Bowie had originally come to the studios in order to sing backing vocals on another Queen song, "Cool Cat". For whatever reason, Bowie was not satisfied with his contribution, and his vocals were removed from the track.
Queen had been working on an earlier version of the song under the title "Feel Like" but were not yet satisfied with the result. The final version that became "Under Pressure" evolved from a jam session the band had with Bowie at his studio in Montreux, Switzerland, therefore it was credited as co-written by the five musicians. According to Queen bassist John Deacon (as quoted in a French magazine in 1984), however, the song's primary musical songwriter was Freddie Mercury — though all contributed to the arrangement. The earlier, embryonic version of the song without Bowie , "Feel Like" , is widely available in bootleg form.
There has been some confusion about who created the song's famous bass line. John Deacon said (in Japanese magazine Musiclife in 1982, and in the previously mentioned French magazine) that David Bowie had created it. In more recent interviews, Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have credited the bass riff to Deacon; Bowie also said on his website that the bass line was already written before he became involved. The September 2005 edition of online music magazine Stylus singled out the bass line as the best in popular music history.
Roger Taylor was frequently rumored to be the song's chief writer. However, it appears that he served more as an intermediary for Mercury and Bowie (two of rock music's biggest stars at the time), being friends with both men. Taylor was involved in the production of the track and did some preliminary mixes with Bowie in New York, but Bowie was dissatisfied with these results and wanted to re-record everything (as claimed by May on a November 1982 interview for IM&RW magazine). In the end, the final mix was done with the involvement of Mercury and recording engineer Mack, "under pressure" from Bowie and Taylor (according to Brian May in the same 1982 interview).
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). However, since Mercury's death and the Outside tour in 1995, Bowie has 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 setlists from A Reality Tour mounted by Bowie in 2004, when he frequently would dedicate it to Freddie Mercury. Queen + Paul Rodgers have recently performed the song as well. While Bowie was never present for a live performance of the song with Mercury, Roger Taylor instead filled for back-up vocals usually in unison with Mercury as Mercury would take over most of Bowie's parts.
Under Pressure
Queen&David Bowie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall 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 lyrics to Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" explore the theme of societal pressure and its impact on individuals. The song begins with repetitive vocalizations, creating a sense of urgency and tension. The first verse emphasizes the weight of pressure, expressing how it can crush and divide people. The line "Under pressure, that brings a building down, splits a family in two, puts people on streets" illustrates the destructive consequences of pressure. The repetition of "mm-ba-ba-beh" adds an emotional intensity to the lyrics.
The second verse delves deeper into the emotional toll of pressure. It speaks to the fear of understanding the true nature of the world and witnessing friends who are trapped and screaming for release. The phrase "pray tomorrow gets me higher" suggests a desire for relief and a better future. The chorus repeats the idea that pressure affects both individuals and society at large, as "people on streets" reflects the collective impact of societal pressures.
The bridge shifts the focus to personal experiences. It describes feeling overwhelmed and detached from the chaos, symbolized by the lines "Sat on the fence but it don't work, keep comin' up with love, but it's so slashed and torn." The question "Why, why, why?" indicates a desire to understand why love and compassion seem insufficient in the face of pressure. The lyrics also imply that pressure can lead to a breaking point, as "insanity laughs under pressure, we're breaking."
The song concludes with a plea for love and empathy. It questions why society struggles to give love a second chance and suggests that love dares individuals to care for others, especially those on the fringes of society. The repeated statement "This is our last dance" signifies the urgency to make a change before it's too late. Finally, the repetition of "under pressure" in the closing lines emphasizes the central theme and highlights the ongoing struggle against societal pressures.
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
@sanchezsebastian7
"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 ways of
Caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves"
Literal chills man. Truer words have never been spoken before nor after.
@Readingwithalex42
[Verse 1: David Bowie]
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you
No man ask for
[Freddie Mercury]
Under pressure
That brings a building down
Splits a family in two
[David Bowie]
Puts people on streets
[Bridge: Freddie Mercury]
Um ba ba be
Um ba ba be
De day da
Ee day da - that's okay
[Verse 2: David Bowie]
It's the terror of knowing
What the world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming
[Freddie Mercury]
'Let me out'
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
[David Bowie]
Pressure on people people on streets
[Verse 3: Freddie Mercury]
Day day de mm hm
Da da da ba ba
Okay
Chipping around - kick my brains around the floor
These are the days it never rains but it pours
Ee do ba be
Ee da ba ba ba
Um bo bo
Be lap
[David Bowie] People on streets
[Freddie Mercury] ee da de da de
[David Bowie] People on streets
[Freddie Mercury] ee da de da de da de da
[Verse 4: David Bowie]
It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming
[Together] 'Let me out'
[Freddie Mercury]
Pray tomorrow - gets me higher
Higher
High
[David Bowie]
Pressure on people people on streets
[Freddie Mercury]
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don't work
[Verse 5: David Bowie]
Keep coming up with love
But it's so slashed and torn
[Freddie Mercury]
Why - why - why?
[David Bowie]
Love love love love love
Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
[Verse 6: Freddie Mercury]
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 give love
[Verse 7: David Bowie]
Because love's such an old fashioned word
And love dares you to care for
The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night
And loves (People on streets) 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
@ao623
RIP
Freddie Mercury
David Bowie
Elvis Presley
Michael Jackson
Kurt Cobain
Aretha Franklin
John Lennon
George Harrison
Bob Marley
Frank Sinatra
Prince Nelson
Whitney Houston
John Denver
John Bonham
Louis Armstrong
George Michael
Maurice Gibb
Robin Gibb
Andy Gibb
Johnny Cash
Karen Carpenter
Tupac Shakur
Christopher Wallace
They are the legends that we always love.
Edit: RIP to recent death singers, Kenny Rogers and Bill Withers.
@ermiasdeangeli3191
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
It’s the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming “let me out”
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people
People on the streets
Chipping around
kick my brains on the floor
These are the days
It never rains but it pours
People on streets
People on streets
It’s the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
screaming “let me out”
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people
People on the streets
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Sat on a fence but it don’t work
Keep coming up with love
but it’s so slashed and torn
Why
Love
Insanity laughs
under pressure
we’re cracking
Can’t we give ourselves
one more chance
Why can’t we give love
that one more chance
Why can’t we 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 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
@brontox098
"I used to think the worst thing in life was to end up all alone. It's not. The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone." - Robin Williams
@yepimfresh
brontox095 no worst thing is to die alone
@Aggie1295
@@yepimfresh We all die alone
@yepimfresh
Thomas Reed I mean with no loved ones there next to you before you go
@ducklips5497
YepImFresh he’s saying a line that a person said dumbass
@gregsander8439
@@yepimfresh lol
@badakputraprasetyo9234
R.I.P Freddie Mercury
R.I.P David Bowie
R.I.P Vanilla Ice's career
@justaguy6415
Rip Eddie Van Halen
@pablomarin2232
Rip Chester Bennington
@RMT0615
R.I.P the taco of the free taco guy
Also R.I.P this joke