17 Iconic Music Couples and The Songs They Inspired (2024)

June Carter was born into a musical family, performing with the Carter Family as early as age 10. She met singer Johnny Cash in 1950 backstage at the Grand Ole Opry, their first duet came in 1964 with "It Ain't Me Babe." The two performed together for years before Cash proposed in front of a live audience in 1968.

"I got you babe," sang the famous couple in their first hit song as a folk-rock duo in 1965. While Sonny Bono wanted to launch Cher as a solo artist, Cher preferred him to sing with her to help combat her stage fright.

Yoko Ono played wife and muse to the Beatles' John Lennon after meeting in London in the early 1960s. The artist and musician inspired several songs for The Beatles', and Lennon's solo career who wrote odes to his wife like, "Oh Yoko!"

Houston and Brown were a classic case of good girl falling in love with the bad boy. The couple met at the Soul Train Awards in 1989 and exchanged vows in 1992. The same year the two worked on a duet, "Something in Common," for Brown's fourth solo album. After Brown's troubles with the law and substance abuse issues, the couple separated in 2007.

The Hole and Nirvana band leaders met in 1990 in the underground rock music scene in Portland, and married in Hawaii two years later. Soon thereafter, Love discovered she was pregnant with their first child—a photo from the first sonogram was used in the CD booklet for Nirvana's single "Lithium." Cobain also wrote a song on Nirvana's final studio album "In Utero," before Cobain passed away album entitled, "Heart-Shaped Box" inspired by a gift from Love.

After meeting at a Bad Boy Records photo shoot, Faith Evans married Christopher Wallace also known as the Notorious B.I.G. in 1994, right before his career took off with his debut album— included a song, "One More Chance," that Evans leant vocals to. After B.I.G.'s murder in 1997, Evans produced and sang on a tribute song "I'll Be Missing You" which became a number one song on music charts worldwide.

Sean Combs also known as Puff Daddy helped Jennifer Lopez put together her debut album, "On the 6" in late '90s. However, after 2 years of dating, Combs and Lopez went their separate ways after Combs fell into some trouble with the law.

"You don't have to say, what you did, I already know, I found out from him. Now there's just no chance, for you and me, there'll never be," Timberlake sang on his first solo hit, "Cry Me a River," inspired by his 2002 breakup with pop princess Britney Spears.

Jessica Simpson and Nicky Lachey were teenagers when they met on the pop music scene—they recorded a duet "Where You Are," for her debut album in 1999. Their 2002 nuptials also landed them their own reality show, Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica.

Hill and McGraw are a bonafide music power couple—and have collaborated on several award-winning romantic songs inspired by their relationship including, "It's Your Love" in 1998 and "Let's Make Love" in 2001.

The couple met in a London club in the earl 00's and collaborated on her 2004 club hit, "Paper Planes," but fame got the best of them—M.I.A. was quoted post-breakup saying that Diplo (real name Wesley Pentz) felt threatened by her success.

After singing backup on his song "Home" in 2005, the country duo fell in love, and wed in 2011 where Shelton wrote and serenaded his new bride with a song titled, "Let's Grow Old Together."

First they were "Crazy in Love," (the first hit single off Knowles' debut solo album "Dangerously in Love") but with a successful marriage and child under their belt, Beyonce and Jay-Z followed up that 2004 song with "Drunk in Love" in 2013.

"You seem like you'd be a good dad," Stefani sang in No Doubt's 2000 song "Simple Kind of Life" about Gavin Rossdale whom she met while her band No Doubt was on tour with his band, Bush. Turns out Stefani was right, the couple have 3 children together.

Gomez and Bieber dated for almost 3 years, with a rocky ending. While Bieber sang, "I know I was wrong, but you could have said 'goodbye' baby," in his 2013 single "Bad Day," fans still hope for a "Jelena" reunion.

The on-again-off-again couple that have been linked together since 2012, are reportedly working on a song together.