David Bowie Posthumously Returns To The Billboard Charts With One Of His Biggest Hits

David Bowie passed away more than half a decade ago, but his music is no less popular today than it was when he was alive. This week, the legendary rocker is back on a pair of Billboard charts as one of his most celebrated collaborations finds its way back into the minds, hearts, and ears of plenty of his American fans.

“Under Pressure” returns to two Billboard charts this week, bringing both Bowie and the rock band Queen back to those tallies. The tune isn’t new to either list, but now that the holiday season has passed and the weekly rankings aren’t quite as competitive as they have been recently, there’s more room for non-Christmas classics to find space on the tallies again.

Bowie and Queen appear highest on the Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart this week. Their collaboration returns to the list of the bestselling tracks in the U.S. categorized by Billboard as hard rock at No. 10. It lands in last place on the 10-spot tally, barely breaking back onto the roster. “Under Pressure” has previously ruled the ranking.

At the same time that “Under Pressure” ranks as one of the bestselling hard rock songs in America, it also appears as one of the most successful in the genre on platforms like Spotify and Apple
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Music. The single makes its way back to the Hard Rock Streaming Songs chart this week. On that tally, the tune reappears at No. 19. It has previously risen as high as No. 9.

Bowie and Queen are two of dozens of artists who return to Billboard charts following a purge of holiday singles. For the past month or so, many of the weekly rankings have been inundated with holiday tunes, which surge in popularity every winter. It might not seem like that time of year would affect the hard rock tallies, but that’s not the case. Last week, the Trans Siberian Orchestra ruled both aforementioned lists with their classic “Christmas Eve (Sarajevo 12/24).”

“Under Pressure” was first released in 1981, and it gave Bowie and Queen a huge hit. The tune was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., where both artists hail from. In the U.S., the single wasn’t an immediate smash, as it stalled at No. 29 on the Hot 100. In the decades since it dropped, the track has become a signature song for both musicians.