Under Pressure Archives - chimesfreedom

Under Pressure Willie

Karen O and Willie Nelson recently recorded a cover of “Under Pressure,” originally written and performed by Queen and David Bowie. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs wrote Nelson seeking his help for a letter seeking funding for independent music venues during the COVID-19 pandemic. In her letter, she also raised the possibility of working together. And out of that contact came this collaboration.

Through Nelson’s daughter, Nelson responded to Karen O asking for a suggested song. And Karen O came up with the idea for a new interpretation of the Bowie-Queen classic.

This new version begins with the famous bass line, but it remains quieter and acoustic, focusing on the lyrics for our troubled times. Check out Karen O and Willie Nelson on “Under Pressure.”

And that is our Pandemic Song of the Day. Leave your two cents in the comments.

Isolated Vocals of Bowie and Mercury: “Under Pressure”

Internet Venom, Toby Keith’s Death, . . . and Grace from Willie Nelson

Arlo McKinley Gets To the Core of “This Mess We’re In” On New Album

The Pines at Night (Matthew Ryan) Releases Full Album,”A Year of Novembers”

A “Song for a Hard Year” from The Pines at Night

Cover of the Day: Mo Pitney Sings “If Hollywood Don’t Need You”

( Some related Chimesfreedom posts.)

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We were sad to hear of the passing of David Bowie. Much will be written about his extraordinary contributions to music, pop culture, art, and other areas. He inspired many artists both on earth and in space. And the man could sing, including on one of my favorites, his collaboration with Queen on “Under Pressure.”

“Under Pressure” appeared on Queen’s 1982 album Hot Space, as well as later collections. The song was created by Bowie and Queen jamming together, and of course it went on to become a classic. In 2014, Rolling Stone magazine readers named it the greatest duet of all time.

In the audio below, the vocals are isolated. So you may hear Bowie’s and Freddie Mercury’s voices without the music, or even that memorable riff. Incredible.

If the isolated vocals made you want to hear the full recording, below is the original release of “Under Pressure.” In the song, Bowie and Mercury remind us (in lyrics written by Bowie), “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.”