- For the song by Paramore, see Pressure (Paramore song). For the song by Queen, see Under Pressure.
"Pressure" is a synthesizer-driven song from 1982 by Billy Joel about difficulty dealing with the stress of daily living. The song was a single from the album The Nylon Curtain.
Single and album edits
The single version removes the third verse (starting with 'Don't ask for help, you're all alone') and the second bridge. This version of the song was included in the Greatest Hits I & II compilation album, but the full album version was restored for the "Complete Hits Collection" in 1997. Radio stations vary in whether they play the shortened or the full version of the song.
Music video
The music video of the song features the full version, instead of the shortened one. A common motif in the video is the use of water, whether splashed on Joel's shoes, rushing out from school desks, or flooding his apartment. The video was directed by Russell Mulcahy and the clip made its premiered on MTV on September 9, 1982. Several scenes in the video make references to science fiction movies such as Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange and Steven Spielberg's Poltergiest. During a game show parody two-thirds of the way through the video, a bio for Joel briefly flashes on the screen. It reads: "William Joel, Age: 29, Occupation: Computer Software, Interests: fast bikes, cooking, water sports, satellite." Joel was actually 33 when the video was shot.
Chart positions
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