Billy Joel overcame a period of writer’s block in the early 1980s after his secretary remarked that he looked “under a lot of pressure”, prompting the idea for his 1982 single “Pressure”. The song mattered because it marked a pronounced departure from Joel’s familiar piano-led style, using its subject of personal strain to fuel an unusually experimental arrangement.

Released on The Nylon Curtain, “Pressure” features changes in tempo and key, alongside samples and distinctive sound effects. Joel said one horn-like sound was created from recordings of him singing every note in his repertoire, while an accidental tape-machine edit left a section containing only his voice; producer Phil Ramone initially thought part of the song had been erased.