Under Pressure

Song meaning of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie, and what it is about

A timeless hymn that embodies hardship, resiliency, and togetherness, "Under Pressure" was released in 1981 as a joint effort by two legendary musical artists, Queen and David Bowie.

The song "Under Pressure" was the result of Queen and David Bowie's fortuitous jam session at Switzerland's Mountain Studios. Every performer added their special skills to the song's creation during the spontaneous and creatively synergistic recording sessions. The combination of John Deacon's throbbing bassline, Brian May's recognisable guitar riffs, and the powerful vocals of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie produced a musical classic that is timeless across genres and decades.

"Under Pressure" is fundamentally a moving examination of the human condition, highlighting the stresses and worries that consume our thoughts as well as the resiliency and companionship that keep us going. The song's lyrics touch on issues that appeal to listeners of all ages and backgrounds: existential dread, societal injustice, and the unwavering desire of perfection.

"Feel Like" was the previous name for this song, which didn't feature David Bowie. Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen, wrote the song, which may still be found on bootlegs.

The song became Queen's second and Bowie's third number-one success in their native nation when it peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. It also charted in the top 10 in over ten other countries worldwide.

Song lyrics of Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie

Mmm num ba de

Dum bum ba be

Doo buh dum ba beh beh

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

Um ba ba be

Um ba ba be

De day da

Ee day da

That's OK

That's the terror of knowing

What this world is about

Watching some good friends screaming

"Let me out!"

Tomorrow gets me higher

Pressure on people, people on streets

Day day de mm hm

Da da da ba ba

OK

Chippin' around, kick my brains 'round 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!"

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 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