David Bowie - Under Pressure Meaning

Song Released: 1981

Covered By: My Chemical Romance (2005)

Under Pressure Lyrics

Mm-noom-ba-deh
Doom-boom-ba-beh
Doo-boo-boom-ba-beh-beh
Pressure pushin' down on me
Pressin' down on you, no man ask for
Under pressure that brings a building down
Splits a family in two, puts people on streets
Mm-ba-ba-beh,...

1. breakfast_monkey

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   May 22nd 2007 !⃝

   I agree with pronggs666. Its talking about how we are under pressure of the sorrows of the word and if we gave a bit more love, we'd all be better off
2. Angelmisty

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   Feb 24th 2007 !⃝

   It's a cover version they did for charity.
3. anonymous

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   Feb 5th 2007 !⃝

   Does no one realize that this song (though performed wonderfully by The Used and mcr) is actually a song by David Bowie and Queen from a long time ago?
4. anonymous

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   Jan 18th 2007 !⃝

   I think rather that the song is saying how man is born good and becomes corrupted by society and the world because of his lack of will. Society is portrayed as materialistic and lacking deep human emotions (love, sympathy...etc.). Its seen as the speaker says
   "Under pressure
   That burns a building down
   (can be thought of a company going bankrupt)
   Splits a family in two
   (love problems)
   Puts people on streets
   (the product of things like the former two lines) "
   
   the speaker admits the evil that is in the world/society
   "It's the terror of knowing
   What this world is about
   Watching some good friends
   Scream 'Let me out!'
   Pray tomorrow takes me higher"
   
   The "good friends" are the true emotions(love, compassion,..etc) that lie within man and that want to get out and overcome the materialistic evil in society.
   
   The speaker then refers to his personal life and he how he was once a victim of the corruption of society
   "Turned away from it all
   Like a blind man
   Sat on a fence but it don't work
   Keep coming up with love
   But it's so slashed and torn"
   
   the speaker admits how love as a result of this has become "slashed and torn"
   
   The speaker then says
   "Why can't we give love that one more chance?"
   showing that he is talking to his love , maybe even being the husband in the " Splits a family in two ". now that he is aware, he tries to convice his love to get back together and to overcome the evil "pressure" of society.
5. anonymous

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   Nov 13th 2006 !⃝

   Well.
   Thats true I guess, but I also remember hearing gerard say that that song was for all of the hurricane katrina victims
6. prongs666

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   Aug 29th 2006 !⃝

   This song, which they preformed with the used, talks about the lack of love today and how its affecting the world.