In 1981, the two biggest musical acts at the time,QueenandDavid Bowie, joined forces to make one of the most iconic duets in rock history,“Under Pressure.”However, the process of getting there was far from a smooth ride. The recording was an unpredictable collision of ego and experimentation. The substance-fueled session was an intoxicating exploration of Bowie’s free-flowing approach versus Queen’s more structured style of songwriting. Through tensions, what emerged would be a moment of magic in pop history. “Under Pressure” is a wildly interesting and unique part of mainstream music, crafted by the sharp edges of a tricky recording process.
The Chaotic Recording of “Under Pressure”
The way “Under Pressure” came about was chaotic, partly because it was so unplanned. At the time of its recording,Queenwere holed up in the Swiss Alps, recording their tenth studio album,Hot Space,in the Montreux Mountain Studios.David Bowiewas nearby, working on a song for a film project, not one that history has been kind to. Bowie became aware of his contemporaries’ project, and curiously dropped in to see what they were up to.What started as a casual jam session playing songs from the time turned into a legendary on-the-spot co-write, with Bowie famously ending up saying, “This is stupid, why don’t we just write one?” as recalled by Queen drummerRoger Taylor.
Rather quickly, the session became tense, perhaps fueled by copious amounts of drugs and alcohol. It was 1981, to be fair. Music writer from the time,Mark Blake,later observed how opposing the styles of the two acts were. Queen had a tried-and-tested rigidity to their songwriting, which clashed with the avant-garde spontaneity of Bowie’s free form.It wasn’t just a scenario of agreeing to disagree, it became difficult.
According toBrian May, legendary guitarist of Queen, the vocals were created in a particularly unorthodox fashion for the band. May recalls the vocals as being “Constructed in a very novel way, which came through David, because he had experience of this avant-garde method of constructing the vocals…He said, ‘Everybody just goes in there with no ideas, no notes, and sings the first thing that comes into their head over the backing track.’ So we all did, and then we compiled all the bits and pieces—andthat’s what ‘Under Pressure’ was based on; all those random thoughts.”The band complied with the patchwork approach after the intensity of competing egos began to subside, and maybe sober up.
The Creative Rift Between Queen and David Bowie
After the dust settled, the resulting masterpiece was unlike anything Queen or David Bowie had really produced before. From beginning to end, the recording of the track was a game of pride, a sign of the flamboyancy of the early 1980s. Brian May remembers these tensions occurring even into production, saying, “It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it’s a great song, but it should have been mixed differently.Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that.”Even though the song features on Queen’s recordHot Space,it was Bowie who had the final say in the studio.
Bowie’s headstrong influence went beyond the musical content itself, too.Originally, Freddie Mercury intended to call the song “People on the Streets,”a nod to one of its key refrains. “Under Pressure” was suggested by Bowie, and it gave the title a sharper, more engaging edge. It quickly became a cultural landmark and one of the most instantly recognizable hits from the iconic opening bass line. Despite any internal friction in its recording, “Under Pressure” became a chart-topper and rapidly became a legendary track. It was evenvoted the second-best collaboration of all timebyRolling Stonereaders in 2018, and any echoes of any rifts are long forgotten.
“Under Pressure” is proof that behind any good art, a struggle has been overcome. In those mad few days in Montreux, Bowie and Queen navigated their way through their diva altercations to a point of collaborative brilliance. Turns out, the ego battles between Bowie and Freddie Mercury, a debated vocal construction and Bowie’s post-recording seizure of control were necessary to lead to a final product that overshadowed the dramas of its creation.“Under Pressure" hasn’t stayed clear of tensionsince its release in 1981, with a lawsuit commencing afterVanilla Icesampled the song’s bass line on his 1990 track, “Ice Ice Baby.”
But, nearly 45 years on, “Under Pressure” stands as a testament that the two greatest musical powers of the time overcame creative tension.They gave the world a cultural phenomenon that explores the universal feelings of crushing pressure that enters people’s lives. The final message that love dares you to change your way redeems and proves who the inevitable winner is.
