Mia Murphy

¨Heros¨ and ¨Under Pressure¨ battle it out in a intense boxing match.

Would you rather be under pressure or a hero? It’s the question of the century; well, not really.

“Heroes” and “Under Pressure” are two songs that have revolutionized the concept of coming-of-age. “Heroes,” a song that almost everyone thinks of while watching Perks of Being a Wallflower, and “Under Pressure,” the song that almost defines Stranger Things. Both of these songs are truly amazing, but which of them is better?

Heroes
David Bowie has created a lot of timeless songs, such as the smash hit “Space Oddity” and “Life on Mars”, but “Heroes” was never one of them. The infamous song “Heroes” was initially released on September 23, 1977, and initially was not a major hit. It peaked at 24 on the UK singles chart and did not make it to the Billboard Top 100.

Now, most people agree that the song is phenomenal. It was extremely innovative for the time and was a breath of fresh air compared to the music industry at the time. However, despite all the efforts that Bowie made to promote the genius song he had created, it did not gain popularity for a long time.

Then, Live Aid 1985: that was the performance that changed it all. After that performance, “Heroes” gained positive recognition with many considering it an underground song for the time.

Now time for Stranger Things. I am sure we are all aware of the AMAZING soundtrack, and it was the only thing the Duffer Brothers got right in the final season of the show. In it, they added an acoustic cover of “Heroes” made by Peter Gaberial. This launched the song into a newfound popularity that it had never seen before. The edits of the Stranger Things cast to the song were inescapable.

It did not take long for the edits to move to all different kinds of fandoms. Whether you were watching the Bears beat the Packers in January or wanted to reminisce on Outer Banks, the song was there. Now the song has an immense coming-of-age feel, with it almost feeling as if you are a character in The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Now, does that make it a better song?

Under Pressure
Ok, yes, “Under Pressure” was co-written by both Queen and David Bowie, but the comparison is still needed.

Similar to Bowie, Queen has written a lot of smash hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Somebody to Love,” which went triple platinum in my house as a kid. The song emerged from a writing session between Freddie Mercury and Bowie. They both had originally met together to figure out some backing vocals for the song “Cool Cat.” Ultimately, the session moved away from “Cool Cat,” and the two made their way into creating one of the most iconic songs ever.

The song was released on Oct 26, 1981, and was immediately credited as a hit. It reached number one on the UK singles chart and was charting in the top 100 internationally. The song was so astonishing that it was later named one of the greatest songs of the 80s, even though it was released so early into the decade. The song was such a worldwide phenomenon that it was even sent on the Artemis II mission to represent human life.

Now the bridge of the song is truly remarkable. It is the most beautiful assortment of lyrics ever made in a song, well, at least in my opinion. The bridge gleams with hope, happiness, and love. Similar to “Heroes,” this song brings on an assortment of edits. Many contain happy characters when there are rough things going on in the world, providing some hope for people. A big part of why this song is glorified is the way it’s romanticised. The song allows for many to think about their own friends and relationships and find ways to relate to it. The song simply creates a place of unity and optimism for not only teens but people in general.

Wait, so which song is actually better? In my non-music reviewer opinion, “Under Pressure” is the superior song by far. The song has been famous since its release and has stayed relevant, rather than only gaining relevance recently. In addition, the song also has the sense of opportunity and happiness associated with it.

Now, both songs are really great. Regardless of when their popularity took off, both songs have become coming-of-age anthems and will stay iconic. Although we have seen David Bowie write amazing songs, the best coming-of-age anthem will remain the song he co-wrote with Queen Under Pressure.