Queen And David Bowie’s ‘Under Pressure’ Soundtracks New Adidas Campaign
The new promo from the athletic brand features Anthony Edwards, Patrick Mahomes, and Lionel Messi.
Queen and David Bowie’s monumental hit “Under Pressure” is the soundtrack to a new Adidas campaign that celebrates athletes thriving under pressure.
Stars like Lionel Messi, Patrick Mahomes, Anthony Edwards, and more unite under a shared rallying cry: “You got this.” Check out the campaign below.
The song between Queen and Bowie marked a once-in-a-lifetime pairing and a unique superstar collaboration. The track completed its rapid climb to the top of the UK charts on November 21, 1981.
The track was a genuine, physical collaboration, at the band’s favorite recording location of Mountain Studios in Montreux, Switzerland. Bowie, who had a house nearby, dropped in by one night when Queen were recording. “Under Pressure” grew out of a jam session, from a riff by bassist John Deacon, and had quite an impromptu in its finished version, with Freddie Mercury scatting and he and Bowie trading some impromptu vocal expression.
The single took the record-buying public by surprise, as it wasn’t on an existing album and didn’t appear on an LP until it was included on Queen’s Hot Space the following May. Bowie showed up at the sessions for the album, the original plan being that he would sing backing vocals on the track “Cool Cat.”
