Stop Draggin' My POLL Around: 80s and 90s pop-rock male/female duets

write-in vote for "Against All Odds"

no "Almost Paradise" or "Surrender to Me" eh

Inspired by watching an interminably long Tom Petty documentary that discussed the creation of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."

Note I am trying to limn a category that is distinct from "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" (which is too 70s to count), or the mighty fine Marvin Gaye ballads (which I know were discussed years ago, but I couldn't find it). The glurgy "Time of my Life" type movie ballads were adequately discussed here: endless paradise: the '80s movie-soundtrack weepy duet slow dance at the prom poll. Of those, I made an exception only for "Up Where We Belong." I have excluded "Somewhere Out There" and other animated-movie theme duets.

For me, the Nicks duets are undeniable classics, with "Stop Draggin'" as a clear winner. But then I recall that the Henley duets were shrewd acts of cross-marketing in addition to mostly being solid songs. The only reason I might consider preferring "Leather and Lace" is that "Leather and Lace" invites an amusing mental picture of the two of them erotically cross-dressing: think shaggy Don Henley prancing about in frilly lace Stevie panties. I choose to believe that that happened. This thought adds a measure of levity to these trying times.

xp And I see that DJP has already pointed out the glaring omission of "Against All Odds," which (though it is a movie ballad) def should have been on there.

wait – did DJP mean "Separate Lives," which is a duet?

I don't like either Petty-Nicks duet. "Stop Draggin'" is generic blues pop, and "Leather and Lace" is mediocre kitsch, blemished by the thought of Don Henley crying and scared.

'Don't Give Up' by miles.

I meant the duet version of "Against All Odds" two of my friends did in a high school talent show

lol

(I may have subconsciously been thinking of "Separate Lives" but I still stand by my vote for the reason given; it was a bomb-ass performance)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjejqJVUYOU

"Islands in the Stream" has the best chemistry.

Don't Give Up, on the spinny platform

BTW I confess I was fooled too on "Against All Odds" and may also have been thinking of "Separate Lives." "Against All Odds" is a better song in any case. I do not regret leaving off "Almost Paradise," which is glurgier and more movie-soundtrack-bound than "Separate Lives" and "Up Where We Belong" put together.

Oh and please also note that I am not including "Don't You Want Me," which while technically a duet does not fit the theme, in which artists who are known in their own right collaborate for a song that is presented as a cross-marketed one-off release.

The male/male duets like "Ebony and Ivory" and "The Girl Is Mine" are yet another category, though they appeared alongside these in the Casey Kasem era that I am preoccupied with here.

Tribute-album stunt duets on standards, like those on Red Hot and Blue (cf. the one hunangarage just posted), as well as "Fairytale of New York" may be still another pollable category. These were not presented alongside mainstream Kasem-era pop.

"Stop Draggin'" is generic blues pop

https://media4.giphy.com/media/ac7MA7r5IMYda/200_s.gif

strong list! voting don't give up

I doubt they will get the ilx love, but I do retain a soft spot in my heart for the Smyth/Henley songs. The melancholic sophistopop Henley of The End of the Innocence needed something else to counter his monotony and Smyth's cutesy/ragged delivery worked well on those tunes.

Duets were often a good career move for both halves, in the Kasem era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBX97E_QmsI

^ I like this song

yeah I like the melody in "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." That song sat at #2 for weeks – one of the last huge boomer hits.

of the ones here, voted Dolly & Kenny.

but
PETER CETERA & AMY GRANT - The Next Time I Fall

John Strange2 months ago
I wish I were strong enough to not have fallen instantly in love with Amy Grant every time I've seen this video for the last 30 years, but I'm not, and I'm okay with it.

^^^ is the most otm thing I've ever read on youtube

Ooh, another one I'd forgotten about. I like Amy Grant quite a lot, but cannot abide Cetera in any form.

"nothing's gonna stop us now" kinda fits in here even though it's just male and female vocals and not technically a duet.

Additional write-in for "U Got the Look".

xp: They sing together on the chorus.

yeah, i was thinking it wouldn't count b/c it's a band and not two solo artists.

oic

another one that sort of fits here, unless non-singles don't count: paul westerberg/johnette napolitano "my little problem." one of the only things i like about the last replacements album.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBCWLhlJV0Y

That's 'Retha Franklin. You don't remember Queen of Soul?

WHEN THE MOUNTAIN AWS HIGH

Aw, that one was fun too. I think the 1991 Nat/Natalie Cole posthumous duet of "Unforgettable" should have some kind of honorable mention.

I think what I'm getting at is that duets were EVENTS back then. Nowadays it seems so much more common for artists will collaborate, there's comparatively little sense of surprise. Hard to imagine a combination that would be surprising. Punch Brothers featuring 2 Chainz, yawn. Skrillex feat. Celine Dion, meh, whatever.

wait does Skrillex sing? because if so I want to hear him sing with Celine IMMEDIATELY because lols like that only come around once in a lifetime

The Power of Dub

I feel compelled to note that the truly abysmal 'We've Got Tonight' was massive crossover success.

ugh that song. had a woman I was seeing briefly want me to sing this with her.

stopped seeing her

(not cos of that request, mind you)

But if it had been, you would have our full support.

"Endless Love" (Riche/Ross, 1981) is good in the karaoke room.

of the options this is a tough call between Islands in the Stream and Don't Give Up, for me. The latter has probably been more emotionally affecting for me, but the former has the power of Barry Gibb's songwriting behind it, and is just better constructed/more interesting.

i saw michael mcdonald perform "on my own" recently and it was exquisite, so that

I have fond memories of Austin/Ingram's "Baby Come To Me"

ooh that's a good one

Oh yes. Ingram's timbre is perfect and I recall there's a nice snaky guitar line as well.

"Islands in the Stream" - Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, 1983

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

voted Excellent Birds but also on the c90:
Linda Ronstadt And Aaron Neville - Don't Know Much

Voted "Don't Give Up" but "Islands in the Stream" is a very close second.

voted for Dolly-Kenny.

Voted Dolly-Kenny

i'm so in love with the phrasing, and the way it gets slowly more heightened til it's like a kind of love-frenzy

this song is pretty much perfect to me

I'm a secret fan of Peter Cetera & Cher's "After All"

something about the chorus, idk

https://youtu.be/LXfWCqI3AUg

I was going to sit this one out but VegemiteGrrl has convinced me to vote for Islands

:D

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Wow, I did not expect anything like that result.

DON: Well, yeah.