classic
― Rock Hardy, Saturday, 6 October 2007 12:57 (sixteen years ago) link
absolutely classic. I'm not so sure that "people on streets" = "people who live on the streets," either - I always thought this song was about the general pressure of day-to-day life, which, though this often comes as news to people, is as real for rich people as it is for others. I have as much class rage toward the wealthy as anybody else, and possibly more, being an excitable Catholic-worker sorta dude, but the notion that "rich rock stars" should just shut their yaps about difficulties facing people is just painfully adolescent.
None of which is really the point of course, the point is the melody, and the production, and the performances, all of which are k-classic.
― J0hn D., Saturday, 6 October 2007 13:35 (sixteen years ago) link
If aliens were planning to blow up the Earth and I was only allowed to play one song to defend out existence, I'd play this one.
― da croupier, Saturday, 6 October 2007 13:43 (sixteen years ago) link
Anthony, you will probably find it warming to know that I have a friend who repeats that Vanilla Ice quote at every given opportunity, too.
― The Reverend, Saturday, 6 October 2007 13:46 (sixteen years ago) link
Overrated dud.
― Alex in NYC, Saturday, 6 October 2007 15:05 (sixteen years ago) link
classic in dud's clothing.
― nerve_pylon, Saturday, 6 October 2007 15:34 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah, not exactly sure what this song is about (like a lot of other queen songs in that regard), but marginal classic. nobody involved was releasing full out classics by 1981
― Dominique, Saturday, 6 October 2007 15:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Reagan angst: "Under Pressure" vs. "Pressure"
― Eazy, Saturday, 6 October 2007 15:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Or anxiety more than angst, I guess.
C
― mookieproof, Saturday, 6 October 2007 16:44 (sixteen years ago) link
This song is the G.O.A.T.
― Alex in Baltimore, Saturday, 6 October 2007 16:52 (sixteen years ago) link
Darin OTM.
― will, Saturday, 6 October 2007 17:00 (sixteen years ago) link
it woulda/shoulda been a classic, had mercury kept his ineptly-scatting mouth shut.
― Lawrence the Looter, Saturday, 6 October 2007 17:53 (sixteen years ago) link
Queen and David Bowie have both made a whole lot of marvellous and fantastic music.
Thus, when compared to the quality of what have usually been doing, this song is obviously dud. Even though it is even way more dud when it's called "Ice Ice Baby".
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 6 October 2007 17:55 (sixteen years ago) link
This song is perfect.
― aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, Saturday, 6 October 2007 18:09 (sixteen years ago) link
Geir your claim to love melody is now an empty farce in light of your comments regarding this song
― J0hn D., Saturday, 6 October 2007 18:40 (sixteen years ago) link
an empty farce I say
― J0hn D., Saturday, 6 October 2007 18:41 (sixteen years ago) link
"Under Pressure" isn't particularly melodic. Mainly built and partly improvised around a riff. That is not the way a good melody is created.
― Geir Hongro, Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:05 (sixteen years ago) link
This argumet isn't particularly argumentative. Mainly built around shifting defintions of the term "melody." That is not the way a good argument is created.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:19 (sixteen years ago) link
umm Alfred do you have a pretext for that? the melody = the sung line in a hefty percentage of pop, as here, I'm pretty sure Geir and I agree about what a melody is. Really can you give me two different definitions of melody that you've determined people hold based on this thread?
― J0hn D., Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:23 (sixteen years ago) link
I wasn't looking for an argument -- I was just amazed that Geir thinks this song is "obviously dud" because UP isn't "particularly" melodic.
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:27 (sixteen years ago) link
thinking about it I suspect that Geir means "the rhythm section overshadows/competes with the melodic line" which is his beef with lots of music. I'm just contesting his "not particularly melodic" complaint; the descending-in-verses/ascending-in-bridges nature of the U.P. melody seems like Bowie at his best to me, formal in character but very natural in feel (cf. "Fantastic Voyage")
― J0hn D., Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:32 (sixteen years ago) link
yeah, the ascending/descending thing has always been in his best songs ("Strangers When We Meet" was the most recent time it worked beautifully).
― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn, Saturday, 6 October 2007 22:37 (sixteen years ago) link
This is one of the best karaoke songs of all time.
Totally wrong, because you think "Ooh, Ice Ice Baby" and then you go "Oh, no, fuck, this is an indie crowd and I have to hear fucking Under Pressure. Great." DUD.
― Doctor Casino, Saturday, 6 October 2007 23:50 (sixteen years ago) link
Seriously, how can "People on street" compete with such as "Flow like a harpoon daily and nightly" and "killin' your brain like a poisonous mushroom"?
― kingkongvsgodzilla, Sunday, 7 October 2007 00:14 (sixteen years ago) link
just a fucking piece of genius.
― pisces, Sunday, 7 October 2007 00:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Considering the lack of Freddie Mercury in this, I'm surprised this is as good as it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNGQor3dED8
Though it does make me crave the Freddie version.
― Bimble, Sunday, 7 October 2007 04:54 (sixteen years ago) link
And then this one is the polar Freddie opposite of that one (though you might have to forward ahead through his lengthy vocal exercises at the beginning, at your leisure):http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faUuwRDRrqA
― Bimble, Sunday, 7 October 2007 05:04 (sixteen years ago) link
― Herman G. Neuname, Sunday, 7 October 2007 11:39 (sixteen years ago) link
Doctor Casino you mean you think indie crowds're more likely to play this than Vanilla Ice? Weird.
Anyway it's perfect. Enough hooks and bits for about 3 songs.
― President Evil, Sunday, 7 October 2007 12:19 (sixteen years ago) link
CLASSIC!
Like someone else said, great blending and interplay between the two, and just a great song. Among the best things both artists accomplished.
― Joe, Sunday, 7 October 2007 13:20 (sixteen years ago) link
"Under Pressure" isn't particularly melodic.
(head spinning)
― Joe, Sunday, 7 October 2007 13:23 (sixteen years ago) link
Well it isn't. It's mainly built around a bass theme, with very ostinato based harmonics. The melody is sort of a slave of the arrangement and the riff, while I prefer the opposite.
In addition, it also lacks all those wonderful vocal harmonies that make Queen so great. But then, this was around "The Game", one of Queen's worst ever albums, which was also largely devoid of those.
― Geir Hongro, Sunday, 7 October 2007 13:35 (sixteen years ago) link
This is the only Queen song I can handle.
― I know, right?, Sunday, 7 October 2007 14:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Hahahaha...what, another Bohemian Rhapsody hater in the world besides me?
― Bimble, Sunday, 7 October 2007 14:13 (sixteen years ago) link
sounded a bit forced at the time, now forever overshadowed by Vanilla Ice
― gershy, Sunday, 7 October 2007 14:16 (sixteen years ago) link
in itself, it's okay. but for providing the bassline for "ice ice baby", (one of the greatest records ever made) classic.
― max r, Sunday, 7 October 2007 14:20 (sixteen years ago) link
People who prefer "Ice Ice Baby" to "Under Pressure" need serious help.
― Darin, Monday, 8 October 2007 07:38 (sixteen years ago) link
No, people who don't do.
― I know, right?, Monday, 8 October 2007 08:34 (sixteen years ago) link
No, people who do, don't!
― Mark G, Monday, 8 October 2007 08:47 (sixteen years ago) link
I'm fine. You two must be the nuts.
― I know, right?, Monday, 8 October 2007 08:53 (sixteen years ago) link
People who prefer "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" to "Diamonds Are Forever" need serious help.
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 8 October 2007 11:55 (sixteen years ago) link
Classic.
Songs with finger-clicking always are.
― PhilK, Monday, 8 October 2007 12:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Amen.
― Alex in NYC, Monday, 8 October 2007 15:47 (sixteen years ago) link
"Under Pressure" = one of the most classic songs ever by anyone.
People who prefer "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" to "Diamonds Are Forever" need serious help. I might be able to buy that if Jay-Z's verse wasn't so fucking good on the "Sierra Leone" remix.
― Johnny Fever, Monday, 8 October 2007 16:17 (sixteen years ago) link
It's mainly built around a bass theme, with very ostinato based harmonics. The melody is sort of a slave of the arrangement and the riff, while I prefer the opposite.
this is only true of the first 16 bars. then the bass starts moving around with the rest of the arrangement, it goes all over the place after that
― gff, Monday, 8 October 2007 17:15 (sixteen years ago) link
oh why in fuck am i bothering
anyway, this is classic.
― gff, Monday, 8 October 2007 17:17 (sixteen years ago) link
the youtube version with gail ann dorsey is pretty great, in its own way
― gff, Monday, 8 October 2007 17:20 (sixteen years ago) link
'cause love's such an old fashioned word and love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night and love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves; this is our last dance this is our last dance this is ourselves, under pressure
^^^ these are great lyrics
― gff, Monday, 8 October 2007 17:27 (sixteen years ago) link
I think the main problem about this is that Queen were in the middle of a really fruitless period. After all, they released their two worst ever albums just before and just after this single.
And Bowie - in spite of "Let's Dance" and some "Tonight" tracks being quite good - was about to lose it artistically too, as evident by later work.
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 8 October 2007 21:11 (sixteen years ago) link
he never did anything worse than Peace On Earth
― blueski, Monday, 8 October 2007 21:15 (sixteen years ago) link
TS: Tin Machine Vs. "Never Let Me Down" Vs. "Peace On Earth" Vs. "The Laughing Gnome"? ;)
― Geir Hongro, Monday, 8 October 2007 21:22 (sixteen years ago) link
Classic for people in bars who start accidentally singing "Ice Ice Baby" along to it and the people who mock them. Dud for everyone who lives in the East Village and/or LES and doesn't just party there on the weekends.
― Andi Mags, Monday, 8 October 2007 22:03 (sixteen years ago) link
Classic for inspiring this thread.
― Myonga Vön Bontee, Monday, 8 October 2007 22:28 (sixteen years ago) link
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/13/david-bowie-recorded-songs-with-queen-that-never-got-releasedWould love to hear them tear through "All The Young Dudes" and "All The Way From Memphis", let alone the original material..
― willem, Monday, 17 July 2017 11:05 (six years ago) link