Valentine’s day is on the horizon. Have you thought of collaborating with your spouse or partner on a piece of music? Wouldn’t it be fun to learn a musical instrument and to jam together? If you are still hesitant, think of it as a fun activity to do together which you can look back on with fond memories. Otherwise, here are some of the best collaborations in music history to get you started.
“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” By George Harrison and Eric Clapton
This is one of the best songs by The Beatles’ George Harrison, who matured into a great songwriter in his own right in the mid to late 1960s. He wrote “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” after reading the Chinese Ancient text “I Ching”. The song is Harrison’s dismay at the lack of universal love that is the potential in our world. He first recorded it as a sparse backing of acoustic guitar and harmonium. The song was included in the Beatles 1968 double album “The Beatles”, also known as the “White Album”. During this time, there was disharmony within the band and they were apathetic to the song. So, Harrison invited his friend and occasional collaborator Eric Clapton to contribute to the recording. Clapton overdubbed the lead guitar part but was not formally credited for his contribution.
“Beat It” By Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen
Michael Jackson was apparently never into making rock music. However, his producer Quincy Jones managed to convince him, resulting in the King of Pop penning “Beat It” for his well-known 1983 album “Thriller”. Eddie Van Halen was tapped to record the song’s legendary solo and he did it free of charge. The song became a hit and peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
“One Sweet Day” By Boyz II Men & Mariah Carey
R&B dominated the music scene in the 1990s and it was in 1995 that saw the collaboration between the decades’ biggest acts - Boyz II Men and Mariah Carey. Their collaboration “One Sweet Day” hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number one for 16 straight weeks. The song speaks about the death of a loved one and how the protagonist regretted taking their presence for granted. Finally, they meet again in heaven.
“Under Pressure” By Queen and David Bowie
David Bowie sang on Queen’s single “Cool Cat” in 1982 upon their invitation. However, the song did not turn out as they had wanted. So, they started jamming together and came up with “Under Pressure”. The single reached number one on the UK Singles Chart - it was Queen’s second number-one hit in their home country after the legendary experimental “Bohemian Rhapsody”.
“The Girl From Ipanema” By Stan Getz, Joao Gilbero & Antonio Carlos Jobim
The most well-known hit of the bossa nova genre has to be “The Girl from Ipanema”. It was a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s and won a Grammy for the record of the year in 1965. Written by Antonio Carlos Jobim, who single-handedly created the bossa nova as a music genre, the song is based on a real girl who lived on Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema Beach. Although this is what’s thought to be the second most recorded song in history after the Beatles’ “Yesterday”, it was the version by Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s wife Astrud that cemented this song as the genre’s definitive song.
“I Got You Babe” By Sonny & Cher
So far we have shared the best songs from some of the most wonderful collaborations in music history. As for this collaboration, it was made up of a husband and wife team - Sonny and Cher. The pair began their music career in the mid-1960s and achieved fame in 1965 with “I Got You Babe”. The song was written by Sonny and spent three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S, despite Cher hating the song and doubting that it would be a hit. This music collaboration ended when the pair divorced in 1975.
Inspired To Perform With Your Partner?
Ritmo Music Studio offers various music programs for students, seniors, organizations, and also for couples! Check out our offerings and come for a trial lesson. Who knows? You may be the next Sonny and Cher.