Lucia Holm was a session cellist, and when she met Carnell at a warehouse rave in Essex they agreed to form a band. Early independent singles and Walk On and Pressure were medium hits in Britain, and in 1993, Love U More, and Perfect Motion from their debut album, O₃ (which got major distribution by Columbia/Sony), became their trademark song and one of their biggest hits to date. Their cover of the Marianne Faithfull song, Broken English in 1992 gave Sunscreem their highest UK chart position (13). They were heavily remixed throughout the 90s, by artists like K-Klass, Jimmy Gomez, Trouser Enthusiasts, and Leftfield.
In 1996, Sunscreem released their second album, Change or Die. They had a string of minor Top 40 singles from this album including When, Exodus, White Skies, and Secrets.
Change or Die wasn't heavily promoted - in or outside the UK - and wasn't commercially released outside the UK, leading to Sunscreem negotiating their release from their contract with Sony. in 1997 the band released a new album via their own label, Kali: New Dark Times.
Other albums released in this period were Ten Mile Bank (2001) and the collection Looking at You: The Club Anthems.
In May 2015, Sunscreem released a new album - Sweet Life - via iTunes.
Pressure Us
Sunscreem Lyrics
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O3
Pressure
I can't stand the way that you make me
I feel pressure
I can't stop the way that you take me
I feel pressure (release me)
I can't stop the way that you place me
The sound flew in the bare room
The ride's no longer spare
And time will always fall apart
In a house where they don't care
We fantasized your life
And recognized the sins
But it's tit for tat
You take the rap
Now it's me that's going to win
I can't stand the way that you make me
I feel pressure
I can't stop the way that you place me
Under pressure
You've got chalk on the sidewalk,
And the telephone always rings
I'd rip the cord out, pull the wire out,
Kick it on the shins
You paralyzed the gold mine
And the trains are standing still
They pull you back and now you're trapped
As they move in for the kill
I can't stand the way that you make me
I feel pressure
I can't stop the way that you place me
Under pressure
I can't stand the day that you wake me
I can't stand the way that you break me
Under pressure (release me)
Everytime I walk out in the sun
The rain will come and really cry
Release me
We found you in the spare room
With your eyes no longer there
The lamp flex led up to your heart
Like a diver's cord for air
We electrolyzed your mind
And analyzed your limbs
Escapist rap, I've had all that
Now it's me that's going to win
I can't stand the way that you make me
I feel pressure
I can't stop the way that you place me
Under pressure
I can't stand the day that you wake me
I feel pressure (release me)
I can't stand the way that you break me
Under pressure (release me)
I can't stand the way you disgrace me
I feel pressure (release me)
I can't stand the way that you hate me
I feel pressure (release me)
Everytime I walk out in the sun
The rain will come and really cry
Now I can't be me at all
Now I can't be me at all
Now I can't be me at all
The lyrics to "Pressure" by Sunscreem detail the feeling of being overwhelmed and under pressure in a situation, possibly in a relationship or a difficult circumstance. The repetition of the phrase "I can't" emphasizes the overwhelming feeling of being unable to control the situation. The lyrics also describe a sense of being trapped, with references to being paralyzed, being pulled back, being trapped as someone moves in for the kill, and the feeling of losing one's identity.
The second verse uses strong imagery to describe the situation, such as chalk on the sidewalk and the telephone always ringing, and the physical act of ripping out the cord, pulling out wires, and kicking someone on the shins. The following lines further emphasize the feeling of being trapped and unable to move forward, with references to the gold mine being paralyzed, the trains standing still, and being trapped with their eyes no longer there.
In the final verse, the lyrics describe a sense of desperation and resorting to extreme measures to escape the pressure, such as electrolyzing the mind and analyzing the limbs. The repetition of the phrase "release me" highlights the desire to break free from the pressure and regain control.
Overall, "Pressure" is a powerful song that captures the feeling of being overwhelmed and unable to control a situation, as well as exploring the desperation that can arise from being under too much pressure.
Line by Line Meaning
O3
This is likely a reference to ozone layer depletion and its related environmental concerns.
Pressure
The song is fundamentally about pressure and how it affects the singer's life.
I can't stand the way that you make me
I feel pressure
The singer is feeling pressure due to someone's actions.
I can't stop the way that you take me
I feel pressure (release me)
The artist is feeling pressure that they can't escape from and are pleading for release.
I can't stop the way that you place me
Under pressure (release me)
The artist is being placed under intense pressure and is begging to be released from it.
The sound flew in the bare room
The ride's no longer spare
And time will always fall apart
In a house where they don't care
The singer is in an empty room and feels like they are on a ride that has gone off course, and they are in a place where people don't care about them.
We fantasized your life
And recognized the sins
But it's tit for tat
You take the rap
Now it's me that's going to win
The singer has judged someone else's life and the mistakes they made, but now they feel like they will be the one to succeed.
You've got chalk on the sidewalk,
And the telephone always rings
I'd rip the cord out, pull the wire out,
Kick it on the shins
You paralyzed the gold mine
And the trains are standing still
They pull you back and now you're trapped
As they move in for the kill
The artist is frustrated with a situation that seems out of their control and is using aggressive imagery to express their feelings.
Everytime I walk out in the sun
The rain will come and really cry
The artist feels like bad things keep happening, even when they try to do something positive.
Release me
This line is repeated throughout the song and represents the artist's desire to be released from the pressure they are under.
We found you in the spare room
With your eyes no longer there
The lamp flex led up to your heart
Like a diver's cord for air
We electrolyzed your mind
And analyzed your limbs
Escapist rap, I've had all that
Now it's me that's going to win
This verse is filled with strange and surreal imagery that highlights the singer's feelings of being trapped and judged.
I can't stand the day that you wake me
I feel pressure (release me)
I can't stand the way that you break me
Under pressure (release me)
The artist is feeling pressure from someone's actions and wants to be released from it.
I can't stand the way you disgrace me
I feel pressure (release me)
I can't stand the way that you hate me
I feel pressure (release me)
The singer is feeling pressured by someone who is treating them poorly.
Now I can't be me at all
Now I can't be me at all
Now I can't be me at all
The repeated line at the end of the song emphasizes how much the singer feels like they are no longer themselves due to the pressure they are under.
Writer(s): Lucia Holm, Paul Carnell Copyright: Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd.
Contributed by Lila H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mariabanfield6716
This song brings back so many great memories, being 25 and out dancing till the sun would come up....I loved partying in the 90's! I still love listening to this music....even in 2022
@ameliasanchez5814
Same here!!!
@Doves96
absolute tune
@a.tanner8524
We need this kind of vibe back in the charts immediately.
@abhard6
1993 was probably the best year in the 90's for dance tracks, there are many old skool classics from this year, yet at the time I never fully appreciated how lucky I was back then and took these dance tracks for granted, how times have changed with the crap around today. I miss those years back in the early 90's.....
@stegough249
Amen to that mate 👍👍
@PetShopMod
My God, we were ridiculously spoiled with great dance music in the 90's. I'm just glad I was on the dance floor at its inception.
@txbadgirl1
I have been trying to remember this song for the last 20 years. I could only remember bits of it but kept searching. Finely found the darn thing...
@Scallion_D
😍😍😍
@rs2klee
joy h. same here i thought it was one of the shamen tunes, did find it on one of my back up cd`s of mp3`s that was done in 1998.. now i know what it was called :)