A 1981 collaboration between Queen and David Bowie, built on a bass riff developed during a jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux.
Composition
Under Pressure was written by the four members of Queen with David Bowie during a jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in July 1981. John Deacon’s bass riff anchors the recording.
Recording
The track was recorded over several days at Mountain Studios with Bowie singing lead vocals alongside Freddie Mercury. Bowie’s improvised “oh oh oh” passage opens the song.
Reception
Released as a single in October 1981, the song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and the top thirty in the United States. The bass riff was later prominently sampled by Vanilla Ice on “Ice Ice Baby,” leading to a credit and royalty agreement.
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