Top 20 Worst Song Duets
#20: “Who You Love” (2013)
Top 10 Worst Song Duets
John Mayer & Katy Perry
When two popular musicians date, one can only assume that the art they make together would be just as good as the rest of their work. When Katy Perry and John Mayer coupled up, fans were excited to hear what the two might come up with. Between her chart-toppers and his mellow sound, the song they created could’ve been huge. Instead, what they came out with was a country ballad. While there certainly isn’t anything wrong with that, it was completely unexpected from the pair. The track itself was well made and sounded fine, but it committed the ultimate sin of being boring. Considering how influential their individual music had been, “Who You Love” was a drop in quality for both.
#19: “Yah Mo B There” (1983)
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James Ingram & Michael McDonald
A single being successful doesn’t necessarily put it with the best of the best. With two legendary vocalists like Ingram and McDonald, this had the potential to be amazing. “Yah Mo B There” ended up being a fun bop, but didn’t make much impact otherwise. While both singers sound amazing, their voices are very similar, making it hard to tell who’s singing which verse. The serious message and the fast-paced production clashed as well, creating a dissonance that’s hard to get past. A proper gospel number by the two would’ve been a genuine showstopper. This just felt like the safe route for both of them to take, so it doesn’t have much of a legacy of its own.
#18: “Play Me” (2003)
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Korn & Nas
On paper, a hip-hop/metal fusion seems like it would go hard— but one wrong move can take it from cool to corny. Famed nu metal band Korn decided to try their hand at the combination, and recruited Nas to feature on “Play Me.” The discordance between the rapping and the music was noticeable from the very beginning, and that clash continued throughout the whole piece. Nas sounding completely disinterested throughout the entire runtime only added to the weird vibes. There was nothing particularly special or groundbreaking from either artist. Given their individual reputations, this disappointed their respective fan bases. While it was definitely ambitious, it’s clear that they both bit off more than they could chew.
#17: “Up Out My Face (Remix)” (2010)
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Mariah Carey & Nicki Minaj
Some duets end up aging like milk. Excitement was high before the release of this one, especially since it was a case of an established artist giving a new one a shot. When it first dropped, it made an immediate splash. However, in recent years its reputation has dimmed. The lyrics supposedly calling out Eminem come across as excessive, especially given the fact that Mariah had already made a much more famous diss track about him. However, what truly aged poorly about this is the partnership between the two women. Just a few years later, their friendship disintegrated, and even led to them fighting on the set of “American Idol.” Now, it’s hard to listen to this without thinking of the fallout.
#16: “I Know What You Did Last Summer” (2015)
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Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
Everyone has to start somewhere. This was the first collaboration between future it-couple Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, and it set the stage for their partnership both on and off stage. “I Know What You Did Last Summer” is a basic track, where they trade verses detailing a deteriorating relationship. The repetitive nature and the lack of any truly powerful lines took this potential bop and turned it into a run of the mill song. The production wasn’t anything inspiring, and it ultimately failed to stand out among other hits coming out at the time. Luckily, the two have improved since then. Their much more mature follow-up “Señorita” ended up blowing their original duet out of the water.
#15: “Familiar” (2018)
Liam Payne & J Balvin
Following One Direction’s hiatus, the individual members all went in different directions on the pop spectrum. Some took a more acoustic approach, while others tried something more experimental. Liam Payne decided to try out a popular subgenre – Latin-inspired club bangers. The subsequent single, “Familiar” was trying too hard to be mature – almost as if he was desperately trying to distance himself from his past boy band image. The tune didn’t do much for Payne’s voice, which had been allowed to shine in previous work. J Balvin’s appearance didn’t do the project many favors, as the two were an odd pairing, and hardly had any chemistry. It was clear that this was lacking in authenticity, which caused it to fail in the long run.
#14: “What Baby Wants” (2011)
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Alice Cooper & Kesha
There are some musical couplings that don’t make any sense and make you wonder who asked for them in the first place. This is definitely the case for one of the most seemingly random match-ups in recent history – rock star Alice Cooper and Kesha. She was on top of the world at the time, and he felt she would be the perfect choice for his album “Welcome 2 My Nightmare.” Her voice suited the genre well, but everything else was uneasy, to say the least. The sexualized ditty about a hook-up turned toxic relationship was cringe-inducing, especially considering their nearly forty year age gap. Although the content is clearly fictional, that still didn’t make people feel any less uncomfortable while listening to it.
#13: “Eenie Meenie” (2011)
Sean Kingston & Justin Bieber
Pop music deriving from nursery rhymes can be successful, but one wrong move and it ends up sounding more immature than planned. One example of this is “Eenie Meenie,” a number by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber about a girl playing with their feelings. The very first line stating that she’s both indecisive and can’t decide lets the listener know right away they’re in for a rough time. It only becomes more ridiculous from there, with the rap verse particularly laughable. It played off the classic rhyme, but simply replaced the word “tiger” with “bad chick,” creating an unintentionally hilarious lyric. Bieber’s work has definitely matured as he’s aged, but this remains a dark spot in his discography.
#12: “Can’t Stop Partying” (2009)
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Weezer & Lil Wayne
Weezer’s no stranger to semi-ironic tunes. Most of their work is sprinkled with a touch of self-awareness – but they took it too far with this one. Weezer’s partnership with Lil Wayne, “Can’t Stop Partying” was intended to be tongue-in-cheek and criticize other hits that were all about dancing the night away. However, it just ended up being indistinguishable from the songs they were attempting to parody. They checked all the boxes of what should be included – like mentioning expensive alcohol and cars – but then infused the verses with oddly dark lines about mixing pills with booze. It was a puzzling choice that resulted in lyrical whiplash. If this is the party they’re inviting us to, then we’d rather stay home instead.
#11: “Dooo It!” (2015)
Miley Cyrus & The Flaming Lips
There’s something to be said for ambition. Miley has had plenty of eras throughout her career, ranging from her wild party days on “Bangerz” to her more mature worldview on “Endless Summer Vacation.” However, she’s not immune to flopping, as evidenced by her collaborative album with The Flaming Lips. The opener, “Dooo It!” is chock full of monotonous and cringey lyrics about smoking marijuana and the secrets of the universe. While questions about the world can be deep or thought-provoking, those simply asking why trees and the sun exist evoke nothing more than an eye-roll. It came across as an attempt to be edgy and adult— and it definitely succeeded at the former. The potential was there, but the execution simply wasn’t.
#10: “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (1993)
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Frank Sinatra & Bono
This jazzy, swing song starts off great as you listen to the soothing crooning of Frank Sinatra, but you're soon greeted with the faint whispers of U2's Bono. The parts where the two artists sing in tandem are particularly disappointing, especially when the U2 front man attempts to add harmonies. Even after a quick listen it's evident there is a lack of chemistry between them and this is most likely because they were never in the studio at the same time, a demand made by ol' Blue Eyes in exchange for his participation in the project. If you're looking for a better version of the song, opt for one sung by Sinatra himself.
#9: “Cruisin’” (2000)
Huey Lewis & Gwyneth Paltrow
This cheesy cover of the Smokey Robinson song was sung for the aptly named movie “Duets,” and it may have gotten a pass on those grounds if producers didn't decide to make it a commercial single. The film contains a ton of song covers, as the main theme revolved around a road trip with a karaoke competition as the destination. While the song topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand, it did, somehow, also top the Adult Contemporary chart. The duet was an attempt to revitalize Huey Lewis' career, and give Paltrow the actress the stepping stone to becoming Paltrow the singer, but sadly after this song, she stopped making music for years, and Huey Lewis well... still no News there.
#8: “Chillin’ With You” (2013)
Britney Spears & Jamie Lynn Spears
It's Britney bitch… and this time she’s decided to keep it in the family. Her duet with younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears is an ode to their sisterly love and appreciation for one another, but it's clear another genre would have suited this song better. It goes from a slight country beat, to EDM, to pop, and leaves the whole song disjointed. If you want a better Jamie Lynn performance, there's more out there that go with her style, and are, frankly, far more enjoyable to listen to. It's a cute song- at times - but you can't help but cringe every time Britney says “wichu.”
#7: “The View” (2011)
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Lou Reed & Metallica
You have to try hard to mess up a great idea like this. Two rock legends coming together into one project could've been genre-defining. Unfortunately, the collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica was anything but. Between the weird vocal stylings and the questionable content, it captured the worst of both artists. The words didn’t match the melody at all. It was as if they mashed two entirely different songs together. And of course, who can forget the most hilarious aspect of all – James Hetfield repeatedly saying he is the table. It’s a moment that came out of left field, and is impossible not to laugh at. It was met with a poor reception, with both fanbases wishing it had been left in the drafts.
#6: “Changes” (2003)
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Ozzy Osbourne & Kelly Osbourne
No one expected this from the Prince of Darkness... Originally recorded by Ozzy during his time in Black Sabbath, the song was inspired by drummer Billy Ward's separation from his wife. A mere 30 years later, Ozzy and daughter Kelly Osbourne decided to tarnish the original memory of the song, changing the lyrics to be about a father and daughter drifting apart. The track was made for the re-release of Kelly's debut album. The album, like the duet, split the room almost instantly, and, along with their reality series, are seen by many fans as the Osbournes' last grasp to stay in the limelight.
#5: “Whatzupwitu” (1993)
Eddie Murphy & Michael Jackson
Maybe this is what happens when comedians delve into serious music. From Eddie Murphy’s third studio album, “Whatzupwitu” features Michael Jackson, and perhaps it’s no surprise that Jackson steals the show - even with uninspired lyrics. While Murphy conveys the deeper message of the tune, how human beings need the planet, not vice versa, it is overshadowed by MJ's catchy, yet meaningless chorus. The music video was also panned by critics as nonsensical and cheap. Well, at least the Harlem Boys' Choir got to say they met two entertainment icons...
#4: “Pretty Girls” (2015)
Britney Spears & Iggy Azalea
Britney Spears makes this list yet again, but this time with Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, in this heavily auto-tuned electro-hop tune. The lyrics are overtly saying that girls the world over get what they want based on their appearance, and was considered offensive to both the pretty and less than pretty. The implication that you can only make it if you have a certain look, and that if you don't you will be miserable is terrible for a young girl's psyche. Meanwhile music critics were torn over the track, with some calling it the Song of the Summer, and others calling it a rehash of Azalea’s “Fancy.”
#3: “Our Lips Are Sealed” (2004)
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Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff
In yet another duet sung by family members, we find sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff in what seems to be a tune aimed at 9 year olds. Made for Hilary's movie, “A Cinderella Story,” the song was chosen for its secretive theme, mimicking the film. It was originally released by the Go-Go's in 1981 as a power pop, new wave song, with band members each playing their own instruments, a far cry from Hilary and Haylie's overproduced track. While Hilary had something of a prior singing career, the addition of her sister with even less of a musical background should have raised red flags.
#2: “Accidental Racist” (2013)
Brad Paisley & LL Cool J
With a title like that, you know this can't be good. It's easy to take LL Cool J's inclusion as a sign of good intentions, but intentions aside, the track fails on multiple fronts. Paisley sings about wearing a Confederate flag, widely regarded as a symbol of racism and white nationalism because it represented the South during its fight to keep slavery. In his lyrics, he seems to hide behind a wide-eyed naivete, as he’s “just a white man comin' to you from the southland”. Cool J's verses are somehow even more egregious, comparing the Confederate flag with a durag.... From that, to implying society should just forget about slavery, pretty much everything on this track is offensive, and should be considered an accidental release.
#1: “Sweet Lovin’ Friends” (1984)
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Dolly Parton & Sylvester Stallone
This is shocking, but yes, the same badass who lost to Creed and single handedly re-fought the Vietnam War, made this. The duet appeared on the soundtrack for the 1984 film “Rhinestone," a movie that Stallone has stated was the only film he wishes he'd never made. The song feels like an attempt at tapping into the fun of a Loretta Lynn-Conway Twitty duet except that there is little chemistry between Parton and Sly. There's little wonder this track was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Original Song in 1984. Stallone didn't go home empty handed though, as “Sweet Lovin' Friends” lost out to his other musical offering, “Drinkenstein.” The general consensus is that both “Sweet Lovin Friends” and the movie Rhinestone itself never be mentioned again. Deal?
Which duet do you think was the biggest letdown? Let us know in the comments below.
