There’s always a place for great vocals on a rock song. And there are many examples of top vocal rock performances over the years. But what about a few occasions where someone else’s voice almost steals the spotlight?
I don’t mean those occasions where a well-known singer turns up for some backing vocals. Though there are plenty of examples of that around. I’m thinking more of someone taking on almost a secondary singing role, doing so prominently and superbly in the song. But at times, with no real mention of the artist's name in the song, they have been overlooked by the public.
I’ve got six rock songs in mind, each a classic in their own right. It’s not always a famous name taking on that secondary vocal role. But there are some top performers among these six.
6 rock songs where another singer steals some of thethe spotlight
“Paradise by the Dashboard Light” – Meat Loaf
This epic comes from the classic album Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf. In this instance, Ellen Foley is an essential component of the song. Her vocals are very much a female lead in a strong duet.
Foley and Meat Loaf battle it out. Especially so in the very dramatic final stages of the song. To be fair, Foley is credited with the vocals on the song. But that’s largely overlooked publicly. This is very much a Meat Loaf song; that’s what most people will tell you if you ask who sings it.
“Dead Ringer for Love” – Meat Loaf
Ok, let’s step it up with a second example from the Meat Loaf catalog. It’s the title track from his follow-up second album, Dead Ringer. Another powerful song, as you’d expect from him.
Meat Loaf swaps lines back and forth in a full-blown, rip-roaring rock song. It’s Cher hitting back at him vocally with some hefty lines. She plays a strong part in the song and its story.
Cher was a huge star at the time but didn't even make it onto the label for the single. While she gets some credit on the album, her part in helping Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf write and shape parts of the song isn’t mentioned.
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” – Bonnie Tyler
Let’s keep the Steinman theme going a bit longer. The now-and-sadly-late Bonnie Tyler had a huge hit with his song “Total Eclipse of the Heart.” It was very much her signature tune.
Everyone knows it and would name it as one of hers. But when you listen, she trades vocals heavily with a male singer. It’s not just a backing voice; he’s an integral part of the song.
While that part is obvious when you hear it or sing along, it’s often overlooked and forgotten. Rory Dodd is the man behind the voice. He does get a credit, but it’s very behind the scenes and missed publicly.
Perhaps because he isn’t well known, his name gets missed. But back to that Steinman point, Dodd did often feature in the writer and producer's work. It was his voice used by Steinman for the original demo of the song, well before Tyler was involved.
“The Great Gig in the Sky” – Pink Floyd
This one is slightly different. A bit of an exception as an example, but so is the song itself. Everyone knows now it was Clare Torry who made a spectacular vocal contribution to this song. Her vocals are very much a trademark of it.
There isn’t really a lead vocalist, in the normal sense. A collection of spoken phrases from a variety of staff who were in the studio at the time. Torry hasn’t got lyrics to sing, just emotions. It’s way beyond backup vocals and is such a strength and significant part. Again, it’s pretty well known that she didn’t get credit for her work at the time, nor much payment. That’s all been sorted since.
“Gimme Shelter” – The Rolling Stones
Here’s a classic from the Rolling Stones, which is enhanced and made great by the voice of Merry Clayton. Jagger opens the singing, but Clayton is soon there, singing with him line by line. Her soul and gospel style fit with his voice perfectly.
Clayton gets a verse to herself too, the Rape, murder section. As if to underline this ain’t no backing singer you got here. She’s pretty powerful on a strong Stones tune. It’s hard to wonder what it might have sounded like had Jagger’s first choice for the role, Bonnie Bradley, hadn't been blocked from appearing by her husband Delaney.
Anyway, Clayton is way more than a stand-in. She does get a credit on the record, and music fans will acknowledge her part. But “Gimme Shelter” still goes down as a Rolling Stones song and not a “with” or “featuring” mention for Clayton in the artist's title.
“Bring Me to Life” – Evanescence
This one has a different slant to it. The spotlight was stolen, or at least diverted, from the lead vocalist. And it’s not necessarily a completely happy story.
“Bring Me to Life” is the debut single from Evanescence. To cut a long story short, the original version wasn’t getting airplay. Radio stations weren’t keen on the original female-only vocals by Amy Lee. The record label forced the later addition of a rap by Paul McCoy of 12 Stones to the recording.
McCoy makes it sound more like a duet. His rapping answers back to Lee’s vocals and lines. If you started with this version, you wouldn’t know it was squeezed in late on. McCoy didn’t get much acknowledgement at the time; it was very much seen as an Evanescence song. Even though the rap add-in made the difference in getting the song on the radio.
The song was hugely successful for Evanescence, reaching number one around the world won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance. Some criticised a sexist rationale behind McCoy’s inclusion.
Lee herself was more philosophical, later admitting “God bless the rap, it’s part of what got us on the radio, I guess.” But still taking the chance to re-record the song without McCoy and the rap on a later album.
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