In the volatile ecosystem of rock and roll, the most enduring magic often arises from the friction of incompatible worlds.
The history of the genre is littered with unlikely collaborations that, on paper, read like industry fever dreams or elaborate pranks. These musical collisions force artists out of their aesthetic comfort zones, resulting in everything from the symphonic-metal birth pains of Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to the surreal, cross-generational warmth of David Bowie and Bing Crosby sharing a Christmas mic.
While some pairings, like the avant-garde 'sludge-poetry' of Lou Reed and Metallica, polarized fans to the point of hostility, others, like the heavy-metal icon Lemmy joining forces with the bubblegum-pop Nolan Sisters, proved that rock’s DNA is surprisingly elastic. These partnerships are more than mere curiosities; they are bold experiments in ego dissolution that challenge our perceptions of genre, proving that the most profound art often happens when the most disparate stars collide.
Rock music’s unlikeliest collaborations
16. Eddie Van Halen and Michael Jackson, 1982
In a recording that took just half an hour to capture, Eddie Van Halen appeared as a surprise guest on ‘Beat It’, the third single from Michael Jackson’s sixth studio album, Thriller. Van Halen did it for free, as a favour to producer-to-the-stars, Quincy Jones, while the rest of his Van Halen bandmates were out of town. ‘I said to myself, “Who is going to know that I played on this kid’s record, right? Nobody’s going to find out.”
Wrong! Big-time wrong. It ended up being Record of the Year,’ Van Halen said, reflecting on the experience. ‘Eddie actually changed the middle of the song. ‘I turned to the engineer and I go, “Ok, from the breakdown, chop in this part, go to this piece, pre-chorus, to the chorus, out.” Took him maybe 10 minutes to put it together. And I proceeded to improvise two solos over it.’
Eddie's 20-second virtuosic guitar solo were laid down on track, but Van Halen had to explain to Jackson that he’d changed the entire middle section of the song, as Jackson had been out of the room while the recording had taken place. ‘Now, in my mind, he’s either going to have his bodyguards kick me out for butchering his song, or he’s going to like it. And so he gave it a listen, and he turned to me and went, “Wow, thank you so much for having the passion to not just come in and blaze a solo, but to actually care about the song, and make it better.”’
15. Deep Purple and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, 1969
In 1969 Jon Lord, Deep Purple's keyboardist and a classically trained musician, sought to bridge the chasm between hard rock and the symphonic world. He composed the Concerto for Group and Orchestra, a three-movement work that saw the band’s 'Mark II' lineup perform alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall.
The collaboration was famously icy. The orchestra members, largely traditionalists, were reportedly dismissive of the 'long-haired' rockers, with some musicians even threatening to walk out during rehearsals. They were perplexed by the volume and the improvisational nature of Ian Gillan’s vocals and Ritchie Blackmore’s guitar. Conversely, Blackmore remained sceptical of the project, fearing it would soften the band’s burgeoning heavy-metal image.
Upon release, the album received polarized reviews. Critics were split: some hailed it as a visionary fusion of genres, while others viewed it as a pretentious gimmick. Despite the friction, the experiment proved a commercial success, cementing Deep Purple's reputation as intellectual heavyweights before they pivoted to the pure hard rock of In Rock.
14. Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé, 1988
The collaboration between Queen singer Freddie Mercury and Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé was a dream fulfilled for Mercury. He had long desired to combine rock and opera, and was an admirer of Caballé. Written in response to the announcement that Barcelona would host the 1992 Summer Olympics, ‘Barcelona’ was recorded in 1988 as part of Mercury’s eponymous final solo album, released before his death in 1991.
Caballé was the natural collaborator, as she was from Barcelona. Mercury played her a demo for a track in which he had imitated her falsetto delivery. ‘She jokes and she swears and she doesn’t take herself too seriously,’ Mercury said of Caballé. ‘That really thrilled and surprised me, because up until then I had been labouring under the illusion that all great opera singers were stern, aloof, and quite intimidating.
'But Montserrat was wonderful. I told her I loved her singing and had her albums and asked if she’d heard of me. She told me she enjoyed listening to my music and had Queen albums in her collection, too.’
13. Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue, 1995
Fellow Australian artists Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue worked together on the 1995 murder ballad ‘Where the Wild Roses Grow’, from the band’s ninth studio album, Murder Ballads. The song was inspired by the traditional Appalachian song ‘Down in the Willow Garden’, a tale of a man courting a woman and killing her.
- Both Nick and Kylie featured in our list of the greatest Australian musicians of all time
The two artists shared a label, and Cave approached Minogue and asked her if she’d like to contribute. ‘I speed-read a biography to understand him a little bit. And there was some interesting stuff in there,’ Minogue told the Guardian in 2018. ‘But everything I did with him was just so tender and epic and close. He’s so amazing and loving, and it’s one of my favourite things I’ve ever done.’
‘The song was written very much with Kylie in mind. I'd wanted to write a song for Kylie for many years. I had a quiet obsession with her for about six years. I wrote several songs for her, none of which I felt was appropriate to give her. It was only when I wrote this song, which is a dialogue between a killer and his victim, that I thought finally I'd written the right song for Kylie to sing. I sent the song to her and she replied the next day.’
12. Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony, 1999
You might not expect the San Francisco Symphony to have released a live heavy metal album titled S&M, but their back catalogue is full of surprises. S&M (an amusing abbreviation of Symphony and Metallica) was recorded with the American heavy metal band Metallica in 1999, featuring Metallica songs with symphonic accompaniment. There are plenty of classical music references within Metallica’s music – with JS Bach a notable influence in Master of Puppets.
Orchestra members were initially terrified by the volume Metallica produced. Cellist Barbara Bogatin recalled that her instrument 'vibrated profusely' and that standard earplugs were insufficient against Metallica's wall of sound. The clash was cultural, too: the symphony musicians were used to polite applause and strict sheet music, while Metallica was accustomed to a raucous roar and a looser, improvisational live feel. James Hetfield admitted he struggled with being 'counted in', as he was used to starting riffs whenever he felt the vibe was right.
However, despite the heat in the Berkeley Community Theatre and the 'fly specks' (complex notes) on the page, the tension melted during rehearsals. Organiser Michael Kamen noted that by the second night, the barriers had collapsed; orchestra members were leaping to their feet, and the band was wandering through the string sections mid-song.
11. Slash and Michael Jackson, 1991
Michael Jackson was a fan of a crossover, having previously recruited guitar legends Eddie Van Halen on ‘Beat It’ and Toto’s Steve Lukather for ‘Dirty Diana’. For his eighth studio album, 1991's Dangerous, he employed the skills of Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. Supposedly, though, the G N'R hellraiser was unimpressed by the King of Pop’s approach to recording.
‘Michael Jackson was somebody I admire and have a lot of respect for. But when it came down to it, the sessions were so unorganized,' the guitarist told Rolling Stone in 1991. ‘I like to keep a schedule and be punctual, but those dates just sat there for months and months until I kept thinking they didn’t want to use me anymore. I got a call three months later to do it at such and such a date, but when that date came, it wouldn’t happen. I finally went down and recorded some rhythm stuff for a couple of songs.’
In 1991, the pair performed ‘Black or White’ together at MTV’s 10th anniversary special, with Slash playing an extended outro solo, which saw him throwing his guitar through the window of the car parked onstage. Jackson and Slash continued to work together on and off throughout the nineties.
10. U2 and Luciano Pavarotti, 1995
U2's 1995 song ‘Miss Sarajevo’ wasn’t just a collaboration between rock and opera – it also saw the pioneer of ambient music, Brian Eno, get involved as well. Eno joined U2 to write the song, inspired by the beauty pageant held by Bosnian women during the siege of Sarajevo in protest against the war. During the pageant, the participants held up banners that said ‘Don’t let them kill us’.
Legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti came on board to perform the operatic solo within the song. Supposedly, he had been keen to work with the rock band for some time. Eno noted that Pavarotti was surprisingly easy to work with. No prima donna here: instead, he was a consummate professional, recording his soaring high notes first – a technique Eno called 'cheating' in the most complimentary way.
U2 guitarist The Edge famously remarked that Pavarotti was 'much more rock 'n' roll than anyone we've ever met before,' noting that in his world, he was treated like 'the Emperor' or Elvis.
9. Paul McCartney and Kanye West, 2014-15
Over the half-century since the breakup of The Beatles, Paul McCartney has partnered with a wide range of artists from across the musical spectrum, from Stevie Wonder and Elvis Costello to Dave Grohl and Kanye West. This latter collaboration took in 2014-15, when McCartney featured on West’s song, ‘Only One’, dedicated to the rapper's daughter North, and written from the perspective of his late mother, Donda West.
McCartney wrote and recorded the track with West in Mexico as the first of three collaborations to be released. On another track, ‘FourFiveSeconds’, they were joined by singer Rihanna, adding in yet another musical style and approach.
McCartney was initially wary of Kanye's working methods. He had heard rumours that West worked in rooms full of people throwing ideas at him while he wandered around picking what he liked: a process McCartney compared to Andy Warhol using students to paint his backgrounds.
Macca made one stipulation: 'The only deal I made with Kanye was that if it doesn't work, we won't tell anyone.' When they met at a bungalow in the Beverly Hills Hotel, Paul 'noodled' on a guitar or Wurlitzer and told stories, while Kanye spent a significant amount of time scrolling through images of Kim Kardashian on his iPad. McCartney found this modern, stream-of-consciousness approach refreshing rather than offensive.
8. Jack White and Beyoncé, 2016
Beyoncé is no stranger to exploring new musical landscapes, having enjoyed a dalliance with country music in Cowboy Carter after the powerful dance album Renaissance which celebrated disco, house and funk culture. A quick perusal of the track list for her hit 2016 album Lemonade sees writing credits from The Weeknd, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar and, on ‘Don’t Hurt Yourself’, Jack White of the White Stripes and all the members of Led Zeppelin (the song samples Zep's iconic 1971 track 'When the Levee Breaks').
Wanting to write about Jay-Z’s infidelity, Beyoncé discussed the idea with Jack White. ‘You know, I just talked to her, and she said, ‘I wanna be in a band with you,’ White told NPR about how the surprising collaboration happened. ‘I said, 'Really? Well, I’d love to do something.' She took just sort of a sketch of a lyrical outline and turned it into the most bodacious, vicious, incredible song.’
7. Run-DMC and Aerosmith, 1986
This legendary rock/hip-hop collaboration was equally beneficial for both parties, introducing hip-hop into mainstream culture at a time where it was only widely known (and highly popular) among urban African American audiences, and reviving the career of a rock band who had peaked in the 1970s. First released by Aerosmith in 1975, ‘Walk This Way’ was then covered by hip-hop group Run-DMC in collaboration with the band in 1986.
Aerosmith were initially tentative about Run-DMC’s offer, but the track was an unadulterated hit. It also paved the way for an entirely new genre, rap rock, which Run-DMC helped pioneer during the 1980s and 90s.
6. Frank Zappa and Pierre Boulez, 1984
While best known as a rock artist, Frank Zappa was keen to have his orchestral music taken seriously too, and approached the French composer and conductor Pierre Boulez in the early 1980s. Boulez was impressed by what he saw, and decided to conduct a suite of Zappa songs, which resulted in a 1984 album, The Perfect Stranger. The three tracks he conducted were performed by his Ensemble InterContemporain. The title track was commissioned by Boulez himself.
5. Lou Reed and Metallica, 2011
On paper, a collaboration between a rock artist and a heavy metal band should work. The genres aren’t a million miles from one another, and share many of the same themes and stylings. But Lulu, the 2011 concept album from Lou Reed and Metallica,was not a hit – in fact, it was one of those albums that nearly ruined the careers of, in this case, both artists. Criticised for its confrontational spoken-word delivery, abrasive arrangements and hostile tone, Lulu was hated by fans and critics alike.
4. Sex Pistols and Ronnie Biggs, 1978
A collaboration between two sets of musicians is one thing – a collaboration between a band and an infamous criminal is another. Sex Pistols’ fifth single ‘No One Is Innocent’ featured vocals performed by Ronnie Biggs, a British criminal notorious for his involvement in the Great Train Robbery of 1963. He had escaped from prison in 1965 and was living as a fugitive, having fled to Australia and then Brazil.
Biigs was still wanted by the British authorities at the time but, being based in Brazil, was immune from extradition. ‘The record was made in a church studio in Rio with the priest present, who seemed very happy,’ Biggs wrote in his autobiography. ‘We were rather drunk by the time we came to make the recording, which explains why it may have appeared a little out of tune.’
3. Lemmy (Motörhead) and The Nolans, 1981
Blues rock group The Young & Moody Band were joined by a surprising line-up on their 1981 single ‘Don’t Do That’: Lemmy from Motörhead, drummer Cozy Powell and Irish girl group The Nolans, previously known as the Nolan Sisters. Thought of by the public as wholesome and ‘squeaky clean’, they were perhaps not who you’d expect to team up with a member of Motörhead.
The Nolans took the redoubtable Lemmy by surprise, however. ‘We were supposed to be the smelliest, loudest motherf*****s in the building but we more than met our match. We were in awe. You couldn’t mess with the Nolan sisters,’ he told Q Magazine in 2010.
2. David Bowie and Bing Crosby, 1977
Is this the most peculiar Christmas duet of all time? Possibly. Recorded as part of Bing Crosby’s TV special Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas in 1977, ‘Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy’ sees Crosby singing the 1941 standard 'The Little Drummer Boy' as David Bowie sings ‘Peace on Earth’ in counterpoint. Recorded in September of that year, the duet was one of Crosby’s final recordings before his death in October 1977, and was a commercial hit, having since become a Christmas classic.
Bowie’s appearance on the show came as a result of the promotion he had decided to do for his 12th studio album, Heroes, after not promoting his previous album widely.
1. Ozzy Osbourne and Miss Piggy
Black Sabbath's irrepressible frontman enjoyed taking the public by surprise, and in 1994 Ozzy collaborated with The Muppet’s puppet pig, Miss Piggy, in a duet of Steppenwolf’s 1968 classic ‘Born to Be Wild’. The song was part of a comedy album, Kermit Unpigged, which saw characters from the Muppets sing with celebrities including… Ozzy Osbourne. Amusingly, he claims not to remember the recording.
All images: Getty Images
