LJ #5 Trimmer, 9/23 

 
Under Pressure -​ Queen 
 
A - I was extremely happy when I saw that this was the song for this week, as this is one of my favorite 
Queen songs, as there is so much happening and it is all being blended together into one fantastic song. 
I love the simplicity of the first progression of rhythms and notes from the bass, the added piano, and 
then finally the guitar overlaying that to create an intriguing undertone for the entire song. It astounds 
me that Freddie Mercury and how comfortable he seems to be on stage with his voice and entire 
persona, as he seems to have no worry about what will happen, nor does he have any sense of stagnance 
as he will always improv to his own songs when he feels the need to do so. I feel that a few of the 
bridges within the song seem to take away from the overall message of the song, largely the progression 
after the first chorus. It works sometimes, but it just felt very separate from the original beat they 
created. 
 
E - The performance made me feel happy, as stated above, because this is one of my favorite Queen 
songs. The song overall is just a fantastic song to play in the background of any other task, as it has a 
relatable and simple foundation that is very iconic, as well as a progression throughout the song so it 
isn’t like you're listening to the same thing over and over again. It makes you want to dance along, but 
I will refrain from doing so in fear that I cannot dance.  
 
I - During this listen, I listened to the lyrics much more than I usually do when it comes to the 
comprehension of the lyrics, because I usually listen to music as I am doing another task, not 
necessarily to listen to the music itself. I really appreciated the progression that the song brought, 
especially through the lyrics of the chorus in which they describe the pressure that one can feel and 
how trapped they may seem in their life. It is a very bright song for a fairly serious topic, but they 
successfully string the two concepts together into an iconic song.  
 
O - As I watched, I just kept laughing at how Mercury acted and danced on stage, as it just filled me 
with joy to watch him enjoy himself as he sang. I never really watched too many of Queen’s songs, but 
rather listened, so this was one of the first times I got to see the Mercury persona emerge and take 
control of the stage. There was not a time when he was standing still, but rather he danced and sang his 
heart out; drawing the crowd into his singing and the lyrics and the band held up the foundation he 
was constantly moving. His voice also amazes me because he changes it so much as he sings, going 
from extremely broad and open to closed and more nasal, yet neither seems overwhelmingly 
unhealthy. He has a very recognizable voice, yet it has the strength to change into many different tones 
to fit each of his songs.  
 
U - Once again, I am very curious about the creation of this piece. I don’t have many questions when it 
comes to the performance, but I am always curious on how they go about writing a piece like this. 
They have taken a topic that is much more suited to a darker, serious tone and made it very bright and 
enjoyable as they sing about them being under pressure. I also am curious on how Mercury figured out 
his improv sections, as there are many times when he is just scatting and singing in his own world that 
ends up to fit along with the song. I also think this was the first time that I realized David Bowie was in 
this song as well, so that is also very intriguing as well.