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 ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Um bum ba de
Um bu bu bum da de
Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure that brings a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets
Um ba ba be
De day da
Ee day da that's okay
It's the terror of knowing
What the world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming Let me out
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people people on streets
Day day de mm hm
Da da da ba ba
Okay
Chippin' 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
People on streets ee da de da de
People on streets ee da de da de da de 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 a fence but it don't work
Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Why, why, why?
Love love love love 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 give love
'Cause 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 ourselves
Under pressure
Under pressure
Pressure
The lyrics to Queen, David Bowie & Annie Lennox's song "Under Pressure" speaks to the immense weight of pressure and stress that life can bring. The repetition of "Mm ba ba de, Um bum ba de, Um bu bu bum da de" at the beginning of the song sets the tone for the steady and constant pressure that the lyrics describe. The song describes how pressure can split a family in two, puts people on the streets, and can push people to their breaking point. The lyrics specifically mention the terror of knowing what the world is about and watching good friends scream to be let out of the chaos around them.
However, the song also suggests that love can be a powerful antidote to the pressures of the world. The lyrics ask why we can't give love one more chance, and how love can dare us to care about the people on the edge of the night. The repetition of the word "pressure" at the end of the song brings home the message that pressure is always present, but ultimately, our ability to love may be able to counteract its weight.
Overall, "Under Pressure" is a powerful meditation on the human experience of pressure and how we can cope with it. The song acknowledges the pain and damage that pressure can cause, but ultimately suggests that love and care for others can provide a way to endure and fight back against the weight of the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Mm ba ba de
Nonsensical words to begin the song
Um bum ba de
More nonsensical words to continue the intro
Um bu bu bum da de
Even more nonsensical words to continue the intro
Pressure pushing down on me
Feeling weighed down and overwhelmed
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Others feeling the pressure as well without asking for it
Under pressure that brings a building down
Pressure so intense that it can destroy physical structures
Splits a family in two
The pressure can destroy relationships within a family
Puts people on streets
The pressure can lead to homelessness and financial instability
Um ba ba be
More nonsensical words to transition to the verse
De day da
Another nonsensical phrase to continue the verse
Ee day da that's okay
Accepting that not everything makes sense
It's the terror of knowing
Feeling afraid about understanding the world
What the world is about
Trying to comprehend the complexities of the world
Watching some good friends
Witnessing the struggles of those close to you
Screaming Let me out
Feeling trapped and helpless in a high-pressure situation
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Thinking that things will improve with time and a positive outlook
Pressure on people people on streets
The pressure felt by individuals affects the community as a whole
Day day de mm hm
A short nonsensical bridge
Da da da ba ba
Continued nonsense
Chippin' around kick my brains around the floor
Feeling mentally and emotionally drained
These are the days it never rains but it pours
Experiencing a series of unfortunate events
Ee do ba be
Another lead-in phrase
Ee da ba ba ba
More nonsense to transition the chorus
Um bo bo
Even more nonsense
Be lap
The final portion of the chorus intro
People on streets ee da de da de
The people on the streets are dealing with pressure as well
People on streets ee da de da de da de da
Continuing to emphasize that pressure impacts everyone
It's the terror of knowing
Reiterating that the fear of the unknown is terrifying
What this world is about
Trying to make sense of the world we live in
Watching some good friends
Still watching friends struggle with pressure
Screaming let me out
The continued feeling of being trapped with no escape
Pray tomorrow gets me higher higher high
Hoping that things will improve significantly
Pressure on people people on streets
Continuing to show how pressure impacts society as a whole
Turned away from it all like a blind man
Choosing to ignore the pressure and avoid dealing with it head-on
Sat on a fence but it don't work
Trying to stay neutral does not solve the problem
Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn
Struggling to find love and kindness in an environment of pressure
Why, why, why?
Questioning why there is so much pressure and why it is so difficult to cope with
Love love love love love
Love is emphasized as a potential solution to pressure
Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking
Realizing that pressure can drive people to insanity and cause chaos
Can't we give ourselves one more chance
Asking for another opportunity to make things right
Why can't we give love that one more chance
Again emphasizing love as a potential solution
Why can't we give love give love give love give love
Continuing to stress the importance of love and kindness
Give love give love give love give love give love
Never stop showing love and compassion to others
'Cause love's such an old fashioned word
Love is being dismissed as an outdated and irrelevant concept
And love dares you to care for
Challenging individuals to care for others and show love
The people on the (people on streets) edge of the night
Emphasizing that those in need deserve attention and care
And loves (people on streets) dares you to change our way of
Love challenges society as a whole to change and improve
Caring about ourselves
Prioritizing love and care for others over ourselves
This is our last dance
Emphasizing the importance of the current moment
This is ourselves
Reminding individuals to be present and aware of themselves
Under pressure
The final phrase is a reminder of the overall theme of the song
Under pressure
Repeating the final phrase to empathize the message
Pressure
Concluding the song with the word that defines its overall meaning
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, TINTORETTO MUSIC
Written by: DAVID BOWIE, JOHN DEACON, BRIAN HAROLD MAY, FREDDIE MERCURY, ROGER TAYLOR
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind