Is there a more legendary pairing than Freddie Mercury and David Bowie? The late musical icons seemed like a match made in heaven when they joined forces for “Under Pressure,” the first single from Queen’s 10th studio album, Hot Space. And on this day, 45 years ago, Queen and Bowie released “Under Pressure” as a single in the U.S.
‘Under Pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie Was Released in the U.S. on Oct. 27, 1981
Fun fact: this was an impromptu collab. Queen was recording Hot Space at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland. Bowie was also at the same studio, recording “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” for the supernatural horror flick Cat People. The story goes that Bowie stopped by for a “casual chat,” which evolved into the creative firestorm that birthed a timeless classic. Interestingly, the original version of “Under Pressure” was called “Feel Like,” and it was written by the band’s drummer, Roger Taylor.
Queen guitarist Brian May shared that Mercury and Bowie would occasionally “lock horns,” engaging in subtle power play, “like who would arrive last at the studio.” May added that it was “wonderful and terrible,” but asserted that he remembered “the wonderful now more than the terrible.” He also described Bowie as “precocious enough for all of us.” According to May, Bowie and Mercury also butted heads over the mixing for “Under Pressure.”
As for that catchy bassline? That’s all bassist John Deacon, baby. While all contributed to the track’s lyrics and arrangement, Deacon cited Mercury as the primary songwriter. However, per May, “David took over the song lyrically.”
A Cornerstone of ‘Hot Space’
“Under Pressure” only peaked at No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100, but it hit No. 1 on the UK Singles chart and on four other global weekly charts. It received universal acclaim from music critics, who hailed it as the “cornerstone” of Hot Space.
In a retrospective, AllMusic lauded “Under Pressure” as Hot Space‘s “saving grace,” noting that it’s “the only reason most listeners remember this album.” Ouch, but fair. Hot Space is my least favorite Queen album; however, I appreciate the audacious swing for the fences that the boys took here.
Of course, most music lovers are at least aware of Vanilla Ice sampling “Under Pressure” for “Ice Ice Baby,” which he released on Aug. 22, 1990. Controversy ensued when he failed to give proper credit or pay royalties to Queen and Bowie. The musicians behind the powerhouse dance-rock tune got understandably litigious and eventually received credit. Ice couldn’t stand the legal heat, so he had to get out of the kitchen (sorry, I had to).
“Under Pressure” is still revered as a pop culture staple. Rolling Stone ranked it at No. 429 for the 2024 edition of its “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.
