Music may bring people together in weird ways, but it’s always successful in doing so.

Musicians are known for their creativity. But there are times we can’t help but question their work, especially when they collaborate with other artists. We begin to wonder what the hell were they thinking. However, there are those exceptions where artists have proved that they’re artists for a reason. Here are a few collaborations that defied the odds of random pairings:

1.The Foo Fighters ft. Nora Jones – Virginia Moon

The rockers teamed up with Jones for this track for the bands Featuring album. Nora’s smooth voice gave a great feel to the track and the song overall was a great change from the band’s more headbanging tunes.

2. Nelly ft. Tim McGraw – Over and Over

This is one collaboration we did not ever expect to do so well. Everyone went WTF when this collaboration was announced but the song has become an iconic moment of two very different genres working out in a pretty seamless manner. Besides, its catchy AF!

3. Tony Bennett ft. Lady Gaga – The Lady Is A Tramp

Gaga, at that time, was known for her over the top costumes and provocative songs while Tony Bennett has been known for his smooth jazz success. When he had his collaboration album with various artists, Gaga shone with her powerful vocals and complemented Tony so much that they later recorded a jazz album together.

4. Deadmau5 ft. Gerard Way – Professional Grievers

People were grieving the breakup of Way’s band “My Chemical Romance” but he recorded a track for the DJ’s album soon after. The track was a great blend of the punk rocker’s lyrics and the thumping beats. But we’ll never know if this was a tribute to the heartbroken fans world wide.

5. Alicia Keys and Jack White – Another Way To Die

The fact that this song was the title track for the Bond movie “Quantum of Solace” doesn’t diminish the fact that it was amazing. White’s trademark drums creating the perfect mood for the anticipated action and Alicia’s soul tone made it a collaboration people still talk about.

6. Greenday and the cast of American Idiot – 21 Guns

Who would have thought that this band would work on a Broadway production based on their songs? The cast surpassed all expectations and Billie Joe sounds like a completely different person. Plus the background vocals never fail to give us goosebumps. Also check out their live performance together at the Tony Awards too.

7. Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney – FourFiveSeconds

We weren’t shocked that Rihanna collaborated with Kanye, seeing that they have in the past. But McCartney was a huge surprise. Although he doesn’t sing on it, his backing vocals and influence on the track is obvious. The song was an over night hit along with another song he did with Kanye called “Only One”.

8. Linkin Park with Steve Aoki – A Light That Never Comes

Another rock collaboration that was unexpected. Numb has been the ultimate song of all our emo phases in school (don’t deny it, it’s true) but Linkin Park’s constant evolving sound never fails to impress. This track has Aoki roots so deep we would have thought that it was produced entirely by him only using Chester Bennington’s vocals. Colour me impressed.

9. Snoop Dogg ft Willie Nelson – My Medicine

This is by far the most wackiest song even I’ve ever heard! Not gonna lie, its not that bad. It’s slightly humourous but retains Snoop’s slightly provocative lyrics. Its quite enjoyable and will surely be a hit with the parents who won’t even know that the song is by a rapper.

10. Joe Jonas ft. Lil Wayne – Just In Love

This Jonas brother too started a career after splitting up with his band of brothers. He released a solo album and people were shocked to see the teen heartthrob’s album slapped with an explicit content mark. Lil Wayne provide a verse for the remix of the song and we must stay its good. Jonas now has an even better career as the lead singer for DNCE.

11. Kanye West ft Bon Iver

Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon was featured on this track that includes a lot of auto tuning but surprisingly suits the folk singer on it. The beats are infections when his voice hits the high notes and is particularly calming to the listener. Well, maybe Kanye is a musical genius after all!