Under Pressure
"Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Queen's second number-one hit in their home country and Bowie's third, and also charted in the top 10 in more than 10 countries around the world.
"Under Pressure" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Queen and David Bowie | ||||
from the album Hot Space | ||||
B-side | "Soul Brother" | |||
Released | ||||
Recorded | July 1981 | |||
Studio | Mountain, Montreux | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:08 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Alternative cover | ||||
Music video | ||||
"Under Pressure" on YouTube |
The song has been described as a "monster rock track that stood out" on the Hot Space album, as well as "an incredibly powerful and poignant pop song".[4][5] "Under Pressure" was listed at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s, and voted the second-best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone. In 2021, it was ranked number 429 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It was played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of the band's touring career in 1986.[6][7][8] Live recordings appear on the Queen live albums Queen Rock Montreal and Live at Wembley '86.
The song was included on some editions of Queen's first Greatest Hits compilations, such as the original 1981 Elektra release in North America. It is included on the band's compilation albums Greatest Hits II, Classic Queen, and Absolute Greatest, as well as Bowie compilations such as Best of Bowie (2002), The Platinum Collection (2005), Nothing Has Changed (2014), Legacy (2016), and Re:Call 3 (2017).
"Under Pressure" was sampled by American rapper Vanilla Ice for his 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby". Vanilla Ice initially did not credit Bowie or Queen for the sample, resulting in a lawsuit that gave Bowie and Queen songwriting credit. "Under Pressure" has been covered by American rock bands My Chemical Romance and the Used, and singer Shawn Mendes, whose version featured singer Teddy Geiger. Xiu Xiu also covered the song with Swans frontman Michael Gira, a version that was included on Xiu Xiu's 2008 album Women as Lovers.
Background and composition
edit"Under Pressure" was recorded at Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in July 1981.[9] Queen, working on their 1982 album Hot Space, had been working on a song called "Feel Like", but were not satisfied with the result.[10][11] While they were there, David Bowie was also at Mountain recording his vocals for "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)", the title song for the 1982 horror film of the same name.[12] The artists ran into each other during the session.[13] Bowie sang backing vocals for Queen's song "Cool Cat",[14] but his vocals were removed from the final song because he was not satisfied with his performance. Afterward, they worked together for a while and wrote "Under Pressure".[12][15] It was credited as being co-written by the five musicians. The scat singing that dominates much of the song is evidence of the jam-beginnings as improvisation. However, according to Queen bassist John Deacon (as quoted in a French magazine in 1984),[16] the song's primary musical songwriter was Freddie Mercury – though all contributed to the arrangement. As Brian May recalled to Mojo magazine in October 2008, "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. It's a significant song because of David and its lyrical content."[17] The earlier, embryonic version of the song without Bowie, "Feel Like", is widely available in bootleg form, and was written by Queen drummer Roger Taylor.[18]
Also, some confusion has arisen about who had created the song's bassline. John Deacon said (in Japanese magazine Music life in 1982) that David Bowie created it. In more recent interviews, Brian May and Roger Taylor credited the bass riff to Deacon. Bowie, on his website, said the bassline was already written before he became involved.[19] Roger Taylor, in an interview for the BBC documentary Queen: The Days of Our Lives, stated that Deacon did indeed create the bassline, and that all through the sessions in the studio, he had been playing the riff over and over. He also claims that when the band returned from dinner, Deacon misremembered the riff, but Taylor was still able to remember it.[20] Brian May clarified matters in a 2016 article for Mirror Online, writing that it was actually Bowie, not Taylor, who had inadvertently changed the riff. The riff began as "Deacy began playing, 6 notes the same, then one note a fourth down". After the dinner break, Bowie changed Deacon's memory of the riff to "Ding-Ding-Ding Diddle Ing-Ding".[21]
Reception
edit"Under Pressure" has received critical acclaim since its release, with multiple publications ranking it among Queen and Bowie's best songs and among the greatest songs of all time. On release, Sandy Robertson of Sounds called "Under Pressure" the "cornerstone" of its parent album.[22] Record World said that "Bowie and Freddie Mercury combine for a spellbinding musical experience."[23] Reviewing Hot Space decades later, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called "Under Pressure" as the album's "undeniable saving grace" and "the only reason most listeners remember this album".[24] He described the song as "an utterly majestic, otherworldly duet ... that recaptures the effortless grace of Queen's mid-'70s peak, but is underscored with a truly affecting melancholy heart that gives it a genuine human warmth unheard in much of their music."[24] Similarly, Ned Raggett of AllMusic described the song as "anthemic, showy, and warm-hearted, [and] a clear standout for both acts".[25]
Following Bowie's death in 2016, Jack Hamilton of Slate called "Under Pressure" a "masterpiece" and is a reminder to the public that Bowie could be "wonderfully, powerfully human."[26] Jack Whatley wrote for Far Out Magazine "with all the animosity, wine, cocaine, and vocal battles, which helped come together to birth the song, what remains is an incredibly powerful and poignant pop song that we will likely not see matched in our lifetimes. The two juggernauts of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie collide here with perfect and enriching precision."[5]
The September 2005 edition of online music magazine Stylus singled out the bassline as the best in popular music history.[27] In November 2004, Stylus music critic Anthony Miccio commented that "Under Pressure" "is the best song of all time" and described it as Queen's "opus".[28] In 2012, Slant Magazine listed "Under Pressure" as the 21st best single of the 1980s.[29] It was listed at number 31 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '80s[30] and voted the second best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine.[31] It is ranked number 429 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[32]
Music video
editThe music video for the song features neither Queen nor David Bowie due to touring commitments.[33] Taking the theme of pressure, director David Mallet edited together stock footage of traffic jams, commuter trains packed with passengers, explosions, riots, cars being crushed, and various pieces of footage from silent films of the 1920s, most notably Sergei Eisenstein's influential Soviet film Battleship Potemkin, My Lady of Whims, the silent Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde starring John Barrymore, and F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu, a masterpiece of the German Expressionist movement.[33][34] The video explores the pressure-cooker mentality of a culture willing to wage war against political machines, and at the same time love and have fun (there is also footage of crowds enjoying concerts, and many black and white kissing scenes).[34] Top of the Pops refused to show the video in its original form due to it containing footage of explosions in Northern Ireland, so an edited version was instead shown.[35] In 2003, Slant Magazine ranked "Under Pressure" number 27 among the 100 greatest music videos of all time.[36]
"Ice Ice Baby" sampling controversy
editControversy arose when Vanilla Ice sampled the song's intro bassline and piano chords for his 1990 single "Ice Ice Baby". Initially, he denied the accusation and then said he had modified it[37] but did not originally pay songwriting credit or royalties to Queen and Bowie.[38][39] A lawsuit resulted in Bowie and all members of Queen receiving songwriting credit for the sample.[40] Vanilla Ice later claimed that he purchased the publishing rights to "Under Pressure",[41][42] saying that buying the song made more financial sense than paying out royalties,[41] but a Queen spokesman clarified that Vanilla Ice's statement was inaccurate.[43]
Track listing
edit7": EMI / EMI 5250 (UK)
editSide one
- "Under Pressure" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon, Bowie) – 4:08
Side two
- "Soul Brother" (Mercury) – 3:38
7": Elektra / E-47235 (US)
editSide one
- "Under Pressure" (Mercury, May, Taylor, Deacon, Bowie) – 4:08
Side two
- "Soul Brother" (Mercury) – 3:38
1988 3" CD: Parlophone / QUECD9 (UK)
edit- "Under Pressure" – 4:08
- "Soul Brother" – 3:40
- "Body Language" – 4:33
Personnel
editAccording to Bowie biographer Chris O'Leary and Queenvinyls:[14][44]
- Freddie Mercury – lead and backing vocals, keyboards, handclaps, finger snaps
- Brian May – electric guitar, handclaps, finger snaps
- John Deacon – bass guitar, handclaps, finger snaps
- Roger Taylor – drums, backing vocals, handclaps, finger snaps
- David Bowie – lead and backing vocals, Jupiter-8, handclaps, finger snaps
- David Richards – piano[45]
Live performances
editAlthough very much a joint project, only Queen incorporated the song into their live shows at the time. Bowie chose not to perform the song before an audience until the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, when he and Annie Lennox sang it as a duet (backed by the surviving Queen members).[46] However, after Mercury's death and the Outside tour in 1995, Bowie performed the song at virtually every one of his live shows, with bassist Gail Ann Dorsey taking Mercury's vocal part. The song also appeared in set lists from A Reality Tour mounted by Bowie in 2004, when he frequently would dedicate it to Freddie Mercury. Queen + Paul Rodgers have performed the song. In summer of 2012, Queen + Adam Lambert toured, including a performance of the song by Lambert and Roger Taylor in each show.[47] While Bowie was never present for a live performance of the song with Mercury, Taylor instead filled for backing vocals in unison with Mercury, as Mercury took over all of Bowie's parts.
Live recordings
edit- Queen first recorded a live full version of the song at the Montreal Forum in Canada on 24 November 1981. This was included in the concert films We Will Rock You and Queen Rock Montreal.[48] Incidentally it is one of the few times in concert where Mercury used falsetto in the song on the line "these are the days it never rains but it pours".
- A second live version of the song was recorded at Milton Keynes, England, in 1982. This was released in 2004 on the live album/DVD Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl. Prior to the concert, rumours circulated that Bowie would appear with Queen to sing his parts on stage, but he probably did not even attend the concert.
- In September 1982 the band performed the song during an appearance on the eighth-season premiere of Saturday Night Live, which turned out to be Freddie Mercury's final live performance with Queen in the United States.
- Later, Queen recorded a third live version of the song at Wembley Stadium, London, in 1986. This was released on the live album/DVD Live at Wembley Stadium.[49] Another rendition from this same tour (from Queen's concert in Budapest) appeared in edited form on the album Live Magic in 1986. A recording taken from Queen's last gig in Knebworth Park in 1986, appears, albeit in remixed form, as a B-side from second CD single of "Rah Mix" version of this song, released in 1999. (See below)
- During the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, the surviving members of Queen along with Bowie and Annie Lennox (fulfilling Mercury's role) performed the song.[46] The concert was later released on DVD in 2002 for the 10th anniversary.[46]
- A version recorded by David Bowie's live band in 1995 was released on the bonus disc included with some versions of Outside – Version 2. This live version was also released on the single "Hallo Spaceboy" in 1996. Two live recordings from the Outside Tour appear on Bowie's live concert albums Ouvre le Chien (Live Dallas 95) (2020) and No Trendy Réchauffé (Live Birmingham 95) (2020).
- Bowie's 25 June 2000 performance of the song at the Glastonbury Festival was released in 2018 on Glastonbury 2000.[50]
- Bowie's DVD A Reality Tour (2004) and album A Reality Tour (2010) include a November 2003 live version from the A Reality Tour, recorded in Dublin, with Bowie's bassist Gail Ann Dorsey singing Mercury's parts.
- The 2006 VH1 Rock Honors at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, featured Queen + Paul Rodgers performing "Under Pressure" along with "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" as a live broadcast.[51]
Remixes and other releases
editRah Mix
edit"Under Pressure (Rah Mix)" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Queen and David Bowie | ||||
from the album Greatest Hits III | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 6 December 1999 | |||
Genre | Rock, dance rock | |||
Length |
| |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
David Bowie singles chronology | ||||
|
A remixed version (called the "Rah Mix") was issued in December 1999 to promote Queen's Greatest Hits III compilation, reaching No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart. The video for the Rah Mix was directed by DoRo, featuring footage of Freddie Mercury from Queen's Wembley concert on 12 July 1986 and David Bowie at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert also at Wembley Stadium on 20 April 1992 spliced together using digital technology (with Annie Lennox carefully edited out). This version is featured on the Greatest Hits III compilation, the Rah Mix CD single (as an Enhanced CD video) and the 2011 iTunes LP edition of Hot Space.
Track listing
editTwo CD singles (one multimedia enhanced) released 6 December 1999 and 7" picture disc released 13 December 1999. As "Bohemian Rhapsody" won The Song of The Millennium award, this was released with Bohemian Rhapsody as B-side [52]
CDS No. 1
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix)
- The Song of the Millennium – "Bohemian Rhapsody"
- "Thank God It's Christmas"
CDS No. 2
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix – Radio Edit)
- "Under Pressure" (Mike Spencer Mix)
- "Under Pressure" (Knebworth Mix)
- Enhanced section
7-inch single
- "Under Pressure" (Rah Mix)
- The Song of the Millennium – "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Other releases
edit- It was initially released in the US on the Elektra Records US and Canadian versions of Queen's Greatest Hits as a new track.
- It was released in the UK on Queen's Greatest Hits II in 1991 (which would later be included in The Platinum Collection (2000, 2002 and 2011) in a version removing the second time David Bowie sings, "This is our last dance."
- It was released as a bonus track on the Virgin Records reissue of Bowie's Let's Dance in 1995.
- Hollywood Records remixed the song for their 1992 release, Classic Queen. This version features improved sound quality but also removes Mercury's interjection "that's okay!" at about 0:53.
- It also appeared on the Bowie compilation Bowie: The Singles 1969-1993 (1993).
- The original single version appears on disc three of Bowie's The Platinum Collection (2005). This disc was later released separately as The Best of David Bowie 1980/1987 (2007).
- The original single version also appears on Bowie's Nothing Has Changed (2014), Legacy (2016), and the Re:Call 3 compilation included in A New Career in a New Town (1977–1982) (2017).
- An instrumental version was performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra on their 1995 album The Queen Collection.[53][54]
Other remixes
editMouth Pressure. Released in January 2017 as a part of the Neil Cicierega album Mouth Moods, "Mouth Pressure" pairs the instrumentals from "Under Pressure" with the vocals from Smash Mouth's "All Star".[55][56]
Percy's Pressure. A karaoke version of the song was released in September as a part of the soundtrack of the animated Warner Brothers musical film Smallfoot whose lyrics detail one of the central human characters Percy's (voiced by James Corden) fall from fame and his need to bounce back. Additional lyrics were written by Karey Kirkpatrick, the film's director, and his brother Wayne Kirkpatrick.[57]
Use in other media
editA radically remixed version is used in Charlotte Wells 2022 BAFTA winning film Aftersun. The track appears at the climactic ending of the film in a version which gradually strips away most of the instrumentation leaving Bowie and Mercury’s vocals to be accompanied by electronic drones and cello from composer Oliver Coates.[58]
Charts
editIn the U.K., "Under Pressure" was Queen's second number-one hit and Bowie's third. Queen's smash hit "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached number one in November 1975, just two weeks after Bowie's "Space Oddity" had done the same. Bowie also topped the British charts in August 1980 with "Ashes to Ashes", his answer song to "Space Oddity".[59]
Original version
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
"Rah Mix"
editCertifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[100] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[101] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[102] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[103] | 3× Platinum | 300,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[104] | 2× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[105] | 3× Platinum | 1,800,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[106] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
My Chemical Romance and the Used version
edit"Under Pressure" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by My Chemical Romance and the Used | ||||
from the album In Love and Death | ||||
Released | 12 April 2005 | |||
Recorded | 2005 | |||
Genre | Alternative rock[107] | |||
Length | 3:32 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Howard Benson | |||
My Chemical Romance singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Used singles chronology | ||||
|
The song was covered in 2005 by American alternative rock bands the Used and My Chemical Romance for tsunami relief. The cover was originally released as an Internet download track but has subsequently been featured as a bonus track on the 2005 re-release of the Used's second studio album In Love and Death, and received wide airplay in 2005.
On the Billboard charts, the single reached number 28 on Modern Rock chart and number 41 on the Hot 100.[108]
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100[109] | 41 |
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[110] | 28 |
US Billboard Pop 100 | 28 |
Shawn Mendes version
edit"Under Pressure" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Promotional single by Shawn Mendes featuring Teddy<3 | ||||
Released | 11 October 2018 | |||
Length | 3:11 | |||
Label | Virgin EMI | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Teddy Geiger | |||
Shawn Mendes promotional singles chronology | ||||
|
In October 2018, Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes featuring American singer-songwriter Teddy Geiger (credited as teddy<3) released a version of the song.[111]
The song was released to coincide with the release of the film Bohemian Rhapsody. Universal Music Group released three tracks by different artists "channeling their inner Freddie Mercury"; this was the first installment, released in October 2018 followed by 5 Seconds of Summer's "Killer Queen" cover track.[112][113][114]
A portion of the profits from the "Under Pressure" cover was donated to Mercury Phoenix Trust, which was founded by Queen's Brian May and Roger Taylor (and the group's manager, Jim Beach) after Mercury's death to help fight AIDS worldwide. Mendes said in a statement: "I am so honoured to be able to support the amazing legacy of Freddie and Queen by doing a cover of one of my favourite songs, 'Under Pressure'".[113][115]
Reception
editTaylor Weatherby from Billboard called the track "breezy" and said "Mendes and Geiger put their voices at the forefront of the stripped-down rendition, with Mendes' falsetto and Geiger's 'raspier' tone complementing their plucky acoustic guitars."[113]
References
edit- ^ "QueenVault". Queen Vault.
- ^ "BPI certifications".
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (13 July 2023). "Essential Queen: 40 songs that will rock you". The A.V. Club.
The sleek dance-rock hybrid—informed by disco but not belonging to it—is essentially ephemeral and amorphous, built upon a lithe John Deacon bassline that anchors interwoven harmonies and melodies that build to an overwhelming crescendo culminating with Bowie and Freddie Mercury singing "This is our last dance."
- ^ a b Banas, Erica (25 May 2018). "A Look Back At "Under Pressure"". WMMR. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
there was one monster rock track that stood out among the rest
- ^ a b c Whatley, Jack (24 January 2019). "The story behind David Bowie and Queen's brilliant song 'Under Pressure'". Far Out Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 August 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
what remains is an incredibly powerful and poignant pop song
- ^ Queen live on tour: Hot Space (world) Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ^ Queen live on tour: The Works 1985 Archived 23 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ^ Queen live on tour: Magic tour Archived 15 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Queen Concerts. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ^ Pegg 2016, pp. 57, 291.
- ^ Unreleased Queen Tracks – Feel Like Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ^ Queen – Feel Like demo (pre-Under Pressure) Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ^ a b Pegg 2016, p. 57.
- ^ Trynka 2011, p. 366.
- ^ a b O'Leary 2019, p. 166.
- ^ Peter Freestone (2001) Freddie Mercury: an intimate memoir by the man who knew him best p.78. Omnibus Press. Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ^ "The Making of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 Hit "Under Pressure": Demos, Studio Sessions & More". Open Culture. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Queen, The Second Coming" Archived 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Mojo, October 2008,
- ^ "The Making of Queen and David Bowie's 1981 Hit "Under Pressure": Demos, Studio Sessions & More". Open culture.com. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
- ^ Bowie Talks About Under Pressure Retrieved 15 January 2011
- ^ O'Casey, Matt, dir. (2002) Queen – Days of Our Lives. Part 2. Queen Productions Ltd. Retrieved 9 June 2011
- ^ Brian May (11 January 2016). "Brian May tells how David Bowie and Queen wrote the legendary track Under Pressure". Mirror Online.
- ^ Robertson, Sandy (8 May 1982). "Queen: Hot Space (EMI)****". Sounds. Retrieved 17 August 2021 – via Rock's Backpages (subscription required).
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 7 November 1981. p. 1. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Hot Space – Queen". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. ""Under Pressure" – Queen / David Bowie". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ Hamilton, Jack (11 January 2016). ""Under Pressure" Is a Reminder That David Bowie Could Also Be Wonderfully, Powerfully Human". Slate. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Stylus Magazine's Top 50 Basslines of all Time". Stylus. 12 September 2005. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ "Queen – Hot Space – On Second Thought". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 June 2007. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Best Singles of the 1980s". Slant Magazine. 20 August 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ^ "VH1: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's". Rock on the Net. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "Readers Poll: Best Collaborations of All Time". Rolling Stone. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2018.
- ^ "Under Pressure ranked #429 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- ^ a b Queen Promo Videos – Under Pressure Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 20 September 2011
- ^ a b Queen and David Bowie, "Under Pressure" (David Mallet and Andy Morahan) Slant Magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2018
- ^ Greatest Flix II liner notes for "Under Pressure"
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time". Slant magazine. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ Stillman, Kevin (27 February 2006). "Word to your mother". Iowa State Daily. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2009.
- ^ Westfahl, Gary (2000). "Legends of the Fall: Behind the Music". Science Fiction, Children's Literature, and Popular Culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 100. ISBN 0-313-30847-0.
- ^ Feature: Has Vanilla Ice been stealing other people's songs?" Smash Hits (EMAP Metro) (12–25 December 1990): 59.
- ^ Jordan Runtagh. "Songs on Trial: 12 Landmark Music Copyright Cases". Rolling Stone.
The case was settled out of court, costing Ice an undisclosed sum and earning him a not-insignificant amount of public scorn. Bowie and members of Queen all received songwriting credits on the track.
- ^ a b Robert Van Winkle (interviewee) (2013). Vanilla Ice Owns "Under Pressure" On The Opie & Anthony Show on SiriusXM [Explicit] (Video of Radio Broadcast). YouTube.com. Event occurs at 1:30. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
... the lawsuit worked out in my favor, cause I ended up buying their song. It was four million dollars and it was one of my best investments.
- ^ Anderson, Becky (22 February 2010). "Interview with Vanilla Ice (transcript)". cnn.com. Archived from the original on 6 March 2013. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
The great thing is, is I bought back all my royalties and I bought that song, too. So it kind of comes back around, kind of like Michael Jackson both The Beatles. [...] I can do whatever I want with it, because I own it.
- ^ Michael Gallucci (13 July 2017). "Vanilla Ice Claims He Owns Queen's 'Under Pressure'".
A spokesman for Queen tells Ultimate Classic Rock that Vanilla Ice's statement is inaccurate: An arrangement was made whereby the publishing in the song was shared.
- ^ "From Harpsichord to Synthesizer and beyond: an introduction to Queen Organology". queenvinyls.com. 11 October 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b c Under Pressure – The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Archived 17 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ^ Parker, Lyndsey (12 July 2012). "Queen + Adam Lambert Rock London With "Queenbert" Concert". Yahoo Entertainment. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ Queen Rock Montreal Archived 18 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine Allmusic. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ^ Live At Wembley 1986 Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 23 July 2011
- ^ Collins, Sean T. (5 December 2018). "David Bowie: Glastonbury 2000 Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 17 August 2021.
- ^ 2006 VH1 Rock Honours Archived 28 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Ultimate Queen. Retrieved 29 August 2011
- ^ "Queenpedia.com". Queenpedia.com. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ "The Queen Collection". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ "Performance by Royal Philharmonic Orchestra". YouTube. 30 November 2008. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 3 August 2011.
- ^ Cicierega, Neil (23 January 2017). "Mouth Pressure". YouTube. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ Feldman, Brian (24 January 2017). "There Is a New Neil Cicierega Mixtape, Mouth Moods, and It Rules". Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ "Smallfoot: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Details Unveiled". Retrieved 11 September 2018.
- ^ "How 'Aftersun' Made 'Under Pressure' Its Own". Indiewire. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
- ^ "He's Got More Channels". The Village Voice. 5 June 2002. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992: 23 years of hit singles & albums from the top 100 charts. St Ives, N.S.W, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 243. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Radio2 top 30: 9 januari 1982". Top 30.
- ^ "CHART NUMBER 1298 – Saturday, December 05, 1981". Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 18 March 2016.. CHUM. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ "Top Singles – Volume 35, No. 23 Jan 16, 1982". RPM. 17 July 2013. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Under Pressure". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 28 May 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Queen".
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Queen & David Bowie" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ a b "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". VG-lista. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. 12 April 1982. p. 81. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
- ^ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (Q)". Rock.co.za. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ a b "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ a b "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ a b "Queen: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Cash Box Chart Entries 1980-1989" (PDF). popmusichistory. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Queen". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Hot Canadian Digital Songs: Jan 30, 2016". Billboard. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 2, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". Top Digital Download. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". AFP Top 100 Singles.
- ^ "Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
- ^ "The Hot 100 – The Week of January 30, 2016". Billboard Hot 100 for Queen. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
- ^ "Queen Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1981". Kent Music Report. 4 January 1982. p. 7. Retrieved 11 January 2022 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Bibliothèque et Archives Canada" Archived 19 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Library and Archives Canada
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1981". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1981". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Chartfile Top 100". Record Mirror. London. 26 December 1981.
- ^ "Top Singles of 1982". RPM. 25 December 1982. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- ^ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ "Jaarlijsten 2013" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
- ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Queen – Under Pressure" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Queen / David Bowie – Under Pressure". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
- ^ "American single certifications – Queen, David Bowie – Under Pressure". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
- ^ "( Under Pressure > Overview )". Allmusic. 12 April 2005. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ Artist Chart History – The Used – Singles, Billboard
- ^ "The Used Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "The Used Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
- ^ "Under Pressure (single) feat. Teddy 3". iTunes Store. 11 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Shawn Mendes drops cover of Queen's 'Under Pressure'". EW. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ a b c "Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger Pay Tribute to Queen With Acoustic 'Under Pressure' Cover: Listen". Billboard. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Hear Shawn Mendes, Teddy Geiger Cover Queen's 'Under Pressure'". Rolling Stone. 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on 14 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
- ^ "Watch Shawn Mendes and Teddy Geiger Cover Queen's 'Under Pressure'". Spin. 12 October 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
Sources
edit- O'Leary, Chris (2019). Ashes to Ashes: The Songs of David Bowie 1976–2016. London: Repeater Books. ISBN 978-1-91224-836-0.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
- Trynka, Paul (2011). David Bowie – Starman: The Definitive Biography. New York City: Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0-316-03225-4.
External links
edit- Official YouTube videos:
- Lyrics of Rah Mix at Queen official website (from Greatest Hits III)