The 1980s was a legendary decade for rock music. New stars were on the scene, and advancing technology was birthing genres such as electronic rock and synth-punk. In August 1981, MTV aired its first video, ushering in an age of music videos like never before. The decade also saw some unforgettable collaborations between rock musicians, many of which led to now-legendary tracks in rock n’ roll history. These six rock collaborations from the 1980s are ones that we can’t forget.
1. “Beat It” — Michael Jackson and Eddie Van Halen, 1982
Almost everyone knows Michael Jackson’s 1982 hit “Beat It,” the song that helped launch the singer to superstardom. But most people don’t know that Eddie Van Halen collaborated with Jackson on the music, providing the punchy power the track needed in the guitar solo. Jackson’s producer contacted Van Halen, who thought he was being pranked.
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In the studio, Van Halen rearranged the solo to allow for the faster, more intense guitar solo he and Jackson thought the song needed. Supposedly, one of the amps overheated and burst during recording, a testament to Van Halen’s fierce performance. The collaboration resulted in a massively successful track, and “Beat It” became one of the best-selling singles in rock history.
2. “Under Pressure” — Queen & David Bowie, 1981
A collaboration between two superstars like Queen and David Bowie promises to be something great. Ironically, the song came together almost by coincidence. Bowie and Queen were recording in the same small studio in Switzerland and decided to experiment in the recording booth together. However, once they began, Bowie and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury butted heads over how to arrange the song — with other members of Queen joining in the fight.
Eventually, Bowie took the lead. However, there was much conflict over the years regarding who came up with the components that resulted in the final product. Regardless, “Under Pressure” became a worldwide hit and is considered one of Queen’s best songs.
3. “Walk This Way” — Aerosmith & Run-DMC, 1986
Aerosmith had been a significant band of the 1970s, but their popularity flagged through the next decade. The band members were dealing with addiction and other personal issues, and their music career was struggling. But that all changed with a unique reimagining of their 1975 track “Walk This Way.”
With the increasing popularity of hip-hop came groups like Run-DMC, who were influential in the still-developing genre. After the band members began experimenting with freestyling over the original track, they contacted Aerosmith to discuss a collaborative reimagining of “Walk This Way.” The result blew the first recording out of the water, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It launched a career comeback for Aerosmith and played a significant role in nudging hip-hop into the mainstream.
4. “Dancing In The Street” — Mick Jagger & David Bowie, 1985
Four years after collaborating with Queen on the massively popular “Under Pressure,” David Bowie teamed up with another massive figure on the rock scene — Mick Jagger. Their cover of Martha And The Vandellas’ “Dancing In The Street” was an enormous success as a single and a music video. The collaboration was part of a fundraiser for Live Aid famine relief; the original plan was to record a music video live over satellite, with Bowie in London and Jagger in Philadelphia. When tech lags made this impossible, a music video was hastily arranged.
Crunched for time, the duo recorded the song and music video in record time (less than 13 hours passed from the start of recording to the track and video being completed.) The slapdash collaboration was a fantastic success, climbing to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming known as one of the best duets of the 1980s.
5. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” — Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, 1981
Stevie Nicks had worked with Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers on several tracks throughout the 1970s. But it was their 1981 collaboration on Nicks’ first solo album that stood the test of time. “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” became a staple of Nicks’ live performances for the rest of her career, and she even performed it live with Petty in July 2017, just three months before his death.
After its release in 1981, it made history for both Nicks and the Heartbreakers, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming the biggest hit of both performers’ careers. The song was praised for its unique instrumentalization, which ranges from dark and brooding to forceful and upbeat.
6. “Dead Ringer For Love” — Meat Loaf & Cher, 1981
In the world of unlikely collaborations, Meat Loaf and Cher place pretty high on the list. Yet their 1981 duet “Dead Ringer For Love” worked surprisingly well, with the singer’s powerful vocals blending perfectly. Cher’s contributions seem to have disappeared from history — although her vocals are on the track and she stars in the music video, the singer has never performed the song in concert.
“Dead Ringer For Love” was something of a sleeper hit, slowly climbing until it peaked on the UK Singles chart at No. 5. Though it was a success throughout Europe, the song did not chart in the US — which might explain why it has often been forgotten among the great collaborations of the decade.
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