10 Random Musical Collaborations (& Some of the Actually Worked!)
Odd Pairings, Wild Results
Money. When you’re a musician and you don’t have any, you’ll do some crazy, out-of-character things to pad your bank account. This includes working with songwriters to get a radio hit, and many rockers who have been chasing the almighty dollar have resorted to this tactic in the hope that it might bring them some Benjamins.
Some musicians will also collaborate with others who fall firmly outside their own genre as a way of broadening their audience. This has led to some really bizarre pairings too, and we’re listing ten of them here for your enlightenment and illumination.
1. KISS and Michael Bolton
In 1989, KISS was looking for a radio hit, and they found one in the form of “Forever,” a trite and immediately forgettable ballad. The most memorable thing about it was that the “Knights in Satan’s Service” teamed up with none other than a pre-fame Michael Bolton to write the song. We hope all parties concerned bought themselves something nice afterward.
2. Elton John and Eminem
Earlier in his career, Eminem became the subject of criticism for writing lyrics that did not exactly embrace the gay community, so when he appeared with Elton John to perform "Stan" at the 2001 Grammys, many people had questions. One of those questions was, “Why is Elton John performing with someone who raps about stabbing gay people?”
3. Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
People who only know Lady Gaga from her publicity-courting shenanigans were surprised when she recorded with the late Tony Bennett, Not only was she up to the challenge of singing alongside an acknowledged master, but many people who heard the two albums they collaborated on – “Dancing Cheek to Cheek” and “Love for Sale” – had to concede that Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta was a genuine talent.
4. Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg
Willie Nelson and Snoop Dogg worked on a couple of things together, including the braided one’s “Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die” and the rapper’s “My Medicine. While we weren’t there when it happened, we feel fairly certain that we know what these two horticulture enthusiasts bonded over.
5. David Bowie and Bing Crosby
In 1977, David Bowie appeared on “Bing Crosby's Merrie Olde Christmas” a holiday television special hosted by Crosby. The two sang "Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth,” and despite happening almost 50 years ago, it’s still one of the weirdest things you’ll ever see in your life.
6. Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer
Johnny Cash was the rare country artist who was beloved by fans from many different genres, and punk rockers were no exception, seeing the unpretentious Man in Black as something of a kindred spirit. Prior to his death in 2002, Clash frontman Joe Strummer appeared on Cash’s recording of "Redemption Song," and the pairing worked like nobody’s business. It’s too bad they didn’t form their own punk rock group called the Cash, ha ha.
7. Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips
Released in 2015, the “Wrecking Ball” singer’s album, “Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz,” was a collaboration with the veteran psychedelic group the Flaming Lips. We’d like to say that this was an odd pairing, but honestly, there’s nobody the Flaming Lips could collaborate with that wouldn’t be weird.
8. Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy
Not all collaborations can be winners, and when “Prince of Darkness” Ozzy Osbourne sang "Born to Be Wild" with the Muppets’ Miss Piggy, he proved it! There are clips of the song all over YouTube, and if you hate yourself, we recommend going over there to check it out. Linking to it would be a violation of both journalistic ethics and the Geneva Convention.
9. Lou Reed and Metallica
It’s not totally surprising that Lou Reed and Metallica would have common ground, since both of them spent their entire careers making music that alienated the mainstream. "Lulu," the 2011 album they collaborated on together, was meanwhile successful at alienating not just the mainstream but fans of both artists. The record goes on forever and is nearly physically painful to listen to, to the extent that many people don’t even make it through the first song.
10. Celine Dion and R. Kelly
In 1998, Celine Dion and R. Kelly collaborated on "I'm Your Angel," which Kelly wrote and produced. While the R&B singer’s predilection for imprisoning minors wasn’t widely known yet, it was still a really weird pairing, no matter whose fan you were. Today R. Kelly is serving a very long stretch in prison, making a reunion between him and Dion seem unlikely.
This article was produced and syndicated by MediaFeed.
