10 Greatest Queen Songs
5. Under Pressure
It takes a pretty good singer to hold their own against Freddie Mercury. Luckily, David Bowie is just such a singer. Freddie tests the limits of his multi-octave range here but Bowie never feels outdone or overwhelmed.
The poignant Under Pressure was born out of a jam session in Montreux. Bowie pushed the band to work in a more spontaneous way, outside of their comfort zone. This led to Freddie’s inspired, improvised scat singing that made it to the finished mix.
Under Pressure is underpinned by more bass heroics from John Deacon, who delivers another of the finest bass lines in rock history.
It was unlike Queen, who were perfectionists, to cede control in the studio. Brian May claims that on this occasion they let Bowie take charge. The result was their second number one hit.