Under Pressure
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article refers to the 1981 song. For other uses of the name, see Under Pressure (disambiguation)
| "Under Pressure" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Queen and David Bowie | ||
| from the album Hot Space | ||
| B-side(s) | Soul Brother | |
| Released | 26 October 1981 | |
| Format | vinyl record (7") | |
| Recorded | Mountain Studios, Montreux, July 1981 | |
| Genre | Pop rock | |
| Length | 4:02 | |
| Label | EMI, Elektra | |
| Writer(s) | Queen and David Bowie | |
| Producer(s) | Queen and David Bowie | |
| Chart positions | ||
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| Queen and David Bowie singles chronology | ||
| "Flash" (1980 - Queen) ---- "Up the Hill Backwards" (1981 - David Bowie) |
"Under Pressure" (1981) |
"Body Language" (1982 - Queen) ---- "Wild Is the Wind" (1981 - David Bowie) |
"Under Pressure" is a 1981 song by Queen. It marked Queen's first released collaboration with another recording artist, and is featured on their 1982 album Hot Space. The song was a hit at the time, reaching #1 in the UK singles chart.
The song is remembered for its distinct bassline, which was sampled in 1990 by Vanilla Ice in his most popular hit, "Ice Ice Baby".
Contents |
[edit] Collaboration
Bowie had originally come to the studios in order to sing backing vocals in another Queen song, "Cool Cat," which would end up being edited out since he wasn't satisfied with them. Once he got there, they jammed for a while and wrote the song.
[edit] Creation
The song evolved from a jam session the band had with Bowie at its 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. An earlier, embryonic version of the song without Bowie called "Feel Like" is widely available in bootleg form.
There has been some confusion about who created the song's famous bassline. 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 bassline was already written before he became involved. The bassline may have an even earlier source- it bears striking resemblance to the first theme of the third movement of Sibelius' first symphony of 1898. In any case, the September 2005 edition of online music magazine Stylus singled out the bassline as the best in popular music history.
The first title found for this song was "People on Streets". It then became "Under Pressure".
[edit] Taylor's involvement
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 unsatisfied with these results and wanted to re-record everything. In the end, the final mix was done with the involvement of Mercury and recording engineer Mack, under a lot of "pressure" from Bowie and Taylor (according to Brian May in a 1982 interview). 'Under Pressure' was one of the few Queen songs not written by Taylor that he sang in his solo concerts, the others being 'We Will Rock You', 'The Show Must Go On' and 'I Want To Break Free'.
[edit] Track listing of the single
- "Under Pressure" (Mercury, Taylor, Deacon, May, Bowie) - 4:02
- "Soul Brother" (Mercury, Taylor, Deacon, May) - 3:38
EMI released a 3-inch CD version of the single in 1988 with "Body Language" as an additional B-side.
[edit] Production credits
[edit] Live performances
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. This showcased the talent of Mercury as a vocalist as he could powerfully deliver the song as a heavy rock song rather than a ballad. Another difference from the studio cut and a live peformance was at the ending of the song they would repeat "This is our last dance" twice rather than only once.
[edit] Notable live recordings
- Queen first recorded a live version of the song at The Montreal Forum in Canada on November 24, 1981. This was included in the concert film We Will Rock You. Incidentally it is one of the few times in concert where Mercury used falsetto in the song on the line "these are the days it never rains but it pours".
- A second live version of the song was recorded at Milton Keynes, England, in 1982. This was released in 2004 on the live album/DVD Queen On Fire - Live at the Bowl. Prior to the concert, rumours circulated that Bowie would appear with Queen to sing his parts onstage, but it is probable that he did not even attend the concert.
- Later, Queen recorded a third live version of the song at Wembley Stadium, London, in 1986. This was released on the live album/DVD Live at Wembley Stadium. Another rendition from this same tour (possibly from Queen's last concert with Mercury at Knebworth) appeared in edited form on the album Live Magic in 1986.
- A version recorded by David Bowie's live band in 1995 was released on the bonus disc included with some versions of Outside - Version 2. This live version was also released on the single "Hallo Spaceboy" in 1996.
- A performance was once done in Budapest where Queen played the song a half note higher than usual.
[edit] Other releases
- Was initially released in US on the Elektra Records US and Canadian versions of Queen's Greatest Hits as a new track.
- The song was released as a bonus track on the Virgin Records reissue of Bowie's Let's Dance in 1995.
- A remixed version (the "Rah Mix") was issued in December 1999 to promote Queen's Greatest Hits III compilation, reaching #14 in the UK singles chart.
- Hollywood Records remixed the song for their 1992 release, Classic Queen. This version features an improvement in sound quality, yet removes Mercury's interjection "that's okay!"
- It also appeared on some Bowie compilations, most of which used the Hollywood Records remix:
- Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993)
- The Singles Collection (1993)
- Best of Bowie (2002)
- An instrumental version appears in the DVD menu for the Hot Space section of Greatest Video Hits 2, and on the Greatest Karaoke Hits release.
- Was released in UK on Queen's Greatest Hits II (which would later be included in The Platinum Collection (2003)) removing the second time David Bowie sings, "This is our last dance."
- Was remixed with 50 cent's "High All the Time" on The Silence Xperiment's mash-up project Q-Unit.
[edit] In pop culture
- Played in the ad campaign for Saved.
- Played in the very first episode of Judging Amy.
- Played in an episode of Ally McBeal
- Played in an episode of Clueless (TV series)
- Played in an episode of Scrubs. (S02E09)
- Played in an episode of Eyes.
- Played in an ad campaign for Rescue Me
- Played in an episode of the second season of Cold Case.
- Played in an episode of Everybody Hates Chris (S02E03)
- Played in the beginng of the Episode "Albratross" of Law and Order: Criminal Intent, season 6.
- Played in the pilot episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
- Played in the pilot episode of In Case of Emergency.
- Played in the 1988 movie A New Life.
- Played in the 1997 movie Grosse Pointe Blank during a scene in which Martin Blank (John Cusack) stares into the eyes of a friend's baby and has an epiphany during the reunion.
- Played in the 1998 skate movie The End.
- Played in the 1998 movie The Players Club.
- Played in the 1998 movie Stepmom.
- Played in the 2002 movie 40 Days and 40 Nights.
- Played in the 2004 movie The Girl Next Door.
- Played in the VH1 documentary The Drug Years.
- Played in the trailer of Adaptation.
- Played in a commercial for Zales Jewelry.
- Played for a PGA promo.
- Played in the 2005 movie Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
- Played in a commercial for Saved!.
- Included in Karaoke Revolution Volume 3 for the PS2
- Played on FOX before Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS
- Played on ESPN during their coverage of the 2006 NFL Draft
- Main theme to Pro Evolution Soccer 6.
- Played in 2007 on Newsnight on the BBC
- Played as bumper music for Coast to Coast AM, a U.S. Late Night radio program.
- Played in the commercial for the HGTV show Buy Me.
[edit] Cover versions
| "Under Pressure" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Single by The Used and My Chemical Romance | ||
| from the album In Love and Death | ||
| Released | April 12, 2005 | |
| Format | CD digital download |
|
| Genre | Rock | |
| Label | Reprise Records | |
| Producer(s) | Howard Benson | |
| My Chemical Romance singles chronology | ||
| "Helena" (2005) |
"Under Pressure" (2005) |
"The Ghost of You" (2005) |
| The Used singles chronology | ||
| "I Caught Fire (In Your Eyes)" (2005) |
"Under Pressure" (2005) |
"The Bird and the Worm" (2007) |
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - The Queen Collection (1982)
- Rapper Vanilla Ice sampled this song without permission for his biggest hit, the commercially successful Ice Ice Baby. His response to criticism relied upon the addition of one note not present in the original.
- The song was also covered by Small Brown Bike and The Casket Lottery on a split EP as well as Crooked Fingers on the Reservoir Songs EP.
- London Symphony Orchestra - Plays the Music of Queen (1994)
- Culture Beat - Queen Dance Traxx I (1996)
- Kween - Rhapsody from Heaven (1996)
- Fobia - Presionando - Tributo a Queen, Los Grandes del Rock en Español (1997)
- The Flaming Lips - Live recording on the 23rd volume in Warner Brothers seven-inch vinyl promo series Soil Samples
- Pennywise
- The Blood Brothers - Live recording, and on the Three One G Queen tribute album Dynamite With A Laser Beam: Queen As Heard Through The Meat Grinder Of Three One G
- The song was covered in 2005 by My Chemical Romance and The Used for tsunami relief. The cover was originally released as an Internet download track but has subsequently featured as a bonus track on the 2005 reisue of The Used's album In Love and Death, and received wide airplay in 2005.
- Joss Stone - Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (2005)
- Bobby Flynn - Australian Idol 4 (2006)
[edit] Trivia
- On the morning of December 14 2006, Under Pressure was played at the International Space Station. It was used as a wake-up call for the crew of Space Shuttle flight STS-116. It was especially chosen for crew-member and mission specialist Robert Curbeam.
- The bass line was sampled (without permission) in the song Ice Ice Baby.
- A small snippet of the original song was recently played in a Propel Fitness Water commercial.
| Preceded by "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police |
UK number one single November 15, 1981 |
Succeeded by "Begin The Beguine" by Julio Iglesias |
| David Bowie |
|---|
| Discography |
| Studio albums |
| David Bowie | Space Oddity | The Man Who Sold the World | Hunky Dory | The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | Aladdin Sane | Pin Ups | Diamond Dogs | Young Americans | Station to Station | Low | "Heroes" | Lodger | Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) | Let's Dance | Tonight | Never Let Me Down | Black Tie White Noise | Outside | Earthling | 'hours...' | Heathen | Reality |
| With Tin Machine |
| Tin Machine | Tin Machine II |
| Live albums |
| David Live | Stage | Ziggy Stardust - The Motion Picture | Tin Machine Live: Oy Vey, Baby | Santa Monica '72 | Bowie at the Beeb | LiveAndWell.com |
| Soundtracks |
| Christiane F. | Labyrinth | The Buddha of Suburbia | Lost Highway | |
| Related articles |
| Tony Visconti | Brian Eno | Mick Ronson | Iggy Pop | Mike Garson |
