David Bowie Cover of the Week: Dwayne Gretzky covers “Under Pressure”

I didn’t want to do it. I didn’t want to select another rendition of “Under Pressure” for “cover of the week.” But this video, capturing the performance of Dwayne Gretzky, is just too good. The singing and all-around musicianship is superb, the videography is professional, and the group has a really infectious energy.

The problem is that I don’t know what more I can write about “Under Pressure.” It isn’t quite at the “Heroes,” “Space Oddity,” “Man Who Sold the World” level in that I end up reviewing multiple covers of such songs every week, but it is firmly in the next tier in terms of frequent covers. If you follow this feature closely and don’t necessarily know that, the reason is in part because while it is frequently covered, it is not frequently covered well. There are plenty of middle-of-the-road “Space Oddity” covers. Any guy with a guitar can cover that song in his basement and record it with an iPhone. I feel like “Under Pressure” is different—it almost requires a second singer (though I’ve seen solo versions), and in any case, artists giving it a go either nail it or die trying. These guys, Dwayne Gretzky, nail it. Despite everything that has been said and written about “Under Pressure,” I’d be doing a disservice not to share this rendition.

Dwayne Gretzky describes itself as “Canada’s greatest party band.” They claim over 800 songs from the 60s-90s as part of their repertoire, and have been building a fanbase across Canada for 15 years. If “Under Pressure” is any indication, I can see why this band has a following.

And it turns out that “Under Pressure” has a special place in the band’s live shows. After I reached out to Dwayne Gretzky, the band’s management passed along a message from one of the band’s co-leaders, who sings Freddie Mercury’s part on the recording. “We’ve been performing this song for over a decade,” he said. “It’s almost always the last song we play every night.” He added that the band feels the song “sums up a lot of what we want to say with our show,” leaving the audience with “a very positive and powerful message. Give love, give love, give love!!!!”

For more on the band, visit their website: https://www.dwaynegretzky.com/