Under Pressure
Queen and David Bowie (1981)
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Intro (Play riff 5x)
| [D] | [D] | [D] | [D] |
| [D] | [D] |
| [D] | [D] | [D] | [D] |
Verse 1 (Strum | d - D u - u d u |)
| [D] Um boom ba bay | [A] Um boom ba bay
| [G] Um Um boom ba bay bay | [A] ...
| [D] Pressure, pushing | [A] down on me,
Pressing | [G] down on you, no man ask | [A] for.
Under | [D] pressure, that burns a | [A] building down,
Splits a | [G] family in two, puts | [A] people on streets.
| [D] Um ba ba bay, | [A] um ba ba bay
Dee | [G] day duh, ee day duh | [A] ...
Bridge 1 (Strum | d d d d d d d d |)
It's the | [G] terror of knowing, what this | [A] world is about |
| [G] Watching some good friend scream | [A] "Let me out!"
Pray to- | [G] morrow... takes me | [A] higher...
Pressure | [D] on people, people | [G↓] on the [A↓] streets. |
Bassline Riff x2
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Verse 2
| [D] Chippin' around, | [A] I kick my brains 'round the floor |
| [G] . These are the days | [A] it never rains but it pours |
| [D] Ee do bay bup | [A] ee do bay ba bup |
| [G] Ee do bup | [A] bay bup |
| [D] People on streets | [A] Dee da dee da day |
| [G] People on streets | [A] Dee da dee da dee da dee da
Bridge 1 (Strum | d d d d d d d d |)
It's the | [G] terror of knowing, what this | [A] world is about |
| [G] Watching some good friend scream | [A] "Let me out!"
Pray to- | [G] morrow... takes me | [A] higher...
Pressure | [D] on people, people | [G↓] on the [A↓] streets...
Bridge 2:
Turned a- | [G↓] way from it all, like the | [C↓] blind man |
| [G↓] Sat on a fence, but it | [C↓] don't work
Keep | [G] coming up with love, but it's so | [C] slashed and torn (Why?...) | [A] ... |
| [F] | [F] | [F] | [F] |
David Bowie
| [A] Love love love love love | love love! ... |
In- | [A] sanity laughs under | pressure we're cracking.
Freddy Mercury...
Can't we | [D] give ourselves one more | [G] chance? [A] Why can't we |
| [D] give love that one more | [G] chance? [A] Why can't we |
| [D] give love, give love | [G] give love [A] give love |
| [D] give love, give love | [A] give love, give love
David Bowie...
Cause | [G] love's such an | [A] old fashioned |
| [D] word and love | [A] dares you to |
| [G] care for the | [A] people on the |
| [D] Edge of the | [A] night and love |
| [G] dares you to | [A] change our way of |
| [G] caring a- | [A] bout ourselves |
| [G] This is our | [A] last dance |
| [G] This is our | [A] last chance |
| [D] This is our- | [G↓] selves [A↓] ... | Under
Bassline Riff x4
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Pressure! Under (Pressure)
[G↓] [A↓]
finger snaps to fade ...
#Play along with Queen and David Bowie in this key.
#Last Updated 19/05/2021 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons
Queen and David Bowie (1981)
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Intro (Play riff 5x)
| [D] | [D] | [D] | [D] |
| [D] | [D] |
| [D] | [D] | [D] | [D] |
Verse 1 (Strum | d - D u - u d u |)
| [D] Um boom ba bay | [A] Um boom ba bay
| [G] Um Um boom ba bay bay | [A] ...
| [D] Pressure, pushing | [A] down on me,
Pressing | [G] down on you, no man ask | [A] for.
Under | [D] pressure, that burns a | [A] building down,
Splits a | [G] family in two, puts | [A] people on streets.
| [D] Um ba ba bay, | [A] um ba ba bay
Dee | [G] day duh, ee day duh | [A] ...
Bridge 1 (Strum | d d d d d d d d |)
It's the | [G] terror of knowing, what this | [A] world is about |
| [G] Watching some good friend scream | [A] "Let me out!"
Pray to- | [G] morrow... takes me | [A] higher...
Pressure | [D] on people, people | [G↓] on the [A↓] streets. |
Bassline Riff x2
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Verse 2
| [D] Chippin' around, | [A] I kick my brains 'round the floor |
| [G] . These are the days | [A] it never rains but it pours |
| [D] Ee do bay bup | [A] ee do bay ba bup |
| [G] Ee do bup | [A] bay bup |
| [D] People on streets | [A] Dee da dee da day |
| [G] People on streets | [A] Dee da dee da dee da dee da
Bridge 1 (Strum | d d d d d d d d |)
It's the | [G] terror of knowing, what this | [A] world is about |
| [G] Watching some good friend scream | [A] "Let me out!"
Pray to- | [G] morrow... takes me | [A] higher...
Pressure | [D] on people, people | [G↓] on the [A↓] streets...
Bridge 2:
Turned a- | [G↓] way from it all, like the | [C↓] blind man |
| [G↓] Sat on a fence, but it | [C↓] don't work
Keep | [G] coming up with love, but it's so | [C] slashed and torn (Why?...) | [A] ... |
| [F] | [F] | [F] | [F] |
David Bowie
| [A] Love love love love love | love love! ... |
In- | [A] sanity laughs under | pressure we're cracking.
Freddy Mercury...
Can't we | [D] give ourselves one more | [G] chance? [A] Why can't we |
| [D] give love that one more | [G] chance? [A] Why can't we |
| [D] give love, give love | [G] give love [A] give love |
| [D] give love, give love | [A] give love, give love
David Bowie...
Cause | [G] love's such an | [A] old fashioned |
| [D] word and love | [A] dares you to |
| [G] care for the | [A] people on the |
| [D] Edge of the | [A] night and love |
| [G] dares you to | [A] change our way of |
| [G] caring a- | [A] bout ourselves |
| [G] This is our | [A] last dance |
| [G] This is our | [A] last chance |
| [D] This is our- | [G↓] selves [A↓] ... | Under
Bassline Riff x4
Bass Line Riff (with optional piano chords)
A|-5-5-5-555-0----|-5-5-5-555-0-------|--5-5-5...
E|----------------|---------------(3)-|-(5)-
C|----------------|---------------(2)-|-(2)-
G|----------------|-------------------|-----
Pressure! Under (Pressure)
[G↓] [A↓]
finger snaps to fade ...
#Play along with Queen and David Bowie in this key.
#Last Updated 19/05/2021 JJ
Visit UkeboxLessons