Under Pressure
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| "Under Pressure" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by Queen and David Bowie | ||
| Not featured on an original studio album | ||
| Single Released | 26 October 1981 | |
| Single Format | Vinyl record (7") | |
| Recorded | ??? | |
| Genre | ??? | |
| Song Length | 4:02 | |
| Record label | EMI | |
| Producer | ??? | |
| Chart positions | 1 (UK) 29 (USA) | |
| Queen single chronology | ||
| "Flash" 1980 | "Under Pressure" 1981 | "Body Language" 1982 |
| David Bowie single chronology | ||
| "Up the Hill Backwards" 1981 | "Under Pressure" 1981 | "Wild Is the Wind" 1981 |
- Under Pressure is also an alternative title for the Frank Herbert novel The Dragon in the Sea.
- Under Pressure is also a hardcore punk band from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
"Under Pressure" is the name of a song from 1981 (see 1981 in music) by Queen with David Bowie. The song was a hit at the time, reaching #1 in the UK singles chart, and is still well-remembered by rock critics.
Under Pressure evolved from a jam session the band had with Bowie at Montreux, Switzerland, therefore it was credited as co-written by the five musicians. Nevertheless, according to what Queen bassist John Deacon said in a French Magazine in 1984, the (main) musical songwriter was pianist/singer Freddie Mercury, although they all contributed in the arrangement.
There's been wide confusion about who came up with the famous bass-line. John Deacon said in Japanese Magazine Musiclife in 1982, and in the previously mentioned French Magazine, that David Bowie had invented it and taught it to him. In more recent inteviews guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor have creditted the bass-riff to Deacon and Bowie said in his website that the bass-line was already there before he came in.
Rapper Vanilla Ice sampled this song without permission for his biggest hit, the commercially successful Ice Ice Baby. When questioned about the illegal usage, he claimed that one note was slightly different, and in fact, he had written the line himself. The song was covered in 2005 by My Chemical Romance and The Used for Tsunami Relief.
Track listing
- "Under Pressure" (4:02)
- "Soul Brother" (3:38)no:Under Pressure