Long before her breakout hit “All I Wanna Do”—as well as the nine Grammy Awards that followed—rock legend Sheryl Crow spent several years in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s working as a backup singer in Los Angeles.
Having initially talked her way into auditions, she was even hired to tour the world singing backup for Michael Jackson in the late 80s, and likewise worked alongside the likes of Foreigner, Jimmy Buffett, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Rod Stewart, Don Henley, Belinda Carlisle; she can be heard in the background of Carlisle’s 1991 hit “Little Black Book” (albeit credited as “Cherryl Crowe”).
Artists singing backup before they make it big is one thing, but some artists also quietly guest in the background of others’ tracks even after they have broken into the mainstream, and often go uncredited in the process. 10 instances of well-known backup singers both pre- and post-fame are explored here.
The Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1965): Cher Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain”: Mick Jagger (1972)Elton John, “The B*tch Is Back” (1974): Dusty SpringfieldDavid Bowie, “Fame” (1975): John LennonTracey Ullman, “They Don’t Know” (1983): Kirsty MacCollElton John, “Nikita” (1985): George MichaelAl Stewart, “Last Days of the Century” (1988): Tori AmosWhitney Houston, “Step By Step” (1997): Annie LennoxBritney Spears, “Piece of Me” (2007): RobynJustin Bieber, “Love Yourself” (2015): Ed SheeranThe Righteous Brothers, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” (1965): Cher
Recorded in 1964 and released worldwide the following year, the Righteous Brothers’ version of “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” not only had Phil Spector in the producer’s chair, but also had a then-unknown singer named Cher at the backing singers’ microphone.
The main background vocals on the track were recorded by two of Spector’s legendary girl groups, the Blossoms and the Ronettes, but Cher joined the groups for the song’s immense crescendo. In fact, despite initially clashing (she and Spector had “absolutely no chemistry,” according to Sonny Bono), Cher provided uncredited backing vocals for a number of Spector’s early successes, including the Ronettes’ own hit “Be My Baby” and Darlene Love’s “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home).”
Carly Simon, “You’re So Vain”: Mick Jagger (1972)
Carly Simon has long remained tight-lipped about who her blistering 1972 hit single “You’re So Vain” was written about, but one name that has long been associated with it is Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.
The rumors became so great that in a 1983 interview with The Washington Post, Simon was compelled to say once and for all that Jagger was not the song’s subject—which is perhaps just as well, given that he was invited to contribute backing vocals to the song’s “Don’t you, don’t you, don’t you?” chorus after he happened to telephone the studio during its recording.
Elton John, “The B*tch Is Back” (1974): Dusty Springfield
The second single from Elton John’s classic album Caribou, “The Bitch is Back” featured backing vocals from none other than “Son of a Preacher Man” singer Dusty Springfield.
David Bowie, “Fame” (1975): John Lennon
David Bowie’s first Billboard chart-topper, 1975’s “Fame” was not only co-written with John Lennon (during a one-day jamming session at Electric Lady Studios in New York) but featured the Beatles legend as both guitarist and backing singer.
Tracey Ullman, “They Don’t Know” (1983): Kirsty MacColl
Admittedly, this story is less about a secret backup singer, and more about a singer thrown momentarily and unknowingly into the vocal forefront. As well as being one of the biggest TV stars of the 80s and 90s, comedian Tracey Ullman released two pop albums in the early-to-mid 1980s.
British singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl’s classic 1979 track “They Don’t Know” was featured on one of these albums (and later was chosen as the theme song of Ullman’s HBO comedy series Tracey Takes On…). At the end of the song’s central instrumental break, the lyrics return with a high-pitched “Baby!” which was a note Ullman wasn’t able to hit herself during the recording sessions.
The solution was simple: in a 2021 interview, Ullman explained that Kirsty MacColl’s vocal was used for this one word instead, before Ullman returned for the remainder of the song.
Elton John, “Nikita” (1985): George Michael
The same year that they joined forces to perform “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” live on stage for Live Aid, George Michael provided unbilled backup vocals for Elton John’s 1985 hit single, “Nikita.”
Al Stewart, “Last Days of the Century” (1988): Tori Amos
After her initial commercial outing as the frontwoman of 80s synth rock outfit Y Kant Tori Read flopped, singer-songwriter and virtuoso pianist Tori Amos returned to work as a backing singer, and recorded for several big-name artists in the late 1980s and early ‘90s (including Sandra Bernhard, Tom Jones and Stan Ridgway).
In 1988, she provided vocals for a handful of tracks by legendary “Year of the Cat” folk singer Al Stewart, which later appeared on his album Last Days of the Century. Having bonded over a shared love of fine wine, the two soon became friends. In an interview in 1998, Amos recalled that Stewart asked her to write a song for him—but she ended up keeping the first song she wrote for him for herself instead, after a friend told her that it was clearly her “life story.” The song in question later became her shattering breakout solo hit, “Silent All These Years.”
Whitney Houston, “Step By Step” (1997): Annie Lennox
Recorded for the soundtrack to her 1996 movie The Preacher’s Wife, Whitney Houston’s single “Step By Step” was originally written by Eurythmics legend Annie Lennox during the production of her debut solo album Diva in 1992. Listen carefully to Houston’s version and you’ll hear Lennox’s backing vocals too.
Britney Spears, “Piece of Me” (2007): Robyn
The second single from her 2007 album Blackout, Britney Spears’ smash hit “Piece of Me” features secret background vocals by none other than Swedish pop royalty, Robyn. The “Dancing on My Own” singer had originally recorded the song’s demo, but contributed the robotic-sounding backup vocals to the track’s chorus too.
Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself” (2015): Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran co-wrote this song with Benny Blanco and Justin Bieber and also contributed backing vocals to Bieber’s 2015 single “Love Yourself.” The same year, Sheeran’s second album × became a worldwide best-seller and launched him to global pop superstardom.
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