Pressure

Unlike adversaries in traditional anthems, “Under Pressure” identifies an abstraction rather than a tangible reality like a rival nation, class, or race. This chapter contends that for Bowie and Mercury, pressure serves as a symbol for an intangible yet pervasive source of peril, enabling the song to offer a new, more relevant representation of its era. Pressure encapsulates the multifaceted dangers of postmodern life, emanating from various sources and often eluding traceability to their origins. It is an overdetermined, complex adversary—a symbol of the unsettling modern sense that abstractions, a cascade of decisions, and systematic procedures beyond individual control can harm bodies and minds while remaining difficult to even define.