Daily Telegraph


Pop’s 50 Best Duets Ever (Telegraph Arts Supplement 8/11/03)

“It takes two to make it outta sight, Lyn Collins once observed. The duet, it seems is having a renaissance. One of the biggest-selling songs of the year has been Blu Cantrell and Sean Paul’s Breathe, a brilliantly sung conversation on the age-old theme of breaking up. Indeed no rap single these days is complete without a female voice to balance the macho rhyming. That has been the spark for this special Arts+Books, in which our critics attempt to pick the greatest of all time. Does a duet have to be a dialogue? No, we decided – just two voices, one song. That opened up the field to hundreds, of which these are the 50 best. Have we got it right? Let us know at duets@telegraph.co.uk”.

Pop’s 50 Best Duets Ever

Note that in the paper this list was in reverse order.

1. Hazelwood, Lee & Nancy Sinatra – Some Velvet Morning
2. Blige, Mary J & Method Man – You’re All I Need to Get By
3. Gabriel, Peter & Kate Bush – Don’t Give Up
4. Gaye, Marvin & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing
5. Travolta, John & Olivia Newton-John – You’re the One That I Want
6. MacGowan, Shane & Kirsty MacColl – Fairytale of New York
7. Cantrell, Blu & Sean Paul – Breathe (Rap Version)
8. Althea & Donna – Uptown Top Ranking
9. King Louis & Baloo the Bear – Wanna be like You (Jungle Book)
10. Eminem & Dido – Stan
11. Simon & Garfunkel – Sound of Silence
12. Bob & Marcia – Young, Gifted & Black
13. Parsons, Gram & Emmylou Harris – In My Hour of Darkness
14. Harry, Deborah & Iggy Pop – Well, Did You Evah!
15. Astaire, Fred & Ginger Rogers – Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off
16. Cave, Nick & Kylie Minogue – Where the Wild Roses Grow
17. Dylan, Bob & Johnny Cash – Girl from the North Country
18. Brown, James & Lyn Collins – This Guy’s/Girl’s in Love With You
19. Tennant, Neil & Dusty Springfield – What Have I Done to Deserve This?
20. Flack, Roberta & Donny Hathaway – Back Together Again
21. Gaye, Marvin & Kim Weston – It Takes Two
22. Everly Brothers – Let It be Me
23. Bob & Earl – Harlem Shuffle
24. Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe
25. Salt ‘n’ Pepa – Push it
26. Fitzgerald, Ella & Louis Jordan – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
27. Sinatra, Frank & Nancy – Something Stupid
28. Morrissey & Siouxsie Sioux – Interlude
29. Redding, Otis & Carla Thomas – Tramp
30. Kristofferson, Kris & Rita Coolidge – I Never Had it so Good
31. Reed, Lou & Sam Moore – Soul Man
32. Birkin, Jane & Serge Gainsbourg – Je T’aime… Moi Non Plus
33. N’Dour, Youssou & Neneh Cherry – 7 Seconds
34. Beyoncé & Jay-Z – Crazy in Love
35. Almond, Marc & Gene Pitney – Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart
36. Flanagan & Allen – Underneath the Arches
37. Warnes, Jennifer & Bill Medley – (I’ve Had) the Time of My Life
38. Franklin, Aretha & Annie Lennox – Sisters are Doin’ it for Themselves
39. Zappa, Frank & Captain Beefheart – Debra Kadabra (from Bongo Fury)
40. Gaye, Marvin & Tammi Terrell – Onion Song
41. Cash, Johnny & Will Oldham – I See a Darkness
42. Puff Daddy & Faith Evans – I’ll be Missing You
43. Streisand, Barbra & Donna Summer – No More Tears (Enough is Enough)
44. Sexsmith, Ron & Chris Martin – Gold in Them Hills
45. Bowie, David & Freddie Mercury – Under Pressure
46. Busta Rhymes & Mariah Carey – I Know What You Want
47. Bono & Luciano Pavarotti – Miss Sarajevo
48. Harvey, PJ & Thom Yorke – This Mess We’re in
49. Prince & Sheena Easton – U Got the Look
50. Rogers, Kenny & Dolly Parton – Islands in the Stream

Two Awful for Words:

“The duet lends itself to the corny, cheesy, slushy and plain naff – such as these”.

o Minogue, Kylie & Jason Donovan – Especially for You
o Jagger, Mick & David Bowie – Dancing in the Street
o John, Elton & Kiki Dee – Don’t go Breaking My Heart
o Wonder, Stevie & Paul McCartney – Ebony & Ivory
o Williams, Robbie & Nicole Kidman – Something Stupid
o Zeta-Jones, Catherine & David Essex – True Love Ways
o Jones, Tom & Cerys Matthews – Baby, It’s Cold Outside
o Jones, Tom & Kelly Jones – Mama Told Me Not to Come
o LaBelle, Patti & Michael McDonald – On My Own
o Chas & Dave – Rabbit
o Hoddle, Glenn & Chris Waddle – Diamond Lights
o Brian & Michael – Matchstalk Men and Matchstalk Cats and Dogs
o Renee & Renato – Save Your Love
o Cole, Natalie & Nat ‘King’ Cole – Unforgettable1
o Robson & Jerome – Unchained Melody
o Lennon, John & Yoko Ono – (Just Like) Starting Over
o Tricky & Terry Hall – Ghost Town
o Primal Scream & Kate Moss – Some Velvet Morning
o UB40 & Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe
o Caballé, Montserrat & Freddie Mercury – Barcelona
o Mullard, Arthur & Hylda Baker – You’re the One That I Want
o Smith, Mel & Kim Wilde – Rocking Around the Christmas Tree
o Collins, Phil & Philip Bailey – Easy Lover

1 this was particulary unusual as Nat ‘King’ Cole was, at the time of this ‘duet’, dead! (But his body could be heard whirring like a Magimix!).