(Credits: Far Out / Queen Productions)
Sun 4 January 2026 7:39, UK
With Queen, drummer Roger Taylor has been responsible for creating some of the most memorable rock songs in history. Even though the band lost their leader, Freddie Mercury, over 30 years ago, Queen still sell a mammoth number of records annually and remains as relevant as ever today.
Their immense back catalogue of hits speaks for itself, hence why their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling record in British history. The LP has sold more copies than any individual release by The Beatles, and to date, it has sold over seven million copies in the UK alone. While their studio albums are beloved by many, Queen were primarily a singles band, and one hit matters to Taylor more than the rest.
While ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is the most successful song in Queen’s back catalogue and demonstrates the mercurial brilliance of the four-piece, it’s not Taylor’s personal favourite from their arsenal of super hits. Instead, he prefers their David Bowie collaboration ‘Under Pressure’, which saw two cultural behemoths collide for a historic moment.
Notably, the two acts performed an iconic rendition of the track together at Live Aid at Wembley Stadium in 1985. However, the recording of ‘Under Pressure’ was far from a straightforward process, as Queen and Bowie had to find a way to work together democratically.
Queen guitarist Brian May later reflected to Mojo in 2008: “It was hard because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us. David took over the song lyrically. Looking back, it’s a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that.”
Freddie Mercury and David Bowie in full pomp. (Credits: Far Out / Carl Lender / Alamy)
Meanwhile, in the documentary Days of Our Lives, he claimed it was difficult because “suddenly you’ve got this other person inputting, inputting, inputting… he (David) had a vision in his head, and it’s quite a difficult process, and someone has to back off… and eventually I did back off, which is unusual for me.”
Although May had to change his methods to accommodate Bowie, the final result was worth the hardship as they created a slice of pop perfection for the ages. Upon release, ‘Under Pressure’ went to number one in the United Kingdom and has sold over five million copies worldwide, proving to be a career highlight for both artists.
Reinhold Mack said of the song’s recording, “Freddie is doing all his bits and pieces, and I see out of the corner of my eye David sticking his head in and listening. Then Fred came down, and David went up, and Fred was quite impressed by how David was counterpointing to what he (Freddie) had done before. Fred said ‘what do you make of this?’ and I said ‘Well, it’s kinda easy if you stand in the doorway and listen!’”
But the recording of the track wouldn’t be impressive to everybody. While the majority of those involved were left in wonderment at the idea of two heavyweights battling it out, Roger Taylor thought it might have hampered the production, even if it was his favourite song the group ever did.
During an interview with Shortlist in 2013, Taylor explained why it holds a sacred place in his heart and remains his favourite track by the band. He commented: “For Queen, I might pick ‘Under Pressure’ – I just like that one; it could have been recorded better – technically – but it’s just a special song.”
Collaborations between generationally defining artists often fail to meet expectations and are typically best left to the imagination. However, in this case, both Queen and Bowie brought their A-game, which resulted in an all-time great duet that stands the test of time.
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