Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

Whenever I discover such things, I wonder why their names weren't included in the credits of the singles? Were they just hanging around the studio with nothing to do, so they said "what the heck" and started singing on someone else's record? May-haps, chile. May-haps.

1. You're So Vain by Carly Simon #1 in 1974
backing vocals: Mick Jagger

2. Whenever I Call You Friend by Kenny Loggins #5 in 1978
backing vocals: Stevie Nicks

3. Money For Nothing by Dire Straits #1 in 1985
backing vocals: Sting

4. Mellow Yellow by Donovan #2 in 1966
backing vocals: Paul McCartney

5. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by Elton John #1 in 1975
backing vocals: John Lennon (as Sir Winston O' Boogie)

6. Whatever Gets You Through The Night by John Lennon #1 in 1974
backing vocals: Elton John

7. All Those Years Ago by George Harrison #2 in 1981
backing vocals: Paul McCartney

8. Sentimental Lady by Bob Welch #7 in 1978
backing vocals: Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham

There are more, of course, but I can't remember all of them now. Anyone else?

Re: Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

I always thought the rumor on that was that it was supposed to be about him, not that he was on it.

These could be false, but I think John Lennon is on David Bowie's Changes and Mick Jagger and others are on the Beatles "All You Need is Love"

David Bowie/Young Americans

Luther Vandross?

Re: Re: Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

It is ABOUT Warren Beatty and has backing by Jagger for sure..you cna hear him quite clearly!

'Fame' by Bowie includes Lennon on b/vox

'Gold' by John Stewart has Stevie Nicks and Lindsay Buckingham on b.vox

Yeah, that's the first one that came to my mind. Does Freddie Mercury get credited on Under Pressure?

"I want my MTV"

"Under Pressure" is credited to both Queen and David Bowie.

lennon is also on Elton John's "whatever get you through the night"

Lay Down Sally by Clapton - B/vox by Marcella Detroit

Around 1980 or so, there was a Star Wars Christmas album released.

And who was on the background vocals? None other than Jon Bongiovi. Who later changed the spelling of his last name to Bon Jovi.

Bon Jovi also played the character of Lieutenant Emmett.

I heard that song "Sentimental Lady" recently and very clearly you could hear Nicks/Buckingham singing background. I heard that song a million times before and never noticed that. But not surprising with Welch's FM connections.

Actually, it's the other way around. That song is on Lennon's Walls and Bridges album. :)

Yeah, I guess it would be pretty weird for Elton John to write a song about Paul McCartney creating really poppy songs and selling out :p.

Bob Dylan on U2's "Love Rescue Me" (it wasn't a single though AFAIK)

Jeff Lynne on Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'"

George Harrison plays guitar on Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down.

Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons on "Celebrate" (I forget the artist for that song). One of their first paid studio gigs (I'm not sure if they were uncredited but they weren't known at the time).

Ashanti on Jennifer Lopez' "Play". If you can, give that song a listen...

Three Dog Night?? Celebrate, celebrate, dance to the music...

Really?!

For all you jazz fans out there, David Sanborn played sax on James Taylor's #5 hit How Sweet It is To Be Loved By You in 1975.

Eddie Van Halen played the guitar solo in Michael Jackson's Beat It in 1983.

Peter Frampton "I'm In You" Mick Jagger Backing Vocal

Jackson Browne "Doctor My Eyes" David Crosby Backing Vocal

The original members of The Turtles - Flo and Eddie - did backing vocals to Bruce Springsteen's Hungry Heart.

Re: Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

Actually, I think it's Christine McVie....

Edit: yup, it is....

http://www.angelfire.com/nc2/fleetwoodmac/backup.html

Re: Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

Actually, I believe this is in the liner notes because I remember reading them when I first got the cassette and wondering where Sting was.

Re: Re: Re: Famous but uncredited BACKING VOCALISTS on hits
 

That's funny, I'd always heard it was about James Taylor... Perhaps it's time to check Snopes...

Edit... It's definitely Mick singing... but who it's about, Carly ain't saying...

http://www.carlysimon.com/vain/vain.htm