So many beautiful duets have hit the airwaves over the years, and fans have absolutely adored them. “Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie? Stunning. “Ebony And Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder? Legendary. However, there are a few duets out there that people hate, even decades after they were first released. Let’s look at a few that I personally think aren’t that bad.
“The Saints Are Coming” by U2 and Green Day
Well, this was the collab that no one was expecting, and a lot of fans of either band did not ask for it. “The Saints Are Coming” by U2 and Green Day, released in 2006, got a bit of hate from fans back in the day. And while I get how critical some fans can be of who their faves collaborate with, I thought this song was at least decent when I first heard it. Two generations of rock cross over, and both Billie Joe Armstrong and Bono sound fine on this track, in my opinion.
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Though, let’s be real. The original Skids version is a million times better.
“Billion Dollar Babies” by Alice Cooper and Donovan
Alright, the vocals aren’t either legendary artists’ best. And that guitar solo is a bit cheesy. But while “Billion Dollar Babies” by Alice Cooper and Donovan is on the campy side, both artists, more so Cooper, were no strangers to camp. In fact, camp was part of what made Alice Cooper such a big name.
The biggest criticism I’ve seen online of this 1973 song is that the combination of Cooper and Donovan is “weird” and “sinister.” Sometimes, I wonder if some critics know who they’re actually listening to. This song is very on-brand for both Cooper and Donovan, and I think it’s one of the best glam duets of the early 70s.
“Numb / Encore” by Linkin Park and Jay-Z
My age is showing here, but when I was a preteen, I thought this was the coolest crossover performance ever. I still kind of do. Rock and hip-hop go together like two peas in a pod, and it’s a shame that many view this particular duet as “corny” nowadays, with quite a few people online saying that they hate this particular duet between Jay-Z and Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington. But back in the early aughts, we were free from the pressure to be as not-cringe as possible, and we were happy. If you want a taste of what life was like back then, at least musically, give the 2004 EP Collision Course a spin.
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