3 Rock Songs From the 1980s That Feature Uncredited Rock Stars

One of the best things about being famous is being able to work with anyone you want. You never know who might pop into your studio to say hello; you never know who you could just call up to come by for a quick recording session.

But that’s just what we wanted to highlight here below. We wanted to dive into three tracks from back in the day that feature big-name backup. Indeed, these are three rock songs from the 1980s that feature uncredited rock stars.

“Burning Down One Side” by Robert Plant from ‘Pictures At Eleven’ (1982)

When Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham, its members had to find new creative paths. Singer Robert Plant went solo and recruited another big-name drummer to help him. That’s right, Phil Collins joined Plant on the latter’s 1982 LP, Pictures At Eleven. Yes, the former Genesis drummer and lead singer can be heard hitting the kit all over Plant’s early 1980s record. Must be nice—just pick up the phone and ring up Collins for a few tunes! When you’re Plant, that’s what’s possible.

“Money For Nothing” by Dire Straits from ‘Brothers In Arms’ (1985)

In the mid-1980s, the Dire Straits song “Money For Nothing” was all over the radio and TV airwaves. In fact, the tune famously opens with a falsetto vocal where the vocalist pines, singing, “I want my MTV!” But did you know that wasn’t just some background vocalist singing? No, it was the famous bassist Sting. Indeed, the former frontman for The Police can be heard in the background of this Dire Straits song lamenting about wanting more music videos. How fun is that?

“I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty from ‘Full Moon Fever’ (1989)

Throughout his career, iconic rocker Tom Petty was not afraid to collaborate or even share the spotlight. His time in the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys should make that clear. But if you ever needed another example, look no further than Petty’s 1989 hit “I Won’t Back Down”. When he was recording the song, he had a bad head cold. But thankfully his buddy (and former Beatle) George Harrison was hanging in the studio that day. Not only did Harrison make Petty some tea to help him sing on the track, but Harrison also played acoustic guitar on the recording. Yep, that’s him!

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