"Under Pressure" was a big hit for Queen and David Bowie — but Brian May was never pleased with how the recording turned out. In an interview with Total Guitar, the Queen guitarist reflected on how the 1981 song came together between the two British acts and said Bowie removed some of his guitar parts from the final product, sparking his complicated relationship with the rock song. May told the outlet that an early version of the song sounded like The Who and was massively chord-driven — which he enjoyed. "I was beaming because I liked The Who. I remember saying to David, 'Oh, it sounds like The Who, doesn’t it?' He says, 'Yeah, well it’s not going to sound like The Who by the time I’ve finished with it!' You know, in a joking kind of way. But he didn’t want it to be that way," recalled May. May continued: "So basically it was Freddie and David fighting it out in the studio with the mix. And what happened in the mix was that most of that heavy guitar was lost.” Despite knowing how strongly audiences connected with "Under Pressure," May admitted, "I never liked it, to be honest, the way it was mixed. But I do recognize that it works. It’s a point of view, and it’s done very well. And people love it."