вЂњEverybody asks if вЂUnder PressureвЂ™ was about a girlfriend of mine,вЂќ Gibbons told Spin in 1985. By the time heвЂ™s ready for a break, in the songвЂ™s bridge, he expects her to beat him up and leave him in a ditch when he tells her itвЂ™s over, but hey, such was the imaginary life of ZZ Top in 1983. All heвЂ™s capable of is trying to keep up with her predilections for French food, art museums, and having sex in cars while wearing London Fog slickers.

вЂњGot Me Under PressureвЂќ (1983)Д«illy Gibbons never explains how he hooked up with a hoity-toity dominatrix cokehead in the Eliminator hit вЂњGot Me Under Pressure,вЂќ because she got him so stressed out. You can be sharp or not sharp in any mode. If youвЂ™re a punk rocker, you can get sharp that way. вЂњIf youвЂ™re on a motorcycle, really sharp leathers is great. вЂњSharp dressed depends on who you are,вЂќ Hill told Spin in 1986.

Along with its high-fashion video, the song was peak Eighties, even if the band members themselves chose to don dusters and fedoras instead of blazers and scarves. While Billy GibbonsвЂ™ guitars remained fuzzy and raw, a synth doubled Dusty HillвЂ™s bass track (or all but provided it, depending on who you ask) on вЂњSharp Dressed Man,вЂќ infusing the peacocking anthem with a pulsing rhythm. ZZ Top and producer Bill Ham gave a big olвЂ™ Texas bear hug to the synthesizer on the trioвЂ™s monster 1983 LP, Eliminator. A four-minute blast of Eighties synthesizers and fiery riffs that emits pure adrenaline, the song became a classic-rock radio staple, and inspired a video - directed by Randy NewmanвЂ™s brother, Tim, and showcasing the bandвЂ™s red 1930s Ford Coupe seen on the Eliminator cover - that defined ZZ TopвЂ™s signature iconography of cars, guitars, and women for all times. This was one of the first tracks that started unfolding,вЂќ Billy Gibbons told Rolling Stone of the bandвЂ™s state-of-the-art Eighties makeover, which began in earnest with this lead single from Eliminator. вЂњWe had dabbled with the synthesizer, and then all this gear was showing up from manufacturers. Before the MTV era kicked in, it was an early testament to the groupвЂ™s knack for making roadhouse blues riffs feel bracingly modern. According to Hill, ZZ TopвЂ™s travels led them to many a roadside stop, and, as he told Spin, вЂњEvery gas station in the world had a cardboard display of the cheapest and ugliest sunglasses you could imagine.вЂќ Starting with its gnarly riff, and extending to HillвЂ™s rock-steady bass line, вЂњCheap SunglassesвЂќ wasnвЂ™t just advice for anyone with a hangover. Who says the drudgery of touring canвЂ™t be inspiring? One of the highlights of 1979вЂ™s DegГјello (along with вЂњIвЂ™m Bad, IвЂ™m NationwideвЂќ) was this ode to low-cost eyewear, which came to the band on tour. If the guyвЂ™s got good wine, itвЂ™s OK.вЂќ The way the song seamlessly segued into HombresвЂ™ bar rocker вЂњJesus Just Left ChicagoвЂќ as if nothing happened made for one of the best one-two punches in the history of road rock.

The thing about a bus is who you have to sit beside. вЂњYou can meet some very unique people on a bus and in a bus station,вЂќ Hill told Spin in 1985. The Homeric track that opened their iconic Tres Hombres album starts with a thin, precise bluesy guitar lick and a tight, sighing drum line that foreshadows the bandвЂ™s electro-blues era, setting up Gibbons and Hill to plead for compassion in concert: вЂњHave mercy!вЂќ Gibbons goes on to explain theyвЂ™ve been waiting for the bus all day, with a bottle of booze and some leftover scratch, but, horror of horrors, when the bus arrives, itвЂ™s вЂњpacked up tight.вЂќ Blues harp virtuoso James Harman takes a solo, and by the time the song finishes up, the ZZ guys are dreaming of getting a Cadillac someday (fast forward to Eliminator ). Poor ZZ Top, they just wanted to get home.

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