These duets belong in the discount bin. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most disappointing duets recorded by popular artists.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most disappointing
00:10duets recorded by popular artists.
00:17Number 20.
00:18Who You Love, John Mayer and Katy Perry
00:26When two popular musicians date, one can only assume that the art they make together would
00:32be just as good as the rest of their work.
00:34When Katy Perry and John Mayer coupled up, fans were excited to hear what the two might
00:38come up with.
00:45Between her chart toppers and his mellow sound, the song they created could have been huge.
00:50Instead, what they came out with was a country ballad.
00:54While there certainly isn't anything wrong with that, it was completely unexpected from
00:58the pair.
00:59The track itself was well-made and sounded fine, but it committed the ultimate sin of
01:03being boring.
01:05Considering how influential their individual music had been, Who You Love was a drop in
01:10quality for both.
01:16Number 19.
01:17Ya Mo Be There, James Ingram and Michael McDonald
01:27A single being successful doesn't necessarily put it with the best of the best.
01:32With two legendary vocalists like Ingram and McDonald, this had the potential to be amazing.
01:37Ya Mo Be There ended up being a fun bop, but didn't make much impact otherwise.
01:48While both singers sound amazing, their voices are very similar, making it hard to tell who's
01:52singing which verse.
02:00The serious message and fast-paced production clashed as well, creating a dissonance that's
02:05hard to get past.
02:07A proper gospel number by the two would have been a genuine showstopper.
02:11This just felt like the safe route for both of them to take, so it doesn't have much
02:15of a legacy of its own.
02:21Number 18.
02:22Play Me, Korn and Nas
02:30On paper, a hip-hop metal fusion seems like it would go hard, but one wrong move can take
02:36it from cool to corny.
02:37Famed new metal band Korn decided to try their hand at the combination, and recruited Nas
02:42to feature on Play Me.
02:49The discordance between the rapping and the music was noticeable from the very beginning,
02:53and that clash continued throughout the whole piece.
02:55Nas sounding completely disinterested throughout the entire runtime only added to the weird
03:00vibes.
03:06There was nothing particularly special or groundbreaking from either artist, given their
03:10individual reputations.
03:12This disappointed their respective fanbases.
03:14While it was definitely ambitious, it's clear that they both bit off more than they
03:19could chew.
03:24Number 17.
03:25Up Out My Face Remix, Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj
03:36Some duets end up aging like milk.
03:39Excitement was high before the release of this one, especially since it was a case of
03:43an established artist giving a new one a shot.
03:45When it first dropped, it made an immediate splash.
03:48However, in recent years, its reputation has dimmed.
03:59The lyrics supposedly calling out Eminem come across as excessive, especially given the
04:04fact that Mariah had already made a much more famous diss track about him.
04:08However, what truly aged poorly about this is the partnership between the two women.
04:19Just a few years later, their relationship disintegrated and even led to them fighting
04:23on the set of American Idol.
04:25Now it's hard to listen to this without thinking of the fallout.
04:34Number 16.
04:35I Know What You Did Last Summer, Shawn Mendes
04:38and Camila Cabello
04:47Everyone has to start somewhere.
04:49This was the first collaboration between future It couple Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello,
04:54and it set the stage for their partnership both on and off stage.
05:02I Know What You Did Last Summer is a basic track, where they trade verses detailing a
05:07deteriorating relationship.
05:08The repetitive nature and the lack of any truly powerful lines took this potential bop
05:13and turned it into a run-of-the-mill song.
05:20The production wasn't anything inspiring, and it ultimately failed to stand out among
05:24other hits coming out at the time.
05:26Luckily, the two have improved since then.
05:29Their much more mature follow-up, Senorita, ended up blowing their original duet out of
05:33the water.
05:41Number 15.
05:42Familiar, Liam Payne and J Balvin
05:51Following One Direction's hiatus, the individual members all went in different directions on
05:55the pop spectrum.
05:57Some took a more acoustic approach, while others tried something more experimental.
06:02Liam Payne decided to try out a popular sub-genre, Latin-inspired club bangers.
06:12The subsequent single, Familiar, was trying too hard to be mature, almost as if he was
06:17desperately trying to distance himself from his past boyband image.
06:21The tune didn't do much for Payne's voice, which had been allowed to shine in previous
06:26work.
06:27J Balvin's appearance didn't do the project any favours, as the two were an odd pairing
06:31and hardly had any chemistry.
06:39It was clear that this was lacking in authenticity, which caused it to fail in the long run.
06:48Number 14.
06:50That Baby Wants, Alice Cooper and Kesha
07:00There are some musical couplings that don't make any sense and make you wonder, who asked
07:05for them in the first place?
07:07This is definitely the case for one of the most seemingly random match-ups in recent
07:11history.
07:13Cooper and Kesha.
07:22She was on top of the world at the time, and he felt she would be the perfect choice for
07:26his album, Welcome to My Nightmare.
07:28Her voice suited the genre well, but everything else was uneasy to say the least.
07:40The sexualized ditty about a hook-up turned toxic relationship was cringe-inducing, especially
07:46considering their nearly 40-year age gap.
07:48Although the content is clearly fictional, that still didn't make people feel any less
07:52uncomfortable while listening to it.
08:01Number 13.
08:02Eenie Meenie, Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber
08:10Pop music deriving from nursery rhymes can be successful, but one wrong move and it ends
08:15up sounding more immature than planned.
08:18One example of this is Eenie Meenie, a number by Sean Kingston and Justin Bieber about a
08:22girl playing with their feelings.
08:29The very first line stating that she's both indecisive and can't decide lets the listener
08:33know right away they're in for a rough time.
08:36It only becomes more ridiculous from there.
08:38With a rap verse particularly laughable, it played off the classic rhyme but simply
08:50replaced the word tiger with bad chick, creating an unintentionally hilarious lyric.
08:56Bieber's work has definitely matured as he's aged, but this remains a dark spot
09:00in his discography.
09:07Number 12.
09:08Can't Stop Partying, Weezer and Lil Wayne
09:18Weezer's no stranger to semi-ironic tunes.
09:22Most of their work is sprinkled with a touch of self-awareness, but they took it too far
09:26with this one.
09:27Weezer's partnership with Lil Wayne, Can't Stop Partying, was intended to be tongue-in-cheek
09:32and criticise other hits that were all about dancing the night away.
09:40However, it ended up being indistinguishable from the songs they were attempting to parody.
09:48They checked all the boxes of what should be included, like mentioning expensive alcohol
09:53and cars, but then infused the verses with oddly dark lines about mixing pills with booze.
10:01It was a puzzling choice that resulted in lyrical whiplash.
10:09If this is the party they're inviting us to, then we'd rather stay home instead.
10:18Number 11.
10:19Do It, Miley Cyrus and the Flaming Lips
10:27There's something to be said for ambition.
10:30Miley has had plenty of eras throughout her career, ranging from her wild party days on
10:34Bangers to her more mature worldview on Endless Summer Vacation.
10:42However, she's not immune to flopping, as evidenced by her collaborative album with
10:47the Flaming Lips.
10:53The opener, Do It, is chock-full of monotonous and cringey lyrics about smoking marijuana
10:58and the secrets of the universe.
11:00While questions about the world can be deep or thought-provoking, those simply asking
11:05why trees and the sun exist evoke nothing more than an eye roll.
11:14It came across as an attempt to be edgy and adult, and it definitely succeeded at the
11:19former.
11:20The potential was there, but the execution simply wasn't.
11:27Number 10.
11:28I've Got You Under My Skin, Frank Sinatra and Bono
11:38This jazzy swing song starts off great as you listen to the soothing crooning of Frank
11:42Sinatra, but you're soon greeted with the faint whispers of U2's Bono.
11:47The parts where the two artists sing in tandem are particularly disappointing, especially
11:51when the U2 frontman attempts to add harmonies.
12:02Even after a quick listen, it's evident there is a lack of chemistry between them.
12:06And this is most likely because they were never in the studio at the same time, a demand
12:10made by Ol' Blue Eyes in exchange for his participation in the project.
12:15If you're looking for a better version of the song, opt for one sung by Sinatra himself.
12:27Number 9.
12:28Cruisin', Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow
12:35This cheesy cover of the Smokey Robinson song was sung for the aptly named movie, Duets.
12:41But it may have gotten a pass on those grounds if producers didn't decide to make it into
12:45a commercial single.
12:52The film contains a ton of song covers, as the main theme revolved around a road trip
12:56with a karaoke competition as the destination.
12:59While the song topped the charts in Australia and New Zealand, it did, somehow, also top
13:05the adult contemporary chart.
13:12The duet was an attempt to revitalize Huey Lewis' career and give Paltrow the actress
13:17the stepping stone to becoming Paltrow the singer.
13:20But sadly, after this song, she stopped making music for years.
13:24And Huey Lewis, well, still no news there.
13:31Number 8.
13:32I'm Chillin' With You, Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears
13:41It's Britney, bitch.
13:42And this time, she decided to keep it in the family.
13:45Her duet with younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears is an ode to their sisterly love and appreciation
13:50for one another.
13:51But it's clear another genre would have suited this song better.
13:58It goes from a slightly country beat, to EDM, to pop, and leaves the whole song disjointed.
14:12If you want a better Jamie Lynn performance, there's more out there that go with her
14:16style, and are, frankly, far more enjoyable to listen to.
14:20It's a cute song at times, but you can't help but cringe every time Britney says,
14:25Number 7.
14:29The View, Lou Reed and Metallica You have to try hard to mess up a great idea
14:41like this.
14:42Two rock legends coming together into one project could have been genre-defining.
14:47Unfortunately, the collaboration between Lou Reed and Metallica was anything but.
14:57Between the weird vocal stylings and the questionable content, it captured the worst of both artists.
15:03The words didn't match the melody at all.
15:05It was as if they mashed two entirely different songs together.
15:09And of course, who can forget the most hilarious aspect of all?
15:12James Hetfield repeatedly saying he is the table.
15:21It's a moment that came out of left field, and is impossible not to laugh at.
15:25It was met with a poor reception, with both fanbases wishing it had been left in the drafts.
15:35Number 6.
15:37Ozzy Osbourne and Kelly Osbourne
15:47No one expected this from The Prince of Darkness.
15:50Originally recorded by Ozzy during his time in Black Sabbath, the song was inspired by
15:54drummer Billy Ward's separation from his wife.
15:57A mere 30 years later, Ozzy and daughter Kelly Osbourne decided to tarnish the original memory
16:03of the song, changing the lyrics to be about a father and daughter drifting apart.
16:15The track was made for the re-release of Kelly's debut album.
16:18The album, like the duets, split the room almost instantly, and along with their reality
16:23series are seen by many fans as the Osbournes' last grasp to stay in the limelight.
16:34Number 5.
16:35What's Up With You?
16:36Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson
16:42Maybe this is what happens when comedians delve into serious music.
16:46From Eddie Murphy's third studio album, What's Up With You features Michael Jackson
16:50and perhaps it's no surprise that Jackson steals the show, even with uninspired lyrics.
16:57While Murphy conveys the deeper message of the tune, how human beings need the planet,
17:06not vice-versa, it is overshadowed by MJ's catchy yet meaningless chorus.
17:15The music video was also panned by critics as nonsensical and cheap.
17:19Well, at least the Harlem Boys Choir got to say they met two entertainment icons.
17:27Number 4.
17:31Pretty Girls
17:32Britney Spears and Iggy Azalea
17:40Britney Spears makes this list yet again, but this time with Australian rapper Iggy
17:45Azalea in this heavily auto-tuned electro-hop tune.
17:49The lyrics are overtly saying that girls the world over get what they want based on their
17:53appearance and was considered offensive to both the pretty and less than pretty.
18:03The implication that you can only make it if you have a certain look and that if you
18:07don't you will be miserable is terrible for a young girl's psyche.
18:16Meanwhile, music critics were torn over the track with some calling it the song of the
18:20summer and others calling it a rehash of Azalea's Fancy.
18:26Number 3.
18:27Our Lips Are Sealed
18:28Hilary Duff and Hayley Duff
18:36In yet another duet sung by family members, we find sisters Hilary and Hayley Duff in
18:42what seems to be a tune aimed at 9-year-olds.
18:44Made for Hilary's movie, A Cinderella Story, the song was chosen for its secretive theme,
18:49mimicking the film.
18:54It was originally released by the Go-Go's in 1981 as a power-pop new wave song, with
18:59band members each playing their own instruments, a far cry from Hilary and Hayley's overproduced
19:05track.
19:11While Hilary had something of a prior singing career, the addition of her sister with even
19:16less of a musical background should have raised red flags.
19:26Number 2.
19:27Accidental Racist
19:28Brad Paisley and LL Cool J
19:38With a title like that, you know this can't be good.
19:41It's easy to take LL Cool J's inclusion as a sign of good intentions, but intentions
19:46aside, the track fails on multiple fronts.
19:53Paisley sings about wearing a confederate flag, widely regarded as a symbol of racism
19:58and white nationalism because it represented the South during its fight to keep slavery.
20:02In his lyrics, he seemed to hide behind a wide-eyed naivete, as he's just a white man
20:07coming to you from the Southland.
20:09Cool J's verses are somehow even more egregious, comparing the confederate flag with a durag.
20:19From that to implying society should just forget about slavery, pretty much everything
20:23on this track is offensive and should be considered an accidental release.
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20:51Number 1.
20:52Sweet Lovin' Friends
20:53Dally Parton and Sylvester Stallone
20:57Sweet Lovin' Friends
21:02This is shocking, but yes, the same badass who lost to Creed and single-handedly re-fought
21:07the Vietnam War made this.
21:09The duet appeared in the soundtrack for the 1984 film, Rhinestone, a movie that Stallone
21:14has stated was the only film he wishes he'd never made.
21:19The song feels like an attempt at tapping into
21:28the fun of a Loretta Lynn-Conway twitty duet, except there is little chemistry between Parton
21:33and Sly.
21:34There's little wonder this track was nominated for a Razzie for Worst Original Song in 1984.
21:43Stallone didn't go home empty-handed though, as Sweet Lovin' Friends lost out to his
21:47other musical offering, Drinkenstein.
21:50The general consensus is that both Sweet Lovin' Friends and the movie Rhinestone itself never
21:55be mentioned again.
21:56Deal?
22:01Which duet do you think was the biggest letdown?
22:03Let us know in the comments below.
22:17Here's what's next!