Queen
Hot Space (1982)
David Bowie, John Deacon, Brian May +2
Born from a spontaneous jam session in Switzerland, this 1981 masterpiece is a defining moment in rock history, blending David Bowie's art-pop sensibilities with Queen's stadium-sized grandeur. This live version from 'A Reality Tour' highlights the song's enduring message of empathy and its status as one of the greatest duets ever recorded.
The harmonic structure of 'Under Pressure' is defined by its use of space and the interplay between a strictly diatonic D major verse and a modally colorful bridge. The use of the bVII (C major) is the pivotal harmonic moment, shifting the song from a tense, r…
The song evolved from a 1981 jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux. Bowie originally visited the studio to record backing vocals for the Queen song 'Cool Cat', but those vocals were scrapped. The band and Bowie began an impromptu session, originally titl…
“The iconic bassline was credited to John Deacon, though Brian May and Roger Taylor have given conflicting accounts on whether Bowie or Deacon actually composed it.”
The harmonic structure of 'Under Pressure' is defined by its use of space and the interplay between a strictly diatonic D major verse and a modally colorful bridge. The use of the bVII (C major) is the pivotal harmonic moment, shifting the song from a tense, rhythmic drive into a soaring, emotional climax. The sparse arrangement in the verses allows the simple I-V-IV-V progression to feel more ominous than its pop-standard components would suggest.
The song evolved from a 1981 jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux. Bowie originally visited the studio to record backing vocals for the Queen song 'Cool Cat', but those vocals were scrapped. The band and Bowie began an impromptu session, originally titled 'People on Streets', which developed into 'Under Pressure'. The writing process was famously tense, with Bowie and Freddie Mercury disagreeing on the mixing and direction of the track.
Born from a spontaneous jam session in Switzerland, this 1981 masterpiece is a defining moment in rock history, blending David Bowie's art-pop sensibilities with Queen's stadium-sized grandeur. This live version from 'A Reality Tour' highlights the song's enduring message of empathy and its status as one of the greatest duets ever recorded.
Detailed analysis of this section is not yet available for this song.
Genre
Rock
Era
80s
Mood
Intense
Tempo
Mid-tempo
Key
Major
Texture
Full Band
Sound
Vocal-focused
Feel
Groovy
7.0M
Plays
1.1M
Listeners
2.0M
Genius Views
19
Annotations
100%
Popularity
4:03
Duration
4/4
Time
From the album Studio Collection
Harmony The harmonic structure of 'Under Pressure' is defined by its use of space and the interplay between a strictly diatonic D major verse and a modally colorful bridge. The use of the bVII (C major) is the pivotal harmonic moment, shifting the song from a tense, rhythmic drive into a soaring, emotional climax. The sparse arrangement in the verses allows the simple I-V-IV-V progression to feel more ominous than its pop-standard components would suggest. Deep Analysis Available Detailed analysis of this section is not yet available for this song. Request Full Analysis
No musician information available for this song yet.
Composition The song evolved from a 1981 jam session at Mountain Studios in Montreux. Bowie originally visited the studio to record backing vocals for the Queen song 'Cool Cat', but those vocals were scrapped. The band and Bowie began an impromptu session, originally titled 'People on Streets', which developed into 'Under Pressure'. The writing process was famously tense, with Bowie and Freddie Mercury disagreeing on the mixing and direction of the track. Inspiration: A wine-fueled, late-night improvisation session and the desire to collaborate while both artists were in Switzerland. Recording Studio: Mountain Studios Producer: Queen and David Bowie The iconic bassline was credited to John Deacon, though Brian May and Roger Taylor have given conflicting accounts on whether Bowie or Deacon actually composed it. It was Queen's first ever collaboration with another major artist. The song was famously sampled by Vanilla Ice for 'Ice Ice Baby', leading to a copyright dispute that was settled out of court.
Chord Sheet Chords Used Hide functions D I T A V D G IV P A V D Progression by Section Bridge G IV P C bVII G IV P C bVII A V D D I T G IV P A V D Chorus A V D G IV P D I T Verse D I T A V D G IV P A V D Chord Fingerings D Standard A Standard G Standard A Standard Harmony Analysis The harmonic structure of 'Under Pressure' is defined by its use of space and the interplay between a strictly diatonic D major verse and a modally colorful bridge. The use of the bVII (C major) is the pivotal harmonic moment, shifting the song from a tense, rhythmic drive into a soaring, emotional climax. The sparse arrangement in the verses allows the simple I-V-IV-V progression to feel more ominous than its pop-standard components would suggest. Find Tabs & Chords Songsterr Interactive tabs Ultimate Guitar Chords & tabs Cifra Club Chords
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