Song of the Week: Under Pressure

I’ve already mentioned that one of the first albums I ever bought was Queen’s “Greatest Hits.” Part of that was because of Queen singles my sister had—”Somebody to Love” and “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions”—but much more important to the decision as I remember it was “Under Pressure.”

I think I knew of David Bowie before, but this was the first time I had spent money on a David Bowie song. The album was Queen, and I did like what I had heard from Queen, but the key motivator was to get “Under Pressure.” I never bought the single. Instead, I bought the album.

This was revelatory. I ended up owning every album David Bowie released up to and including his work with Tin Machine. The first real concert I went to was David Bowie’s Serious Moonlight tour at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition). I think I have to say that Bowie is my favourite musical artist just because of the number of his songs that I enjoy and the number that I adore.

And it all started with him and Freddie Mercury. I love Queen and I love Freddie Mercury, but even they have nothing on Bowie in my eyes . . . ears.

And need I say that I was introduced this song by Top 40 radio? Because I was introduced to this song by Top 40 radio. The Eighties really were a hell of a drug.