Mercury's Song 'Under Pressure'

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In 1981, the British rock band, Queen, invited David Bowie to their recording studios in Montreux, Switzerland, in order to sing back-up vocals for another Queen song titled “Cool Cat.” Unsatisfied with his contributions, Bowie had his vocals removed from the track. The group then proceeded to jam in their recording studio and eventually, one of the most memorable and easily recognizable songs in history, “Under Pressure,” was born. This collaboration between two of rock’s greatest legends resulted in nothing short of spectacular. “Under Pressure” became a massive hit and enjoyed worldwide fame, reaching as high as No. 1 in the United Kingdom and top 30 in the United States. The song opens up with a light crash on a high hat immediately followed by the easily recognizable bass line that we all know: bouncing along the root note before tumbling down to the fifth and repeating itself over …show more content…

Also, the word “pours” carries a much heavier connotation than the word “rains,” thus alluding to the fact that on some days, the decision to come out feels like the weight of the world resting on your shoulders. These are the days that make one want to scream as described in Mercury’s next lyric: It's the terror of knowing/ What the world is about/ Watching some good friends/ Screaming 'Let me out'.” Here, the terror of knowing that society will criticize and label you as an outsider is what frightens the homosexual community. Thus, with the immense amount of pressure pushing down on them, those screaming “let me out” are the ones losing their minds and identities as they struggle to accept the fact that they will be ostracized by society if they reveal their true sexual

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