Just like Ronnie sang...
August 7, 2013 6:46 AM Subscribe
I know of a couple of duets from the 80s that resurrected old musical careers. Help me find more!
I'm looking to create a playlist of resurrected careers.
In 1987, Dusty Springfield (who hadn't had a US top 100 hit since 1970) hit #2 on the charts duetting with the Pet Shop Boys. In 1986, Ronnie Spector (whose Ronettes hadn't really done anything since 1965) hit #4 as part of a duet with Eddie Money on "Take Me Home Tonight". Aerosmith went 10 years without a top-10 single (reissues of "Dream On" and "Walk This Way" hit the top 10 in 1976) before their performance on RUN-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way" brought them back to the public's attention in 1986. So... what other songs fit this mold? Doesn't need to be specific to any genre; I'm just looking for more songs that made us go "Hey, I remember that guy! He was great!"
I'm looking to create a playlist of resurrected careers.
In 1987, Dusty Springfield (who hadn't had a US top 100 hit since 1970) hit #2 on the charts duetting with the Pet Shop Boys. In 1986, Ronnie Spector (whose Ronettes hadn't really done anything since 1965) hit #4 as part of a duet with Eddie Money on "Take Me Home Tonight". Aerosmith went 10 years without a top-10 single (reissues of "Dream On" and "Walk This Way" hit the top 10 in 1976) before their performance on RUN-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way" brought them back to the public's attention in 1986. So... what other songs fit this mold? Doesn't need to be specific to any genre; I'm just looking for more songs that made us go "Hey, I remember that guy! He was great!"
Sorry, missed the exact question -- and the hit single from Supernatural was a duet with Rob Thomas entitled Smooth.
posted by telegraph at 6:54 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by telegraph at 6:54 AM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: - Cliff Richard and The Young Ones.
- Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox.
- Aretha Franklin and George Michael.
- Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (and also "The Man" on Macca's album).
posted by MuffinMan at 6:55 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
- Aretha Franklin and Annie Lennox.
- Aretha Franklin and George Michael.
- Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (and also "The Man" on Macca's album).
posted by MuffinMan at 6:55 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If you're counting country music, Buck Owens's career was definitely in decline in the 80s (it looks like he was technically still charting in the top 100 on the country charts, but barely), and he had a country number 1 with Dwight Yoakam on "Streets of Bakersfield."
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:57 AM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 6:57 AM on August 7, 2013 [4 favorites]
Best answer: Just a hair after the 80s ended, but Tammy Wynette appeared on the KLF's Justified and Ancient in 1991, which, per Wikipedia went #1 in 18 countries and #11 in the US. I don't think she broke the top 100 in the US since 1970 (other than the country charts, where she remained a staple).
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:05 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:05 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: How about the Art of Noise with Tom Jones's cover of Prince's "Kiss" in 1988? Bit more of a hit in the UK than in the US (#5 vs. #31) but I'm pretty sure it was the first anyone in the US had heard from Tom Jones in a while.
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:07 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:07 AM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: "Chubby Checker and the Fat Boys, we're doin' the twist"
posted by Flunkie at 7:07 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Flunkie at 7:07 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: I think the Fat Boys were also responsible for giving the Beach Boys a boost with their remake of "Wipeout" in 1987. A year later the Beach Boys hit it big for the first time in years with "Kokomo."
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:12 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:12 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Johnny Cash had been dropped from his major label contract for a few years, then (after singing on U2's Zooropa), he resurrected his career with a successful series of recordings with producer Rick Rubin.
posted by googly at 7:19 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by googly at 7:19 AM on August 7, 2013
Roy Orbison was often covered by other musicians throughout the 70s and into the 80s but his career wasn't doing well until he became part of the Traveling Wilburys with Jeff Lynne, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Tom Petty.
"Handle With Care", from Traveling Wilburys Vol 1, released in 1988.
posted by camyram at 7:24 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Handle With Care", from Traveling Wilburys Vol 1, released in 1988.
posted by camyram at 7:24 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Once again, early 90s, not 80s, but would you count Nat King Cole's posthumous remix of "Unforgettable" with his daughter Natalie Cole?
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:25 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by dlugoczaj at 7:25 AM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: Sandie Shaw's career was resurrected (temporarily, admittedly) by her rendition of Hand in Glove with (most of) The Smiths in 1984.
posted by HandfulOfDust at 7:35 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by HandfulOfDust at 7:35 AM on August 7, 2013
Best answer: "Sometimes Love Ain't Enough," sung by Patty Smyth and Don Henley, resurrected Smyth's career, though not as a pop singer but rather as a songwriter. She wrote the song, and it hit the charts in 1992. The following year, she started writing music for movies, and subsequently was nominated for both an Oscar and a Grammy for her work in that field and still works successfully in soundtrack commissions. She never exactly went back to being a pop singer, but that duet with Don Henley after a long dry spell put her on the map again as a songwriter.
"Up Where We Belong," sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, got Joe Cocker's career back on track. He'd been having a rough time of it, both personally and career-wise, and had not had a hit on mainstream radio for quite some time. After that song came out in 1982, it won an Oscar and a Grammy and interest in his work and his lifetime body of work increased. He's been active and beloved in the UK music scene since then.
posted by juniperesque at 7:41 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
"Up Where We Belong," sung by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, got Joe Cocker's career back on track. He'd been having a rough time of it, both personally and career-wise, and had not had a hit on mainstream radio for quite some time. After that song came out in 1982, it won an Oscar and a Grammy and interest in his work and his lifetime body of work increased. He's been active and beloved in the UK music scene since then.
posted by juniperesque at 7:41 AM on August 7, 2013 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Loretta Lynn had quite a comeback after collaborating with Jack White from The White Stripes.
*And fwiw, I love this question.
posted by kinetic at 9:33 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
*And fwiw, I love this question.
posted by kinetic at 9:33 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Bing Crosby's Little Drummer Boy duet with David Bowie in 1982 was Bing's first major hit since the mid-1950s. Of course, it wasn't really a comeback since it was recorded back in 1977, mere weeks before Crosby passed away.
Also, Willie Nelson wasn't getting much radio airplay since the late 1980s (although I'm sure his career of being Willie Nelson was keeping him plenty busy), until he hit #1 in 2002 off his duet with Toby Keith, Beer for My Horses.
posted by drlith at 10:04 AM on August 7, 2013
Also, Willie Nelson wasn't getting much radio airplay since the late 1980s (although I'm sure his career of being Willie Nelson was keeping him plenty busy), until he hit #1 in 2002 off his duet with Toby Keith, Beer for My Horses.
posted by drlith at 10:04 AM on August 7, 2013
Mr. Dynamite, Soul Brother Number 1, The Hardest Working Man in Show Business: Living in America!
posted by TedW at 10:43 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by TedW at 10:43 AM on August 7, 2013
Response by poster: So many great answers!
There's a couple here that don't quite fit was I was looking for[1] - "Living in America" isn't a duet, "Unforgettable" didn't really resuscitate Nat King Cole's career, with with him being dead and all - but still awesome answers.
(Oh, and camyram? I *love* the Traveling Wilburys, thanks for reminding me)
[1] In hindsight, I'm looking for 'careers resurrected by collaborations with New Hotness', not just 'resurrected careers, I suppose.
posted by hanov3r at 11:08 AM on August 7, 2013
There's a couple here that don't quite fit was I was looking for[1] - "Living in America" isn't a duet, "Unforgettable" didn't really resuscitate Nat King Cole's career, with with him being dead and all - but still awesome answers.
(Oh, and camyram? I *love* the Traveling Wilburys, thanks for reminding me)
[1] In hindsight, I'm looking for 'careers resurrected by collaborations with New Hotness', not just 'resurrected careers, I suppose.
posted by hanov3r at 11:08 AM on August 7, 2013
Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne with "Momma I'm coming home" fits the bill in my opinion. Ozzy's career was fizzling before that song with her.
posted by frecklefaerie at 6:21 PM on August 7, 2013
posted by frecklefaerie at 6:21 PM on August 7, 2013
Response by poster: I think you're thinking of 1989's "Close My Eyes Forever". 1992's "Mama, I'm Coming Home" wasn't a duet.
Neither of them really reflect a resurrection of a flagging career,though - Ozzy hit #4 on the US Mainstream charts in '86 with "Shot in the Dark", and "Mama, I'm Coming Home"'s success followed two other singles off that album.
posted by hanov3r at 11:18 AM on August 8, 2013
Neither of them really reflect a resurrection of a flagging career,though - Ozzy hit #4 on the US Mainstream charts in '86 with "Shot in the Dark", and "Mama, I'm Coming Home"'s success followed two other singles off that album.
posted by hanov3r at 11:18 AM on August 8, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by telegraph at 6:53 AM on August 7, 2013 [1 favorite]