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Sting/Shaggy & 5 Other Strange Duets That Worked

There’s been a lot of surprising news in the classic rock world this week, but the only story that made us exclaim, “WHAT?!” is this business about Sting releasing an…

NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 10: Shaggy and Sting attend the premiere of IFC Films’ “Freak Show” hosted by The Cinema Society at Landmark Sunshine Cinema on January 10, 2018 in New York City.

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

There’s been a lot of surprising news in the classic rock world this week, but the only story that made us exclaim, “WHAT?!” is this business about Sting releasing an album with dancehall-reggae artist Shaggy.

For real, we couldn’t believe it, either!

Their album 44/876 comes out April 20, and the first single, “Don’t Make Me Wait,” is out now…AND IT’S REALLY GOOD!

Naturally, this got us thinking about other strange duets that surprised us over the years, and here are ___ of our favorites.

Tony Bennett/Lady Gaga – “The Lady Is A Tramp”

This duet off of Bennett’s 2011’s Duets II was so good, Bennett and Gaga ended up doing an entire duets album together!  Cheek to Cheek was released in 2014, and it ended up winning the GRAMMY for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

Aretha Franklin/George Michael – “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)”

This single came out in January 1987 from the Queen of Soul’s 1986 album Aretha and months before Michael would achieve pop superstardom with his album Faith.  This track would go on to earn the GRAMMY for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Eminem/Elton John – “Stan”

This wasn’t a recorded duet, but this performance from the 2001 GRAMMY Awards is the stuff of legend, and it happened to start a wonderful friendship between the rapper and music icon.

Bing Crosby/David Bowie – “The Little Drummer Boy (Peace On Earth)”

It doesn’t get more opposite than this, but it’s become an absolute classic that EVERYONE loves during the holidays.

Frank Sinatra/Bono – “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

Sinatra’s Duets album came out in 1993 and one of the best collaborations and surprises on the album came via Ol’ Blue Eyes’ rendition of Cole Porter’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock blogger that loves the smell of old vinyl in the morning.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights