It’s the terror of knowing what the world is about/
Watching some good friends screaming/
‘Let me out’.

Talk about a super-group! When David Bowie and Queen get together we expect great things—and they deliver a classic with “Under Pressure”. “Under Pressure” is about the stresses of the modern world and what it can do to you and your soul.

We hear this refrain on several other songs; from the 70s we have Staying Alive by the Bee Gees, and Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters by Elton John. Each state a careful examination of the world is terrifying. Only love is the way to conquer it—and that is fraught with perils too.

If we embrace love it causes us to change the way we think about the world around us. Next thing we know we’ll have to look at the homeless around us and deal with them, rather than step over them.  Love may sound trite and old-fashioned but it really is the only way to escape the pressure.

The introductory bass line of “Under Pressure” has to be one of the most famous of all-time, and one of the classics that every bass player learns.  How many songs are recognizable by just their bass-lines? Five? Ten max. So all bass players should love this song.

This is also one of the finest collaborations between two bands. It is interesting that this doesn’t happen more often but the muse is a fickle mistress. I think Freddie Mercury stands out more on this song than does Bowie. Specifically in his vocal riffing. It really shows how entertaining Mercury can be just singing nonsense.

Under Pressure Lyrics

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 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
Chipping 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 the world is about,
Watching some good friends screaming:
‘Let me out’.
Pray tomorrow gets me 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 (people on streets) 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!

Songwriters: David Bowie / John Richard Deacon / Brian Harold May / Freddie Mercury / Roger Meddows Taylor