4 Rock Songs Where My Favorite Musician Isn’t Even a Band Member

Part of what makes certain rock songs so good is the band itself. If the group gels with one another and falls into a groove, their music is far more likely to resonate with their audience. But sometimes, the most impactful moments in a rock band’s career come from a non-band member entering the fold and offering their talents to these songs.

Take, for example, these four iconic rock songs, all of which feature non-band members who, in my humble opinion, are the best parts of the songs.

“Have A Cigar” by Pink Floyd

The evolution of “Have A Cigar” speaks to the growing tensions between songwriters David Gilmour and Roger Waters. This cynical number was, of course, a Waters tune. It was also out of the bassist’s vocal range. The song was technically in Gilmour’s range, but he disagreed with the snarky sentiment of the track and didn’t want to sing it. Thus, session vocalist Roy Harper came into the studio and laid the vocals down instead. Harper’s delivery is spot-on: a bit sinister, a little condescending, and with just the right amount of rasp to fit into the rest of the tracklist featuring Gilmour on lead.

“Gimme Shelter” by The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” is a powerful song in its own right. But I would argue that the track wouldn’t have nearly as much intensity or passion had it not been for a pregnant Merry Clayton willingly going to the studio in the middle of the night, in a bathrobe with curlers in her hair, to record her backing track. In fact, “backing” seems too pejorative a description for Clayton’s contribution to the song. Listening to her isolated vocals from that session, the authenticity of Clayton delivering those words as a Black woman far outweighs what an entire rock ‘n’ roll band could produce.

“Battle Of Evermore” by Led Zeppelin

Robert Plant has one of the most versatile and expansive voices in all of rock ‘n’ roll history. He has always had full command over the highest part of his vocal range, which might have included the part that Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention sang on “Battle Of Evermore” from Led Zeppelin IV. Recording technology would have allowed Plant to overdub a second vocal part. But the airy quality that Denny brings to this lighter Led Zeppelin track gives it an otherworldliness. There would have been some delicacy lost had Plant tried to cover all the parts on his own.

“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks

Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers had a rough demo of “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” when producer Jimmy Iovine convinced Petty to let Stevie Nicks use the song instead. She was putting together her solo debut, Bella Donna, and the Heartbreakers’ slinky, Southern-rock groove was exactly what she was looking for. Unbeknownst to the band, Nicks used Petty’s scratch vocal and turned the song into a duet. With the Heartbreakers still on the backing track, it sounds as though Nicks was sitting in with the band. Of course, that would have gone against Tom Petty’s rule that there were to be no girls in the Heartbreakers.

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