Queen and David Bowie collaboration history

The rock collaboration between Queen and David Bowie on the song ‘Under Pressure’ was an unplanned event that occurred during the summer of 1981. While Queen was working on a project in Montreux, Switzerland, David Bowie visited the group at his nearby residence, leading to an impromptu jamming session.

According to Queen guitarist Brian May, the track was developed from various riffs and a bass idea by John Deacon. Bowie encouraged an avant-garde vocal construction method where musicians sang the first things that came to mind over the backing track without prior notes or ideas.