It’s a great responsibility to sing a Freddie Mercury song. Even great names in the industry have trouble blending high, low, and mid-range notes as effortlessly as the Queen frontman. In a recent interview with Bass Player, Gail Ann Dorsey admitted that singing Freddie Mercury’s parts in a Queen song gave her anxiety.
Gail Ann Dorsey had a chance to showcase her bass talents with David Bowie, but she also sang lead vocals on live shows. The most notable song Dorsey performed was the Queen’s collab hit ‘Under Pressure.’ Their rendition of the song appeared on Bowie’s live album ‘A Reality Tour’ and generally received positive reviews.
“When David asked me to sing that tune, I was terrified,” recalled Dorsey before explaining why this was such a huge deal for her as a vocalist. “I mean, how was I going to play this great song and sing Freddie Mercury’s part?”
“But I was too afraid to say no,” she continued. “So he gave me the version with Annie Lennox from the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which the whole world had seen! And I went back to my hotel room and started learning the bass and the vocal parts.”
Following Freddie Mercury’s passing, David Bowie played their collaborative effort ‘Under Pressure’ in almost every one of his shows. Although Gail Ann Dorsey performed the song numerous times until Bowie’s death, it appears she had a hard time convincing herself she could do it.
