As we continue to progress through the decades, it becomes harder and harder to pick what I deem is the best song of the decade. Not only do the genres continue to expand, but the number of artists and number of hits multiplies. To make it even more difficult, the number of ways one can access music also continues to increase making it harder to keep track of which song is played the most and whether or not it is because it is a good song or just one of the few that was formatted for a certain device. Combining all of these factors made it extremely difficult to pick the best song of the 1980s.
To put the greatness of the artists in this decade, I am going to list the artists/bands of that decade whose names are still well known today: Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Michael Jackson, Prince, Guns N’ Roses, Madonna, AC/DC, Whitney Houston, Journey, U2, Elton John, Queen, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, and Aerosmith just to name a few. To go above and beyond this, here are a few of the greatest hits of the 80s: “Livin’ on a Prayer”, “Pour Some Sugar On Me”, “Billie Jean”, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, “Don’t Stop Believing”, “Beat it”, “Take On Me”, “Purple Rain”, and “Welcome to the Jungle”. Prince’s “Purple Rain”, Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine”, and Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” put up some serious competition as iconic songs that define the decade. However, in the end, I chose “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie as the greatest song of the 1980s.
It just was not right to pass over the perfect mixture of two of the greatest vocalists of all time, David Bowie and Freddie Mercury. However, collaborating on this song was not the first time the two greats met each other. In 1969, the two met when Freddie Mercury helped fit David Bowie for a pair of boots. At the time, Mercury was working in a boot stall in the Kensington Market. Who would have known that these two would see each other again 12 years later to create one of the greatest and most easily recognized pieces of music ever.
If you doubt me, just listen to the song opening. The iconic bassline is impossible to miss and a staple in music. It was so popular that Vanilla Ice sampled the line in his hit “Ice Ice Baby” (without the proper permission of course and, as such, eventually reached a settlement with Queen and Bowie). Believe it or not, this two-note base riff was almost never a part of the song. After John Deacon, bass player, came up with the riff, the band went out to get a bite to eat. Upon returning, they had forgotten the riff until Roger Taylor, drummer, remembered how it went.
The bassline is followed by Mercury scatting in a countertenor making those wordless syllables that somehow manage to delight the ear. As the scatting builds up, Bowie crashes in with “Pressure!” in a perfect blend of the two voices that is almost too perfect for rock, and it is. Two minutes into the song, the guitar and drums disappear to be replaced by an organ making Queen and Bowie’s intent clear. This is a gospel song. However, as soon as this clarity is achieved the guitars and drums come crashing back in just like Bowie’s opening “Pressure!” The song proceeds to fade off in a profoundly insightful manner as Bowie and Mercury come together about the importance of love and what it means in a modern time. This song is not just a brilliant masterpiece in terms of songwriting but also in the philosophical reflections within the piece. There is a lot to dissect from this piece, and I still have not even scratched the surface. I hope that as I continue to progress through life, I can come back to this masterpiece and continue to understand different themes and messages within the lyrics.
Yes! I love this so much. I grew up listening to Queen and David Bowie, and I still listen to both a lot. Both Freddie Mercury and David Bowie were icons ahead of their time, and their legacies are unforgettable. I’m actually so glad that you touched on the fact that Vanilla Ice stole from them, not the other way around…so many people think it’s the opposite even though Under Pressure came out around a decade or so before Ice Ice Baby. David Bowie’s death was crushing to me; I grew up on his music and his culture (and of course his movie Labyrinth). His final album Blackstar has so much behind it and it is honestly so well though out and so much emotion was put into it; it was a great final piece for such a legend. I’m so glad to see that someone else appreciates this legacy too!