10 Song Collaborations That Happened By Accident
5. Coming Together After Failed Sessions - Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is known as one of the greatest pop songs of all time. In just a few short minutes, David Bowie and Queen work off each other to create some of the most euphoric sounding hooks that the 80's would ever produce. While it's hard to imagine such an epic musical feat happening at all, it's even more mind-blowing when you find out most of it was created on a whim.
When they went into the studio, Bowie had always had a desire to write a song with Queen, but the timing had never worked out. Even when the collective had a song in the can, Queen and Bowie were both dissatisfied with the results and left it on the cutting room floor. After one last jam session, the band created the bassline and structure of the song that would bring them to the top yet again.
With the musical building blocks intact, Bowie set to work on writing the lyrics about the disenfranchised in society, which he then gave to Freddie Mercury to ad lib off of. In the context of the song, the impassioned performances of each member feel almost spontaneous, as they casually hit you with some of the most tuneful moments of their entire career. It may have been a hard road to reach this sonic high, but the results were well worth the wait.