According to a statement about the origins of the cover, Karen O initially reached out to Nelson to see if he would sign a letter to Congress asking them for help to save independent music venues. She also slipped in a request to collaborate on something, though fully expected to be rejected.

Nelson ended up not only signing the #SaveOurStages petition, but also agreed to work with Karen O - much to her absolute shock. “At this point my mind was melting but I had to focus and pull a song out of the ether that was worthy of a living legend and spoke to the people in troubled times, not an easy assignment,” the YEAH YEAH YEAHS singer explained.

 

Stream their “Under Pressure” cover below, which includes additional contributions from Imaad Wasif, Johnny Hanson, Micah Nelson, and Priscilla Ahn.