Under Pressure

Queen were working on their album Hot Space at Mountain Studios in Montreux in September 1981 when Bowie, who lived near the studio, was invited down. He had sung backing vocals on their song Cool Cat, but his part was removed because he was not satisfied with it, and the group then worked together and wrote Under Pressure. It was recorded in one marathon evening session, with vocals and mixing finished a couple of weeks later at the Power Station in New York, and it is credited to all five musicians. Accounts of who wrote the bassline differ. Brian May and Roger Taylor credit John Deacon, while Bowie said it was already written before he became involved.

Released as a single in October 1981 with Soul Brother on the B-side, it went to number one in the UK, Bowie's third and Queen's second. The video, directed by David Mallet, uses stock footage and silent films instead of the performers, and Top of the Pops showed an edited version. Vanilla Ice sampled the bassline for Ice Ice Baby in 1990 without credit, and Queen and Bowie sued and gained a songwriting credit. Rolling Stone placed it at number 429 in its 2021 list of the 500 greatest songs.

Live and covers

Bowie sang it with Gail Ann Dorsey at his 50th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden on 9 January 1997. Xiu Xiu recorded it with Michael Gira in 2008, and My Chemical Romance and the Used have also covered it.