The unstoppable bass riff everyone loves has been so abstracted from its original setting—the amazing Queen/Bowie collaboration that is “Under Pressure”—that it’s easy to overlook how profoundly good the song is.
The best we preachers can do, when you get right down to it, is stare in the face of this world’s evil, pain, and suffering, and shout “Love” at the top of our voice. To be sure, we try our best to describe its cruciform shape, but we can’t improve upon it. Love is still the answer. This song understands that. It also understands the seduction of indifference: It says, “We’ve tried that. It doesn’t work.”
Q: “Why? Why? Why?”
A: “Love, love, love, love, love.”
Amen.
Pressure on people – people on streets
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
Why – why – why ?
Love love love love love
Insanity laughs under pressure we’re cracking
Can’t we give ourselves one more chance
Why can’t we give love that one more chance
Why can’t we give love give love give love give love
give love give love give love give love give love
‘Cause love’s such an old fashioned word
And 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