I also wonder whether the scat singing throughout the song - a style popularised in the 1930s - is supposed to evoke a memory of the great depression. You can hear the optimism of the post-war period and the ideals of the 1960s that had shaped society upto this point come clattering down in lines like "turned away from it all like a blind man, sat on the fence but it don't work" and in the desperate plea "why can't we give love that one more chance?". This began to change dramatically in the period this song was written as people lost jobs on an industrial scale. Between the war and the late 1970s we prided ourselves on being a society in which you didn't see people sleeping rough in major cities like you did in the United States. For example the numerous references to "people on the streets" refers to the fact we began to see homelessness on a scale we'd never seen before during this period. You can hear the "pressure" this placed on ordinary people throughout the song. There were 1.5 million out of work in 1980 - by 1981 it had nearly doubled. In 1981 unemployment in Britain was racing out of control. as he feels because of his condition and the stigma that goes with it. Mercury I think is trying to express empathy with people who are feeling every bit as trapped by unemployment etc. Having read through the interpretations so far, I think Under Pressure is a collision of the personal (Mercury confronting his own mortality with lines like "this is our last dance") and the wider political problems of the time, in which many people felt the same sense of helplessness and crushing despair because they were watching their livelihoods being destroyed and their belief in a fair society being attacked. We have the resources and the ability, why must we succumb to competition and not allow mankind to flourish? The fences we build cannot stop or shelter us from the reality that comes from a society that does not reach out to those in need and make sufficient gains for all. No matter how much we turn our back, the problems do not go away. There is the fence idea, where we try to ignore the problems of the world. And the pouring is the tears and blood constantly pouring from us and those we choose to ignore. I hear the question, why do we allow our fellow man to be homeless when we have so much? The never raining is the drought our soul feels with the burnout of "success" which brings only unhappiness and stress. The idea that people want "out" is that they want a life where they can be themselves and not succumb to the constant rat race. Under Pressure Lyrics: al: ti:Under Pressure ar:Queen And David Bowie offset:250 Pressure Pushing down on me Pressing down on you No man ask for. The band is trying to say that all people should be loved and respected regardless of their sexual orientation.Under Pressure is the constant economic pressure we all face and the pressure to succeed in an arena that is so competatitive that once we do succeed keeping the pace is life-changing and leads only to burnout. The word "people" is used many times throughout the song for the purpose of ambiguity. The reply is that this thinking needs to change and people need to re-evaluate how they love and care for each other. Bowie is singing as the conservative side of the argument that does not support this lifestyle and by "old fashioned word" he means that traditional love is meant to be heterosexual in nature. He asks over and over "why can't we give love that one more chance", to which Bowie replies "'cause love is an old fashioned word". Mercury says he has seen friends turn their backs and shut you out, "like a blind man" for announcing your sexual preference. He says it is sad and also scary to know how the world feels about the gay community in general and he hates to watch his friends struggle with the decision. Mercury sings that this pressure is so great, that it can divide a family and break a home. The "pressure" is this inner turmoil of living a secret life and wanting to get out, but at the same time being fearful of how society and loved ones will react to the news. The song is about the difficult task of coming out to your family and friends as a homosexual and how society should be more accepting of alternative lifestyles. This song features David Bowie sharing vocals with Freddy Mercury on the 1982 Queen album, Hot Space.
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