Queen: Under Pressure Meaning

Song Released: 1981

Under Pressure Lyrics

Um boom ba bay
Um boom ba bay
B-b-boom ba bay bay

Pressure pushing down on me
Pressing down on you no man ask for
Under pressure
That burns a building down
Splits a family in two
Puts people on streets

Um ba ba bay
Um ba ba bay
Dee...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 7th 2011 !⃝

   The line "these are the days it never rains but it pours" is the same as saying when it rains it pours.Meaning when things bad happen it is so bad that it seems the world is ending.The line "this is our last dance" means this one life we have is our last chance to make all wrong right and do our best to show compassion to help others..Hope this helps..
2. anonymous

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   Dec 11th 2010 !⃝

   This is an amazing song, which I think is about what it says its about. compassion, stress, madness, and choices.
3. HateMyGeneration

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   Jun 14th 2010 !⃝

   I believe this talks about how stress/pressure takes is bad influence on people's lives and when some of the people realize that everyone is exposed to it and that they can't get out of the system, they ask for help. The solution they give for stress is mutual love not in a couple but amongst every human
4. HowCouldYou

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   Jul 6th 2009 !⃝

   When I watched the show way back, Annie and Bowie were trying to do their best to put on a fine tribute, and the truth is they could never do him justice, Annie costumed up and her vocals seemed weak from what I know and expected from her musical talents, and Bowie was his usual stoic self not wanting to kiss Annie on stage for innuendo reasons I am sure considering his open sexuality which made for awkward feelings, in addition, if you listen to Annie she sang incorrectly. At that time I suppose no one could help not get wrapped up in the moment, but I was unable to celebrate, not realizing that mimicry is the highest form of flattery and still saddened by the fact that such a wonder was gone and still being upset by someone making mean comments about Freddie for not saying he had the disease earlier and wondering how he, if possible, knew that he would be dead exactly 24 hours later after the announcement.
   
   Pressure pushing down on me
   Pressing down on you no man ask for
   Under pressure
   That burns a building down
   Splits a family in two
   Puts people on streets
   references funding problems and the distribution of wealth, often when someone could not pay their bills a staged fire would be the result in an effort to collect on the insurance, and when jobs are hard to find in hard times such as the recession, people get fired so that the companies can show a profit, and sometimes families have to go in different directions just to find work such as in construction.
   
   It's the terror of knowing
   What this world is about
   Watching some good friends
   Screaming let me out!
   Pray tomorrow takes me higher
   Pressure on people
   People on streets
   I can not emphasize how much I thought he knew something more than he could elaborate on, It's a terror knowing where we are going, what this world is heading toward as if it were already here, in the present, and then watching good friends dying from a disease is an obvious conclusion, but I think it refers to the building on fire and how these
   people are stuck in the building about ready to be burned or crushed or die from the smoke or contemplating jumping despite the great distance because they are so scared.
   
   Day is light and he is saying we are going to make it, I am exposing the situation.
   
   Chippin' around
   kick my brains round the floor
   These are the days
   It never rains but it pours
   Ee do bay bup
   Ee do bay ba bup
   Ee do bup
   Bay bup
   People on streets
   Dee da dee da day
   People on streets
   Dee da dee da dee da dee da
   The chipping is referencing the Graham Nash song 'Chippin' Away.' He is saying he is tearing down walls of his own and hoping to break free from the disease with the help of a higher power or a great hope.
   
   'Pray tomorrow takes me high high higher' is a reference to drugs that cure the disease and the relief that would be felt after the funding for research to find a cure was allowed despite the conservative movement to deny such funding and also a way of saying I am ready to meet my maker and be hopefully be accepted for who I am in the community and what I have done for society as a whole.
   
   'Turned away from it all, like a blind man' references the inability to participate in the discussion of a cure because the disease has labeled 'unacceptable' and therefore, uninvited, then goes on to say that he can not wait any longer, and that there is a shortage of love and acceptance of those that do not fit societies' norm.
   
   'When sanity laughs under pressure we're cracking' references that despite the obvious, people are continuing to ignore that there is a serious disease not yet being confronted and society as a whole is hurt.
   
   'And love dares you to care
   For the people on the edge of the night' refers to opening our eyes and hearts to the those pleading for a chance to be heard and treated like a regular hard working 'joe' rather than like a blemish to be ignored or cleaned away.
   
   The 'this is our last dance' indicates that the night is over, we sleep, dream, and now it is time to wake up to what we have been doing to ourselves and take actions that we know need to be done in order to beat the hatred and resentment we have built up for so long.
5. anonymous

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   Jun 1st 2009 !⃝

   I think its an anti Margaret Thatcher song. It makes references to the recession of the 80s.
6. anonymous

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   Aug 10th 2008 !⃝

   I think it's about how everyone expects you to live up to societies standards and how living up to everyone else's expectations puts pressure on yourself.
7. anonymous

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   Apr 2nd 2008 !⃝

   In an interview with one of the still living band members, this song was said to be about the pressures of being gay in todays society
8. anonymous

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   Aug 8th 2007 !⃝

   I feel that after quite a lot of pondering on these lyrics that I have the answers to what these two lyrics mean ''these are the days it never rains but it pours" and "this is our last dance". When the song says these are the days it never rains but it pours I think its talking about how the problems of mankind are becoming so much worse and I think poverty is an example of this.
   
   The analogy of pours is a much heavier rain then simply rains. So in a way it also talks into Freddy's life because at this time he has found out he has aids he has so many problems due to the criticism he has received by the press and now after that ''rainy'' period, it gets much worse because he finds out he is soon going to die, this could be seen how life is beginning to pour and become much worse for him. Also poverty is becoming much worse in the world and in that respect we can see how many people dying due to poverty may be seen as a pouring period yet again.
   
   This song highlights many important things about life firstly that of how we are challenged by God to love other people above the selfish love that we all have for ourselves. In a sense this can be reflected in the lyrics ''love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselfs''.
   "this is our last dance" can be interpreted to mean that we have a chance right now to help others not after we die or anything like that but right now, and in a sense this is true because it is our last chance to help others before this world becomes blinded by peoples selfishness. Freddie is warning others that just as he is going to die very soon he has realsied that we are on earth for a short time and helping people on streets to do good things can only be the way forward.
9. anonymous

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   Jul 2nd 2007 !⃝

   My interpretation for this song was about two different things.
   
   First I want to point out to the second person to submit that freddy mercury couldn't have been homophobic because he was a bisexual himself.
   
   I believe that the song is 2 different songs mixed into one. an example would be the beatles " a day in the life."
   
   The first part of the song is talking about widespread poverty and our lack of compassion for them. The pressure is some poor man begging for money and for Queen and Bowie to "let him out" of poverty.
   
   The second is asking why we can't love our fellow man? poor or rich we are supposed to love all and hate none. and towards the ends mercury sings that it's because 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"
   
   There are only two things I don't understand about the song. what do the lines "these are the days it never rains but it pours" and "this is our last dance" mean?
10. anonymous

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    Jan 10th 2006 !⃝

    "Expert" Caspar Mulders at About.com says:
    "[Under Pressure] is one of the exceptions to the complexity-rule. It is a protest against the increasing selfishness of society, and urges the listener to give love another chance and care for your fellow people." (http://experts.about.com/q/566/3905582.htm)
    
    At Songmeanings.net others have commented the song is about romantic relationships. Some have said one could interpret Under Pressure as a protest to the treatment of homosexuals/bisexuals or those with sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS. Certainly the lyrics have room for such interpretations. I recommend you visit Songmeanings.net and read Child of Musics comment on 4/18/2005! (http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=13171&offset=25&page=2#comments)
    
    I agree with Caspar for the most part. I imagine the opening sequence with Freddie's vocals alluding to someone strolling down a city street and is then approached by a beggar but is conflicted to giving in to "love" and forces of selfishness and societal discrimination or maybe the inability to truly help due to feelings of self preservation.
    
    In any case I must agree with Caspar with his final note, "As Freddie once said, his songs have whatever meaning you want to see in them, and that is part of the magic."
    -Ash

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