We recently shared six of our favourite rock collaborations, here, and due to the popularity of the article, we thought it worth sharing some more! So here are another five awesome moments in music history when the combination of two great artists' creative minds REALLY worked and produced some smash hit tracks...
Carlos Santana and Rob Thomas “Smooth”
A collaboration between Latin rock icon Santana and Matchbox Twenty vocalist Rob Thomas. It won three Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Not only was it the final number-one Hot 100 hit of the 1990s, it was also the number-two Hot 100 hit of the 20th century. "Smooth" is the only song to appear on two decade-end Billboard charts. In 2013, "Smooth" was ranked the second most successful song of all time by Billboard.
Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue “Where The Wild Roses Grow”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds most successful single worldwide reaching # 3 in Norway, top five in Australia, top twenty in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and New Zealand. It reached number 8 in Triple J's Hottest 100 1995. In 2012, NME listed the song in the "100 Best Songs of the 1990s" at number 35.
Neil Young and Pearl Jam “Rockin’ In The Free World”
Right after whipping the crowd at the 1993 VMAs into a frenzy with "Animal," Pearl Jam brought out surprise guest Neil Young and managed to up the energy in the room even more. This was Young at the height of his Godfather of Grunge stage, making him the single coolest classic rock figure in the world. Pearl Jam had been playing "Rockin' in the Free World" since early 1992, but this was the first time they ever do it with Young. The combination was explosive and two years later they teamed up in the studio to record Mirror Ball.
Meatloaf and Cher “Dead Ringer For Love”
Cher contributed to writing this song but remains uncredited. She also never performed the song live, and the only footage of Cher and Meatloaf doing this song together is this official music video.
David Bowie and Queen “Under Pressure”
Written and recorded in 1981 in collaboration with David Bowie. It was included on Queen's 1982 album Hot Space. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's second number-one hit in their home country (after 1975's "Bohemian Rhapsody," which topped the chart for nine weeks).
This song was played live at every Queen concert from 1981 until the end of Queen's touring career in 1986.
