During this period Nine Inch Nails also remixed Bowie's The Hearts Filthy Lesson (Alt. Mix) in '95, and contributed all but one of the Versions on his I'm Afraid Of Americans remix EP in '97.
Under Pressure
David Bowie & Nine Inch Nails Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Doom-boom-ba-beh
Doo-boo-boom-ba-beh-beh
Pressure pushin' down on me
Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that brings a building down
Splits a family in two, puts people on streets
Dee-day-da, ee-day-da
That's okay
That's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watchin' some good friends screamin', "Let me out"
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets
Da-da-da, mm-mm
Da-da-da-ba-bum
Okay
Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor
These are the days it never rains but it pours
Ee-doh-ba-buh, ee-da-ba-ba-bop
Mm-bo-bop, beh-lup
People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-day
People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da
It's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out"
Pray tomorrow gets me higher, higher, high
Pressure on people, people on streets
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on the fence but it don't work
Keep comin' up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?
Love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love
Give love, give love, give love, give love?
'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the edge of the night
And love dares you to change our way of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
The chorus of David Bowie and Annie Lennox's 1981 song "Under Pressure" begins with nonsense sounds — mm-noom-ba-deh, doom-boom-ba-beh, doo-boo-boom-ba-beh-beh — that perhaps reflect the song's thematic focus on how people are affected by pressures like poverty and homelessness. The verses, meanwhile, describe the psychological toll of these life-altering events, as well as the difficulty of being moved to act in response to them. The lyrics acknowledge the magnitude of the problem, but also the difficulty of finding a solution. The chorus repeats the word "pressure," perhaps evoking a sense of suffocation, while the phrase "turning away from it all like a blind man" implies a kind of complacency, or the feeling that the problem is too big to solve.
The song reflects the tensions between the two central figures in its creation, Bowie and Queen's Freddie Mercury. The two musicians have slightly different accounts of how the song came together — according to Bowie, he and Mercury wrote it in a single jam session, while Mercury's bandmate Brian May suggested that the two rewrote parts of each other's existing songs — but both agree that it was a difficult process. The song was initially performed live by Queen and Bowie in July 1981, and was later released as a single in October of that year.
Line by Line Meaning
Mm-noom-ba-deh
Musical intro
Doom-boom-ba-beh
Musical intro
Doo-boo-boom-ba-beh-beh
Musical intro
Pressure pushin' down on me
Feeling overwhelmed by the demands and expectations of life
Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
Feeling oppressed and burdened by external forces
Under pressure that brings a building down
Feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders and could crush you at any moment
Splits a family in two, puts people on streets
The impact of pressure is far-reaching and can tear apart lives and relationships, causing people to lose everything
Mm-ba-ba-beh, mm-ba-ba-beh
Musical transition
Dee-day-da, ee-day-da
Musical transition
That's okay
Accepting that sometimes you have to face pressure and hardship in life
That's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Fear and anxiety about the unknowns and uncertainties of life
Watchin' some good friends screamin', "Let me out"
Seeing people you care about suffer and feel trapped by the pressures they face
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Hoping that things will get better and that tomorrow will bring some relief
Pressure on people, people on streets
Emphasizing how pressure affects everyone, leading to suffering and desperation
Da-da-da, mm-mm
Musical transition
Da-da-da-ba-bum
Musical transition
Okay
Acknowledging the struggle and difficulties of life
Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round the floor
Feeling mentally and emotionally overwhelmed by the pressure and stress
These are the days it never rains but it pours
When it feels like everything is going wrong all at once
Ee-doh-ba-buh, ee-da-ba-ba-bop
Musical transition
Mm-bo-bop, beh-lup
Musical transition
People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-day
Highlighting the desperation and struggle of people in difficult circumstances
People on streets, ee-da-dee-da-dee-da-dee-da
The struggles of life are not limited to one group, but affect many different types of people
It's the terror of knowing what this world is about
Reiterating the fear and anxiety caused by the uncertainties and hardships of life
Watching some good friends screaming, "Let me out"
Seeing how difficult it is for people you care about who are struggling to cope with life's pressures
Pray tomorrow gets me higher, higher, high
A cry for hope and for things to get better
Pressure on people, people on streets
Emphasizing how pressure makes life difficult for everyone and can lead to desperation and difficult circumstances
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Feeling lost and unable to cope with the pressures of life
Sat on the fence but it don't work
Being indecisive in the face of hardship and pressure, and realizing that avoiding problems doesn't make them go away
Keep comin' up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Trying to remain optimistic and hopeful, but feeling like it's becoming increasingly difficult in the face of adversity
Why, why, why?
The frustration and confusion that comes with not understanding why things are so difficult and unfair
Love
Reminding us that love is a powerful force that can help us navigate life's difficulties
Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
The way that pressure and stress can push people to their limits and cause them to feel overwhelmed and lose their grip on reality
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Asking for another opportunity to turn things around and make things better
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Emphasizing the importance of love and how it can make a big difference in our lives
Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love
Repeating the importance of love and how we need to show it more often
Give love, give love, give love, give love?
Asking why we can't make love a bigger part of our lives and relationships
'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
Recognizing that the concept of love may seem outdated or cliché, but it's still important and relevant
And love dares you to care for
Love is challenging and requires us to care for and be responsible for others
The people on the edge of the night
Those who are struggling and in darkness need love and compassion the most
And love dares you to change our way of
Love can inspire us to change and grow in positive ways
Caring about ourselves
Encouraging us to be more self-aware and mindful of our own needs and emotional states
This is our last dance
Recognizing that life is short and we need to make the most of every moment
This is our last dance
Repeating the importance of making the most of our time and not taking life for granted
This is ourselves
Encouraging us to be true to ourselves and embrace life fully
Under pressure
Acknowledging the difficulties and stresses of life
Under pressure
Repeating the theme of the song, the struggles and pressures of life
Pressure
The force and tension of life's demands and hardships
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: David Bowie, John Richard Deacon, Brian Harold May, Freddie Mercury, Roger Meddows Taylor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Beran
Trent soznds so great. He doesn't sing like Fredfädie and this makes a great job 👍
Seagraey
I don't think Trent sings in this song unfortunately.
Las Realistas
very good sound btw
Torsten Kunz
Bowie forever...
Robain Halluin
Do you know who sings with David on this song?
zenobowie
not with that scratching sound in the end of the last 4 tracks on cd2 , it has to be of a master tape recording not a cd download recording with too many tracks than you will get that scratching sound in the end , '' a small plot of land and nite flights '' are fxcked ( Nine Inch Nails With David Bowie - back in anger )
Las Realistas
On that tour maybe, not with NIN onstage