Musicians are generally a sociable bunch and rather enjoy playing music with one another. Labels, on the other hand tend to be precious about their charges appearing on their chums’ records.
So precious in fact, that they make their musicians sign contracts promising not to do it. But musicians, being a generally sociable bunch, go ahead and do it anyway.
Here are nine glorious examples of musicians going undercover to make guest appearances:
Secret guest spots in rock
9. John Lennon and Paul McCartney on 'We Love You' by The Rolling Stones (1967)
While it was convenient for the press to pit The Beatles and The Rolling Stones against one another, evidence suggests that their rivalry went no deeper than friendly competition. After all, John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave the Stones ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, which became their first UK Top 20 hit in November 1963.
‘We were friends with them, and I just thought “I Wanna Be Your Man” would be good for them,’ McCartney told Rolling Stone in 2016. ‘I knew they did Bo Diddley stuff. And they made a good job of it.’
The two bands continued to socialise over the years and Lennon and McCartney were invited to the third recording session for the Stones’ single ‘We Love You’ on 19 July 1967, where they recorded high-pitched backing vocals to the heavy psych rocker.
8. Sting on 'Money For Nothing' by Dire Straits (1985)
Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler’s mischievous nod to a fellow ’80s rock titan led to an unforgettable guest spot – and Knopfler sharing the writing credit.
While working on ‘Money For Nothing’ Knopfler hit upon an idea for the intro. ‘“I’d seen the Police doing an MTV advert, saying “I want my MTV,” and I thought, ‘If I set that to the notes of “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” it’ll work,’" he recalled. ‘I remember saying to the guys, ‘I’d really like to get Sting to do this.’
The Police frontman ended up singing vocals throughout the track, which became a US No 1 and UK Top single while featuring on the 30 million-selling Brothers In Arms.
‘I did it, and thought nothing of it,’ Sting told Musician in 1987, ‘until my publishers, Virgin – who I've been at war with for years and who I have no respect for – decided that was a song they owned, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”. They said that they wanted a percentage of the song, much to my embarrassment. So they took it.’ Knopfler didn’t complain, later saying, ‘It’s absolutely fine with me and it worked out well.’
7. Eric Clapton on 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' by The Beatles (1968)
It took about an hour – the length of the car journey from Esher to London – for George Harrison to persuade then-Cream guitarist Eric Clapton to be the first non-band member to play guitar on a Beatles record.
Clapton was giving Harrison a lift to the capital on Friday 6 September 1968 when the Beatle suggested he overdub a solo on ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. ‘But no-one plays on Beatles sessions!’, Clapton argued. ‘So what? It’s my song,’ said Harrison. A few hours later, Clapton was laying down his unforgettable solo.
Harrison later claimed that Clapton’s presence had a positive impact on his bandmates, ‘It made them all try a bit harder. They were all on their best behaviour.’
6. Jack White on 'Danger! High Voltage' by Electric Six (2002)
In December 2002, Detroit-based dance-rock band Electric Six burst on to the scene with the incendiary dancefloor-filler ‘Danger! High Voltage’, peaking at No 2 in the UK singles chart.
At the time of release, fellow Detroiter Jack White was on a roll – his band The White Stripes had broken through the previous year with White Blood Cells and its follow-up, Elephant, was recorded and ready to go – and his histrionic falsetto was instantly recognisable.
So when fans heard ‘Danger! High Voltage’, a duet between Electric Six frontman Dick Valentine and a mysterious high-pitched vocalist, they understandably leapt to conclusions.
But Electric Six denied the rumour, claiming that the vocalist was in fact a car mechanic named John S O’Leary – a name that White apparently often used to check into hotels. Coincidence? You decide.
5. Eddie Van Halen on 'Beat It' by Michael Jackson (1982)
Axe hero Eddie Van Halen’s wailing guitar solo on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ became one of the defining sounds of the ’80s, but according to the guitarist, it almost didn’t happen at all.
Producer Quincy Jones called Van Halen out of the blue to request his services but, convinced it was a prank call, Van Halen hung up several times before finally hearing him out. Still, he wasn’t convinced. ‘I said, “I’ll tell you what. I’ll meet you at your studio tomorrow,” he later told CNN. ‘And lo and behold, when I get there, there’s Quincy, there’s Michael Jackson and there’s engineers. They’re makin’ records!’
The single ended up a five-times platinum US No 1 and a key track on Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, but an uncredited Van Halen didn’t see a penny. Jones later laughed it off by saying he provided beer at the session – not the case according to Van Halen, ‘Actually, I brought my own, if I remember right.’
4. Paul McCartney on 'Vege-Tables' by The Beach Boys (1967)
As the ’60s progressed, The Beatles and The Beach Boys formed a transatlantic mutual appreciation society, with Brian Wilson crediting Rubber Soul as one of the inspirations for Pet Sounds and Paul McCartney citing Wilson’s ambition as an influence on Sgt Pepper’s.
But when the songwriting giants finally collaborated, during McCartney’s April 1967 visit to Los Angeles, it wasn’t to record a Scouse symphony to God, but a piece of lysergic barbershop about the benefits of eating your five-a-day.
And McCartney wasn’t singing, or playing bass, but chomping a stick of celery. ‘It was, I think, Brian who came over and said, “Oh Paul, got a favour to ask: would you mind recording something?” McCartney revealed in 2016. ‘I thought, ‘Oh God, I’m gonna be singing on a Beach Boys record or something, you know! I got a bit kind of intimidated and thought, “Okay, here goes nothing”. And they said, “Well, what we want you to do is go in there and just munch…” Well, I can do that!’
Decades later, psych-pop wizards – and die-hard Beach Boys fans – Super Furry Animals convinced McCartney to reprise his vegetable crunching on ‘Receptacle For The Respectable’ from 2001’s Rings Around The World.
3. Tina Turner on 'Montana' by Frank Zappa (1973)
When Frank Zappa wanted backing singers on his absurdist blues-rock jam ‘Montana’, he didn’t have far to look. Zappa was recording in Bolic Sound studios, the state-of-the-art Inglewood, California, studios complex owned by Ike and Tina Turner.
‘The road manager who was with us at the time checked into it and said, “Well, why don’t you just use the Ikettes?” Zappa later recalled.
‘But you know what the gimmick was? We had to agree, Ike Turner insisted, that we pay these girls no more than $25 per song, because that’s what he paid them… including Tina. It was so difficult, that one part in the middle of the song “Montana”, that the three girls rehearsed it for a couple of days. Just that one section.’
Tina and the Ikettes nailed the acrobatic vocal section and ended up contributing vocals for Zappa classics including ‘I’m The Slime’ and ‘Zomby Woof’, with backing vocals credited to ‘Debbie’, ‘Lynn’ and ‘Susie Glover’.
2. Prince on 'Like a Prayer' by Madonna (1989)
We could’ve picked any number of under-the-radar Prince appearances on classic songs, such was the Purple One’s musical promiscuity. He appeared under pseudonyms on songs including ‘Stand Back’ by Stevie Nicks and Paul Abdul’s ‘U ‘, as well as being credited on tracks by artists including Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monae.
But his highest-profile guest spot is on Madonna’s era-defining hit ‘Like A Prayer’. The two megastars allegedly dated in the mid-80s and set tongues wagging when they co-wrote and duetted on the sultry ‘Love Story’, from Madonna’s 1989 album, Like A Prayer.
But Prince was also hiding in plain sight on the album’s title track. The wild guitar shredding at the beginning of the song before the sound of a door slamming? That’s him.
Prince also recorded a guitar solo for the song, a backwards version of which was used on the album’s closing track ‘Act Of Contrition’ – presumably, the credit ‘The Powers That Be’ referred to him.
1. Mick Jagger on 'You're So Vain' by Carly Simon (1972)
For decades, the subject of Carly Simon’s soft-rock takedown ‘You’re So Vain’ has been one of rock’s most enduring mysteries. Not least because one of the prime suspects, Mick Jagger, sings uncredited, but unmistakable, backing vocals on the track.
‘He happened to call at the studio while I was doing the background vocals with Harry Nilsson,’ Simon told CBS’ This Morning in 1995.
‘Mick said “Hey, what cha doin’?” and I said “We’re doing some back-up vocals on a song of mine, why don’t you come down and sing with us?” So Mick and Harry and I stood around the mike singing “You’re So Vain” and Harry was such a gentleman – he knew the chemistry was between me and Mick; in terms of the singing, so he sort of bowed out saying “The two of you have a real blend – you should do it yourselves.”
Simon later confirmed that the second verse of the song was about actor Warren Beatty, but has stayed tight-lipped on who the other verses might be about.
Six more under-the-radar guest spots
These appearances were credited but still might surprise you
Neil Young on 'As We Go Along' by The Monkees (1968)
In 1968, at the height of their success and with their hit TV series coming to an end, the next logical step for The Monkees was to make a movie. The result was Head, a psychedelic, stream-of-consciousness satire written by Bob Rafleson and an LSD-addled Jack Nicholson that baffled audiences and bombed at the box office.
Head has since found a cult audience, as has its soundtrack, a trippy blend of woozy pop, musique concrète and dialogue from the film.
One of the album’s standout tracks was the blissed-out ‘As We Go Along’ written by Carole King and Toni Stern and featuring a stellar musical cast, including King, Ry Cooder and Neil Young on guitars.
Young wasn’t the only member of Buffalo Springfield with a Monkees connection. Bandmate Stephen Stills auditioned for the manufactured band and was rejected, but also went on to play guitar for them. Young also added his instantly recognisable guitar to ‘You And I’ on the following year’s Instant Replay.
James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt on Neil Young's 'Heart Of Gold' (1972)
Neil Young’s trip to Nashville to play The Johnny Cash Show in early February 1971 proved to be a pivotal moment in his career.
Not only was it a chance for Young to meet one of his heroes, but his striking performance of a new song, ‘The Needle And The Damage Done’ led to local producer Elliot Mazer convincing him to try recording some of his new material.
A band was put together for a spontaneous session at Mazer’s Quadrafonic Sound Studios and Young laid down the first tracks for what would become his landmark 1972 album, Harvest. Young also asked two of his fellow performers on the show – Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor – to sing on the sessions.
‘We recorded on “Heart of Gold” and “Old Man”’, Ronstadt told Ultimate Classic Rock, ‘We were there all night long. We came out the next morning and it was snowing. I remember singing all night long and never getting bored.’
Huey Lewis on "Live And Dangerous" by Thin Lizzy (1978)
Think Huey Lewis and chances are polished ’80s pop-rock anthems ‘The Power Of Love’ or ‘Hip To Be Square’ come to mind, rather than visceral, all-guns-blazing rock.
But back in 1978, before Back To The Future and mullets, the frontman made a guest appearance on one of the most thrilling heavy rock live albums ever, Thin Lizzy’s Live And Dangerous.
Back then, Lewis played harmonica and sang second lead for UK-based country rockers Clover, signed to the prestigious Vertigo label. The singer hit it off with Thin Lizzy when Clover supported the Irish rockers on tour and started joining them on harmonica for the blues-rock workout ‘Baby Drives Me Crazy’ – captured for posterity on Live And Dangerous, complete with a shout-out from Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott.
Stevie Wonder on 'There Must Be an Angel' by Eurythmics (1985)
Were it not for an intervention from her bandmate, Annie Lennox might’ve offered the Eurythmics’ UK No 1 single ‘There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)’ to another artist.
‘Annie said, “Oh, I’ve written this thing on piano and it would be great for Stevie Wonder”, Dave Stewart told Music Week in 2018. ‘She played it and we both went, “Blimey, yeah it would!” I said, “How about we make our own version?”
In a nod to the song’s inspiration, the duo contacted the Motown great, as Stewart told One Two Testing in 1985. ‘We sent a cassette to Wonderland asking if he’d be interested and he said straight away he'd love to play or sing on it.
'So come the day he turned up at the studio and as soon as we put the track on, his head starts going from side to side, like he does. He’s got a box of eight harmonicas, and he picks out the one in the right key and just starts playing in the control room.
'I said “don’t waste your first ideas, get into the booth”. He did it exactly right, first time, brilliant. We did three or four takes but used the first one, it was perfect.’
George Harrison on 'Leave A Light On' by Belinda Carlisle (1989)
The Beatles’ dark horse was another who made some surprising guest appearances in his time, with cameos on Hall & Oates 1978 track ‘The Last Time’ and Jimmy Nail’s ‘Real Love’ (1992), as well as the expected slots on Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and Ravi Shankar records.
The most unforeseen though, was Harrison’s guest spot on Belinda Carlisle’s international hit ‘Leave A Light On’ from her third studio album, 1989’s Runaway Horses.
Carlisle had met Harrison through her film producer husband Morgan Mason and suggested he add a slide part to the song. ‘George said he would be happy to play,’ producer Rick Nowels said in Kristofer Engelhart’s Beatles Undercover.
‘I arranged “Leave A Light On” with a 16-bar solo instead of an eight-bar solo to give George some room to stretch. After I got the tapes back, to my delight, George called me at A&M Studios and asked if it was all right and said I owed him a beer.’
Red Hot Chili Peppers on 'You Oughta Know' by Alanis Morissette (1995)
‘You Oughta Know’ was the song that made Alanis Morissette a star. But relatively few of the millions who bought the single and the album it headed up, 1995’s Jagged Little Pill, would have been aware that half of the Red Hot Chili Peppers backed her on the track.
When ‘You Oughta Know’ was chosen as the lead single from the album, producer Jimmy Boyle persuaded Maverick Records to let him remix the track.
‘He just kept saying, “Gosh, imagine what this would sound like with a stronger bass and guitar,” Maverick executive Guy Oseary told CBC. Boyle called on some famous friends, Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro and bassist Flea, who supplied the edge that he was after.
‘When I first heard the track, it had a different bassist and guitarist on it,’ Flea told Bass Player magazine in 1996. ‘I listened to the bassline and thought, “That’s some weak shit!’ It was no flash and no smash! But the vocal was strong, so I just tried to play something good. I showed up, rocked out, and split.’
Boyle’s instincts proved correct; Jagged Little Pill became one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, selling over 33 million copies.
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