Male/female duets with lots of taking turns?

February 11, 2005 1:06 PM

A friend of mine is teaching someone to sing, and is looking for well known popular songs with male / female duet. Think Sonny and Cher's `I got you babe', and you're in the right sort of area. Some singing together, but plenty of separate male / female singing going on. Any recommendations?
posted by tomble to Media & Arts (41 answers total)

Elton John / Kiki Dee singing "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" and Stevie Nicks / Don Henley "Leather and Lace" are the first two that come to mind.
posted by grateful at 1:17 PM on February 11, 2005

Don't Go Breaking My Heart
You're The One That I Want
We've Got Tonight [good as a duet and not all Bob Seger]
Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Paradise By The Dashboard Light is probably not what you're looking for but it's what I thought of first
posted by jessamyn at 1:18 PM on February 11, 2005

Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - Up Where We Belong
Lionel Richie and somebody - Endless Love
Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton - Islands in the Stream
Any hit by the Carpenters
posted by grateful at 1:22 PM on February 11, 2005

OK. I have to stop now - I'm embarrassing myself.
posted by grateful at 1:23 PM on February 11, 2005

Baby It's Cold Outside is a standard.
posted by tommasz at 1:25 PM on February 11, 2005

Does it have to be upbeat or will ballads do as well?

Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong
Almost Paradise
I've Had The Yime Of My Life

All cheesy, but plenty of separate male/female parts.
posted by LeeJay at 1:25 PM on February 11, 2005

Leather and Lace
Cruisin from the Duets soundtrack is a good one
Picture by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow
posted by spicynuts at 1:26 PM on February 11, 2005

OK, OK, one more - here's a seemingly exhaustive list of karaoke CD's of just duets.
posted by grateful at 1:27 PM on February 11, 2005

You're The One That I Want

I can't think of any specific recommendations (natch), but showtunes are probably your friends in this case. Lots of duets and back'n'forth type songs.

Let's Call the Whole Thing Off. There's one.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 1:28 PM on February 11, 2005

Comin' Around from The Revolution Starts Now by Steve Earle. It's a very sweet duet (with Emmylou Harris on the album).
posted by handful of rain at 1:30 PM on February 11, 2005

I would have to say = Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand's duet "You Don't Bring Me Flowers"
posted by Quartermass at 1:32 PM on February 11, 2005

Boom chick b-boom chick
Boom chick b-boom chick
Bum bum ba-dum bum, BUM bum bum BUM;
Bum bum ba-dum bum, bum BUM bum bum
Bum bum ba-dum bum, BUM bum bum BUM;
Bum bum ba-dum bum, NANA nana nanabum

You were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar, when I met yo-ou...

please forgive me
posted by Aknaton at 1:36 PM on February 11, 2005

Do musicals count? If so, there are millions, but a good one is "Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better", from "Annie Get Your Gun."

"I can knit a sweater!"
"I can fill it better!"
"I can drink my liquor, faster than a flicker"
"I can do it quicker, and get even sicker..."
posted by GaelFC at 1:40 PM on February 11, 2005

Some Disney standards are pretty nice male/female duets., including A Whole New World (Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, not that Jessica/Nick mess) and Beauty and The Beast (Peabo Bryson (again) and Celine Dion.)

Disney's Karaoke Series - Duets is pretty neat too. If they're in to that childish sorta thing, of course.
posted by icontemplate at 2:06 PM on February 11, 2005

"Next Time I Fall" - Peter Cetera and Amy Grant
"Phantom of the Opera" from Phantom of the Opera
"Another Day" from Rent
"Separate Lives" - Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin
"A Whole New World" - Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle
"It's Only Love" - Bryan Adams and Tina Turner
posted by SisterHavana at 2:10 PM on February 11, 2005

Forgot a couple:

"Somewhere Out There" - Linda Rondstadt and James Ingram
"I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" - George Michael and Aretha Franklin
posted by SisterHavana at 2:13 PM on February 11, 2005

I Knew You Were Waiting by George Michael and Aretha
Franklin (on preview - beaten to the punch)

&

Friendship by Cole Porter

F: If you ever catch on fire, send a wire
M: If you ever lose your teeth and you're out to dine; Borrow mine
D: It's friendship, friendship
Just a perfect blendship
When other friendships have ceased to jell
Ours will still be swell.

posted by Navek Rednam at 2:15 PM on February 11, 2005

• Otirs Redding and Carla Thomas, "Tramp"
• The Pogues (with Kirsty MacColl), "Fairytale of New York"

posted by kirkaracha at 2:19 PM on February 11, 2005

oh man!

HUMAN LEAGUE - DON'T YOU WANT ME BABY?

yeah! synthpop duet!
posted by fishfucker at 2:20 PM on February 11, 2005

damn it. aknaton already got it.
posted by fishfucker at 2:20 PM on February 11, 2005

From the B'way trove:

Friendship
Well, Did You Evah?
All Through the Night (all three Cole Porter)

An alto and a "second soprano" (i.e. or a baritone and an alto/soprano) could also sing "If Mama Was Married" from the musical Gypsy.

If the female is a soprano or thereabouts, the range of Broadway duets opens up even wider, including for instance "People Will Say We're in Love" from Oklahoma! and the like.

There's also the delectable "A Little Priest" from my all-time favorite musical, Sweeney Todd. But, you know, such fare is not for the faint-hearted. (Also a funny male/female duet, but also definitely for a soprano, is "Oh Happy We" from Candide (my second-favorite musical!).
posted by melixxa600 at 2:22 PM on February 11, 2005

It Takes Two (Tina Turner & Rod Stewart)
Suddenly (ELO feat. Olivia Newton-John & Cliff Richard from the Xanadu soundtrack)
Don't Touch Me There (The Tubes)
Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
Where Is The Love? (Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway)
A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock & Roll (Donnie & Marie Osmond)
Goodness Gracious Me (Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren)
posted by nicwolff at 2:27 PM on February 11, 2005

Some Velvet Morning (Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood)
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:45 PM on February 11, 2005

Gershwin: "They can't take that from me."
posted by TeamBilly at 3:52 PM on February 11, 2005

On my Own (Michael McDonald and Patti LaBelle)
posted by sophie at 4:12 PM on February 11, 2005

PST's mention of Some Velvet Morning reminds me (I don't know why, but it does) to mention Bonnie and Clyde by Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot (or the remake by Dean Wareham of Luna and Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab).
posted by matildaben at 4:13 PM on February 11, 2005

So were talking about duets and nobody has yet mentioned the quintessential karaoke trainwreck...
Summer Lovin'
and in order to save my cred a bit after that I'd probably suggest "I've seen it all " as performed oh so fabulously by Bjork and Thom Yorke. (as found on the recent Bjork iTunes Originals)
posted by Restlessavenger at 4:26 PM on February 11, 2005

I'll Never Tell
posted by cillit bang at 4:34 PM on February 11, 2005

Stop Draggin' My Heart Around
Islands in the Stream
Endless Love
You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore
Leather and Lace
Up Where We Belong
posted by picklebird at 4:54 PM on February 11, 2005

More 80s!

Sex (I'm a)

Fascination

Obsession

posted by Aknaton at 4:58 PM on February 11, 2005

"We met at nine."
"We met at eight."

"I was on time."
"No, you were late."

"Ah yes! I remember it well."
posted by Guy Smiley at 5:26 PM on February 11, 2005

Einstürzende Neubauten - Stella Maris.

First thing I thought of.
posted by kenko at 5:38 PM on February 11, 2005 [1 favorite]

My mother has a 2-disc compilation album of cheesy love duets, conveniently entitled "Duets." Although I can't find a link to the album itself, here are some of my favorite tracks from the album.

"Friends and Lovers" - Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson
"Can't We Try" - Dan Hill and Vonda Shepard
"You and I" - Eddie Rabbit and Crystal Gayle
"Baby, Come to Me" - James Ingram and Patti Austin
"Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" - Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack

Please don't ridicule me too much. :)
posted by LouMac at 7:05 PM on February 11, 2005

it's unbelievable that nobody has nominated "What Have I Done To Deserve This?" by Pet Shop Boys and Dusty Springfield.

...You're all straight, aren't you.
posted by logovisual at 9:37 PM on February 11, 2005

Haunted (by the ghost of your precious love) - Shane Macgowan And The Pogues (with Sinead O'Connor)
posted by crack at 10:12 PM on February 11, 2005

"You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma," written by David Frizzell, is one of the forgotten classics of early eighties country music. Frizzell recorded it with Shelly West of "Jose Cuervo" fame.
posted by Clay201 at 11:14 PM on February 11, 2005

Anything by The Mates of State.
posted by andendau at 11:17 PM on February 11, 2005

"Anything you can do, I can do better...."
"You say tomahto, I say tomayto, let's call the whole thing off"

I'd suggest looking at 40s and 50s movie musicals for similar treasures-- check the Cole Porter/Stephen Sondheim songbook.

and in order to save my cred a bit after that I'd probably suggest "I've seen it all " as performed oh so fabulously by Bjork and Thom Yorke

Not to mention "The Mess We're In", also performed oh so fabulously by PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke (from her album Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea).
posted by jokeefe at 11:33 PM on February 11, 2005

Pure cheese!
posted by thinkpiece at 11:49 AM on February 12, 2005

Not necessarily a male/female duet (although Aimee Mann and her husband did a cover of it), but the Beatles' "Two Of Us."
posted by kimota at 8:21 AM on February 13, 2005

Anything by Nino Tempo and April Stevens, especially the sublime "Deep Purple".
posted by TiredStarling at 10:04 PM on February 13, 2005