of the film in a version which gradually strips away most of the instrumentation leaving Bowie and Mercury’s vocals to be accompanied by electronic drones and cello from composer Oliver Coates.[50]
Charts
In the U.K., "Under Pressure" was Queen's second number-one hit and Bowie's third. Queen's smash hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached number one in November 1975, just two weeks after Bowie's "Space Oddity" had done the same. Bowie also topped the British charts in August 1980 with "Ashes to Ashes", his answer song to "Space Oddity".[51]
Original version
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"Rah Mix"
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Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
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My Chemical Romance and the Used version
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The song was covered in 2005 by American alternative rock bands the Used and My Chemical Romance for tsunami relief. The cover was originally released as an Internet download track but has subsequently been featured as a bonus track on the 2005 re-release of the Used's second studio album In Love and Death, and received wide airplay in 2005.
On the Billboard charts, the single reached number 28 on Modern Rock chart and number 41 on the Hot 100.[72]
Template:Single chartTemplate:Single chart| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Pop 100 | 28 |
Shawn Mendes version
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In October 2018, Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes featuring American singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger (credited as teddy<3) released a version of the song.[73]
The song was released to coincide with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Universal Music Group released three tracks by different artists "channeling their inner Freddie Mercury"; this was the first installment, released in October 2018 followed by 5 Seconds of Summer's "Killer Queen" cover track.[74][75][76]
A portion of the profits from the "Under Pressure" cover was donated to Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was founded by Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor (and the group's manager, Jim Beach) after Mercury's death to help fight AIDS worldwide. Mendes said in a statement: "I am so honoured to be able to support the amazing legacy of Freddie and Queen by doing a cover of one of my favourite songs, 'Under Pressure'".[75][77]
Reception
Taylor Weatherby from Billboard called the track "breezy" and said "Mendes and Geiger put their voices at the forefront of the stripped-down rendition, with Mendes' falsetto and Geiger's 'raspier' tone complementing their plucky acoustic guitars."[75]
References
Sources
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External links
- Official YouTube videos:
- Lyrics of Rah Mix at Queen official website (from Greatest Hits III)
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- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Queen live on tour: The Works 1985 Template:Webarchive Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ↑ Queen live on tour: Magic tour Template:Webarchive Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ↑ Queen - Greatest Hits (USA pressing, 1981) sleeve notes accessed via 45worlds.com
- ↑ Unreleased Queen Tracks – Feel Like Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ↑ Quotes related to 'Under Pressure' from 'Hot Space' album via queensongs.info
- ↑ Peter Freestone quote taken from An Intimate Memoir, published 2001 via Queensongs.info]
- ↑ Peter Freestone (2001) Freddie Mercury: an intimate memoir by the man who knew him best p.78. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ "Queen, The Second Coming" Template:Webarchive. Mojo, October 2008,
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- ↑ Bowie Talks About Under Pressure Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ↑ O'Casey, Matt, dir. (2002) Queen – Days of Our Lives. Part 2. Queen Productions Ltd. Retrieved 9 June 2011
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- ↑ a b Queen Promo Videos – Under Pressure Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 20 September 2011
- ↑ a b Queen and David Bowie, "Under Pressure" (David Mallet and Andy Morahan) Slant Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2018
- ↑ Greatest Flix II liner notes for "Under Pressure"
- ↑ "The 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time". Slant magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ↑ Westfahl, Gary (2000). "Legends of the Fall: Behind the Music". Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. Template:ISBN.
- ↑ Feature: Has Vanilla Ice been stealing other people's songs?" Smash Hits (EMAP Metro) (12–25 December 1990): 59.
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- ↑ a b c Under Pressure – The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Template:Webarchive Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011
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- ↑ Queen Rock Montreal Template:Webarchive Allmusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ↑ Live At Wembley 1986 Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 23 July 2011
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".. CHUM. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
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