Alejandro Alende dropped the ball singing UNDER PRESSURE

UNDER PRESSURE

Songs are stories. About life.

Under Pressure, a collaboration by Freddy Mercury and David Bowie, is a very meaningful song. It’s about humankind's’ struggle to survive.

On American Idol, Alejandro Aranda did not do justice to this song. He rendered it meaningless. Just musical noises with nothing behind the words. He omitted the final line, which is probably THE most important sentiment in the entire song.

“Because love's such an old-fashioned word

And love dares you to care for

The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night

And love (People on streets) dares you to change our way of

Caring about ourselves

This is our last dance

This is our last dance

This is ourselves under pressure.”

Some songs are just pop, just pleasant little vignettes of sentiment that make you smile, but this particular song goes deeper than that. It invokes thought. It paints a picture of people trying to survive. It repeats the sentiment,

“it’s the TERROR of knowing what this world is about, watching some good friends scream LET ME OUT.”

I was particularly disappointed because I admire Alejandro Aranda’s talent. He sings very well and plays both guitar and piano quite capably. But when an artist chooses a song, he or she should sing it with the passion that the words convey. The artist needs to understand the story they're telling. 

here are the full lyrics to the song:

 [Verse 1: David Bowie & Freddie Mercury]

Pressure pushing down on me

Pressing down on you, no man ask for

Under pressure that burns a building down

Splits a family in two

Puts people on streets

[Bridge: Freddie Mercury]

Um ba ba be

Um ba ba be

De day da

Ee day da- that's okay

[Chorus: David Bowie & Freddie 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

It's the terror of knowing what this world is about

Watching some good friends screaming, 'Let me out'

Pray tomorrow gets me higher, high

Pressure on people, people on streets

[Bridge: David Bowie & Freddie Mercury]

Turned away from it all like a blind man

Sat on a fence but it don't work

Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn

Why, why, why?

Love, love, love, love, love

Insanity laughs under pressure we're breaking

[Verse 3: Freddie Mercury]

Can't we give ourselves one more chance?

Why can't we give love that one more chance?

Why can't we give love, give love, give love, give love

Give love, give love, give love, give love, give love?

[Outro: David Bowie]

Because love's such an old-fashioned word

And love dares you to care for

The people on the (People on streets) edge of the night

And love (People on streets) dares you to change our way of

Caring about ourselves

This is our last dance

This is our last dance

This is ourselves under pressure

Under pressure

Under pressure

Pressure

Anti Semitism? No Anti-Zionism and Pro Humanity.

Why does Israel get a pass? 

Their blatant human rights violations against the Palestinian people are massive. 

The Israeli government violates territorial treaties. Bulldozes Palestinian’s homes to make way for Israeli settlements. 

The Israeli army murders peaceful protesters in cold blood.

Israel has the world’s largest open air prison, the walled in city of Gaza where hopelessness and desperation to all who live there is enforced by the ever present idf (Israeli defense force). And the daily humiliation of numerous checkpoints, random searches, tear gas, snipers etc. 

And when ANY American in a position of influence raises an objection, they are immediately branded as “anti-semites”

The American mainstream media for the most part are also on board with the practice of holding Israel free from criticism. The most blatant recent example at the time of this writing is that the Israeli police are poised to arrest their Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu for bribery after an extensive investigation. I learned of this from international sources. Yet on the day this story was reported, not one of the major “news” networks, abc, cbs, nbc, fox, cnn, made mention of it. Not a peep from the New York Times either.

The United States ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, continuously berates the Palestinian people and criticizes the entire body of the United Nations for “unfairly singling Israel out for its human rights violations”.

So why the blinders as far as Israel goes?

Further, why are United States citizens tax payer money, extracted from the sweat of our labor, handed over to Israel to the tune of $10 Billion USD a year?

This is not an anti-semitic tirade. My mother’s side was Jewish. Technically, that makes me a Jew.

Except for the fact that I hold all religion in utter contempt. Any belief system that is built on a foundation of a make believe deity who omnisciently observes every single being on this planet is just too ridiculous to give credence to.