11 Songs Where the Pressure is on | Playlist 🎧

1. Nas, “The Pressure”

💿 King’s Disease II • 🏷 Mass Appeal • 📅 2021

“The pressure weigh a ton, it’s gettin’ too heavy / Had to inspire them again like I didn’t already.” Woo! 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper 🎙 Nas commences 💿 King’s Disease II superbly with 🎵 “The Pressure.”  He’s backed by excellent production courtesy of 🎛 Corbett and 🎛 Hit-Boy.  From the onset, the rapper is on autopilot, dropping numerous lyrical gems.  “Real ones still around, release the confetti,” he continues spitting on the chorus, adding, “God’s Son across the belly.”

Among the best lines Nas reference throughout are his ‘fitness aspirations’:

“The world on my shoulders, it’s been gettin’ too heavy
I been bench pressing the problems, ain’t even get sweaty.”

And if that isn’t sufficient, the rapper goes on to add, “Miles on my Peloton, I been working on my core.” Of course, it’s not all fitness! Nas is reflective throughout “The Pressure,” also referencing family, society, and, of course, various pressures weighing him down.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021)
🔗 🎧 Awesome Songs That Tickled My Fancy: August 2021

2. Fergie, “Tension”

💿 Double Dutchess • 🏷 BMG Rights Management • 📅 2017

Tension is a synonym of pressure, per Merriam-Webster.  Because of that revelation, we bring some much-needed ‘tension’ to 🎧 11 Songs Where the Pressure is On.  Who better to call than Stacy Ferguson, better known as 🎙 Fergie.  As much as I would’ve loved to feature 🎵 “London Bridge” or 🎵 “Fergalicious”, neither fits the bill – BUMMER. But we do have 🎵 “Tension,” which appears on her less successful sophomore album, 💿 Double Dutchess.

“Ooh, your body, is blowing my mind.” Hmm, so, how do we characterize the tension on “Tension?” Well, there’s clear sexual tension – shocker! The innuendo is turned up to the nth degree.  Basically, Fergie forces sex down your throat – no pun intended. Okay, okay, there’s a pun, but essentially, she seems very focused on her mouth and throat.

“My throat is dry, come pour some more, some more
When we lock eyes, I’m yours, I’m yours, I’m yours.”

Guess so, Fergie 🤦. TMI subject matter aside, the groove is infectious and admittedly, “Tension” is enjoyable, or should I say, pleasurable? Stimulating? Titillating?  “Ooh, damn, I’m hoping that we take it home.”

3. The Killers, “Pressure Machine”

💿 Pressure Machine • 🏷 Island • 📅 2021

“But the Kingdom of God, it’s a pressure machine / Every step, gotta keep it clean.” True, particularly in the context of 💿 Pressure Machine, the seventh studio album by 🎙 The Killers. 🎵 “Pressure Machine” arrives as the penultimate (and title) track.  The five-minute-long record, like most of the album, examines the plight of life living in a small, conservative town that lacks much opportunity – working class.  Listening to “Pressure Machine,” as well as the album in its entirety, you feel the pressure.

Even with ample pressure, “Pressure Machine” is a well-written, sincere number that successfully serves as the soundtrack to many American towns.  🎙 Brandon Flowers impresses from a vocal perspective, channeling the right emotions to sell it.

“Keep the debt cloud off the kids
Only sunshine on their lids
Jiminy Cricket and Power Wheels
And memories of Happy Meals.”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021)

4. JP Saxe, “Tension”

💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection • 🏷 Arista • 📅 2021

Just to reiterate, tension is a synonym of pressure, per Merriam-Webster.  🏆 Grammy-nominated Canadian singer/songwriter 🎙 JP Saxe certainly has 🎵 “Tension,” or so the eighth track of his debut album, 💿 Dangerous Levels of Introspection suggests.  “You say things you don’t mean too damn convincingly,” he sings on the first verse, continuing, “You take it back and then expect that it won’t stick to me.” Yeah, folks, that would exemplify tension, and for Saxe, it doesn’t stop there.  The tension is not only lyrical and thematic, but also, musical.

Notably, Saxe wrote “Tension” with a team comprised of 🎼✍ Ryan Marrone, 🎼✍ Amy Allen, and 🎼✍ Alex St. Kits. As far as production, Saxe produces alongside Marrone, 🎛 Jason Evigan, 🎛 Mark Schick, and 🎛 Lionel Crasta.  The sound is pop/rock, with the ‘rock’ aspect kicking in a notch beginning on the chorus following the second verse.  Here, Saxe ascends up an octave and serves up incredibly overt, powerful, cutting brand of vocals.  As he belts it out, he unleashes his feelings like an open book, justifying staying in a tense relationship.  The chorus, expectedly, is ripe, but the bridge is lit for sure:

“You know I would stick around in ways you wouldn’t
You know I put up with things I really shouldn’t
You know most the weight of us is on my shoulders
You know I just wanna hold you when it’s over
You know I’ll forgive you just to keep it simple
You know I will meet you so far past the middle
You know no one’s ever seen you any lower
You know I just wanna hold you when it’s over.”

One brilliant touch on “Tension” is the closing, which features gorgeous piano playing.  Nice way to atone for all that tension – that pent-up pressure!

5. Logic, “No Pressure”

💿 No Pressure • 🏷 Def Jam • 📅 2020

🎵 “No Pressure” sets the tone of 💿 No Pressure, the purported final studio album by 🏆 Grammy-nominated rapper 🎙 Logic, perfectly.  Worth noting, “No Pressure” features narration via an 🎙 Orson Welles sample.  This introduces the album.

Logic drops one verse chocked-full of bars. He raps masterfully over old-school, lush production from 🎛 No I.D and 🎛 Like.  Notably, he manages revisits his rough and tumble past.  Also, he exhibits ample ‘big dick energy’ with lines like, “Logic fallin’ off is an obscenity / Top five I better be, steadily / Doggin’ these bitches like I’m a Pedigree.”  Worth noting, Logic released his mixtape, 💿 Bobby Tarantino III (2021) after ‘retiring,’ so, the rapper isn’t out of the music scene just yet!

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021) 

6. PVRIS, “Dead Weight”

💿 Use Me • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2020 

“If we start cracking at the center, I won’t let it break / Hold it together through the weather, it’s my DNA.” Woo! Talk about W-E-I-G-H-T – a sore, bothersome subject for most! Weight, according to Merriam-Webster, is a word that is related to pressure, though not a synonym.  That’s why we tap alternative pop musician 🎙 Lynn Gunn (Lyndsey Gunnulfsen), better known as 🎙 PVRIS for a song characterized by its weight on this pressure-fueled list. 🎵 “Dead Weight,” a single from 💿 Use Me (2020), appears as the second track.  As you can read/hear, Gunn has some intriguing, personal, and relatable lyrics.  She penned “Dead Weight” alongside a team comprised of 🎼✍ Tommy English, 🎼✍ Sean Van Vleet, 🎼✍ Nate Cyphert, and 🎼✍ JT Daly.

“Look what you started / You’re turning me heartless.” Ooh wee! That’s when you know that you’ve got to lose those lbs – I think! Gunn comes to this realization on the chorus, though she’s not actually talking about that oft-disappointing number you see on the scale – at least that’s how I feel about it!

“I can’t take it over and over
Dead weight hanging off of my shoulder
Nothing changes, I’m getting colder
Dead weight hanging off my shoulders.”

The second verse continues finding Gunn breaking down from carrying this toxicity, essentially.  She’s in the position of “All give, no take,” which is unhealthy – just like those extra lbs (especially during COVID – shoo!).  Take these awesome lyrics, expressive, cutting vocals, and an electric-rock backdrop (🎛 JT Daly) and you have “Dead Weight” that’s utterly sublime.

7. Muse, “Pressure”

💿 Simulation Theory • 🏷 Warner • 📅 2018

“Don’t push me / Don’t push me / Let me get off the ground / To you I’m not longer bound.” Okay 🎙 Muse – specifically 🎙 Matthew Bellamy – whatever you say! 🎵 “Pressure”, a standout from 💿 Simulation Theory, features groovy vibes from the jump.  The brass hits, combined with the biting guitar, provide a kick-ass listening experience from the 🏆 Grammy-winning rock band.

Although set in a minor key, “Pressure” features some major key moments. Pummeling drums add intensity to the ear-catching start. Bellamy’s vocals are solid, incorporating full voice and falsetto.  The lyrics are intense, including highlights such as, “I’m grinding it out, no one can see /The pressure’s growing exponentially” and, “I see your corruption / I’m not blind / I’ll carry the burden and take the strain / And when I am done, I will make you pay.” Also, worth mentioning, are the awesome whispered vocals during the pre-chorus, singing the titular lyric. Ultimately, “Pressure” thrives off those symphonic, neo-prog rock vibes that Muse has been known for over the years, while also incorporating pop elements.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021)

8. Twenty One Pilots, “Stressed Out”

💿 Blurryface • 🏷 Fueled by Ramen • 📅 2015

🎙Twenty One Pilots delivered a tour de force on their ambitious second major label effort, 💿 Blurryface, released in 2015.  TOP won their first 🏆 Grammy – Best Pop Duo / Group Performance – for 🎵 “Stressed Out.” Notably 🎙 Tyler Joseph and 🎙 Josh Dun accepted their Grammys without pants on. If you’ve got the thighs, then flaunt it, right? Anyways, stress is a synonym for our keyword, pressure. 

“Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young / How come I’m never able to identify where it’s comin’ from?” On “Stressed Out,” Tyler Joseph seeks escapism by reminiscing on the simpler times of his childhood.  The chorus, the centerpiece, sums this up simply and effectively:

“Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
When our momma sang us to sleep, but now we’re stressed out.”

Moving beyond escapism, for the first time, in the context of the album, ‘Blurryface,’ a character constructed by Joseph, represents his flaws and insecurities (“My name’s ‘Blurryface’ and I care what you think…”).  Blurryface exhibits vulnerability, something that many people can relate to, but few depict as openly as Joseph does here.

“I was told, when I get older, all my fears would shrink
But now I’m insecure, an’ I care what people think...”

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 13 Songs That Feature Elements of Escapism

9. Kendrick Lamar, “The Art of Peer Pressure”

💿 good Kid m.A.A.d city • 🏷 Interscope • 📅 2012

“Everybody, sit yo bitch-ass down / And listen to this true motherfuckin’ story / Told by Kendrick Lamar on Rosecrans, ya bitch.” 🎵 “The Art of Peer Pressure” (💿 good Kid m.A.A.d city) commences with an intro by 🏆 Grammy/Pulitzer Prize winner 🎙 Kendrick Lamar that transforms into soulful, lush West Coast production. The vibe is stoner-like for sure.  Following the ‘chorus’ (“Smokin’ on the finest dope…”), the production (🎛 Tabu) on K-Dot’s first true verse changes, accelerating the tempo and opting for a more hip-hop oriented sound. You could say, the first verse occurs during ‘Part II’ of the record.

“Look at me, I got the blunt in my mouth
Usually, I’m drug-free, but, shit, I’m with the homies.”

The unpredictability of the cut parallels the ‘unpredictability’ of peer pressure – the things peers urge you to do ultimately.  As expected, an outro, which follows four total verses, details getting high (“Yeah we finally got that nigga faded…”).  “The Art of Peer Pressure” is another gem from the album that the Recording Academy wrongfully snubbed.

Also appears on 🔽:
🔗 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021)

10. The Jackson Southernaires, “Heavy Load”

💿 Greatest Hits • 🏷 Malaco • 📅 1985

Load, per Merriam-Webster, is a word that is related to pressure, though not a synonym.  That leads us to a classic gospel song by legendary Jackson, Mississippi gospel collective, 🎙 The Jackson Southernaires.  That classic is 🎵 “Heavy Load,” which appears on their 1985 💿 Greatest Hits album.  “Heavy Load” was written by 🎼✍ Kevin Yancy and 🎼✍Marvin Yancy.  Worth noting, another legendary black gospel group, 🎙 Mighty Clouds of Joy, also have a notable song entitled 🎵 “Heavy Load”.  It should come as no surprise that these are two different songs! That, believe it or not, happens far too frequently.

“Heavy Load,” in the hands of The Jackson Southernaires, is an energetic, moderately fast record.  Essentially, like on 🎵 “He Keeps on Blessing Me”, the group is devoted to praising God for his mercifulness – that ‘wonder working power.’ Even if the ‘pressure is on’ and you carry a ‘heavy load,’ they assert, “God’s gonna lighten your heavy load.” This is a rousing and uplifting record, meant to assuage and encourage in a bad season or a winter of discontent.  The Jackson Southernaires preach a gospel of faith – putting your trust in Him without ceasing.

11. Queen & David Bowie, “Under Pressure”

💿 Hot Space • 🏷 Hollywood • 📅 1982 

“Pressure, pushing down on me / Pressing down on you, no man ask for / Under pressure…” C’mon, could any pressure-fueled playlist end with anything other than 🎵 “Under Pressure” courtesy of 🎙 Queen and 🎙 David Bowie? Of course not! Sure, you probably grew a bit concerned when 🎧 Pressure: 5ive Songs No. 67 (2021) omitted this certified classic but there was never any need to be! The unwritten rule is that any full-fledged playlist encompassing pressure must include “Under Pressure,” period.  Well, those are my rules, at least…

“Under Pressure” is a bop from start to finish, and it’s NOT debatable. That infectious groove.  The iconic bass line (🎙 John Deacon), ‘sampled’ by 🎙 Vanilla Ice.  Two of the greatest voices of all-time (🎙 Freddie Mercury and Bowie) joining forces. Backing by one of the greatest bands of all-time.  Nonsensical scat syllables on the intro (“Mmm num ba de / Dum bum ba be…”), bridge, and on the second verse by Mercury add a significant degree of charm.  The chorus, of course, is the centerpiece, performed mostly by Bowie, but with a collaborative line alongside Mercury:

“It’s the terror of knowing what this world is about
Watching some good friends screaming, ‘Let me out!’
Pray tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people, people on streets.”

“Under Pressure” serves as a fitting coda to this pressure-filled playlist. Worth noting, 🎙 Shawn Mendes and 🎙 teddy<3 covered 🎵 “Under Pressure” in 2018.