“Under Pressure“ is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie…..which was originally released as a single in October 1981…..and was later included on Queen’s 1982 album Hot Space…..as the song reached # 1 on the UK Singles Chart….while becoming Queen’s second # 1 hit in their home country….after their “Bohemian Rhapsody” in 1975….which topped the chart for nine weeks…. as it was Bowie’s 3rd # 1 after the 1975 reissue of “Space Oddity” and “Ashes to Ashes” in 1980. The song charted in the top 10 in more than ten countries around the world….and peaked at # 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in January 1982.
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”. It was listed at # 31 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980’s….and voted the 2nd best collaboration of all time in a poll by Rolling Stone magazine….and it was played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of the band’s touring career in 1986. 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 the US. 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).
