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Dolly Parton and Dionne Warwick -

Two musical legends joined forces to shake up the heavens with their incredible voices in 2023. Dionne Warwick revealed that she and country music icon Dolly Parton were working on a gospel duet during an appearance on 'Tamron Hall' in January. "She sent me a song that she wanted me to record. And I said, 'OK, that sounds like a deal.' And she's such a sweetheart, I know her," Warwick explained. "And then she sent me another song, the one that we're going to be doing as a duet. A gospel song called 'Peace Like a River.' She wrote it." Warwick added, "I am very excited about this, I really am. I've done so many duets over the years, but this one's gonna be very special," she added. Their powerful collaborative effort was released in February. 

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Britney Spears and Elton John -

Britney Spears made a triumphant return to the music world in 2022 with a truly historic collaboration. Spears teamed up with Elton John to record a joyful dance hit through a mash-up of his songs 'Tiny Dancer' and 'The One.' Their creation, called 'Hold Me Closer,' was released on August 25 to rave reviews.  The single has it all - a thumping bass line, John's airy piano notes, and delightfully auto-tuned vocals from two of the biggest stars in music history. 

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Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett -

Tony Bennett is one of the last survivors of the golden era of jazz and swing. His 2006 album 'Duets: An American Classic' and the follow-up, 'Duets II' (2011), featured duets with a host of international singers, with both receiving critical acclaim. He garnered particular praise for his collaborations with Lady Gaga featured on the album 'Cheek to Cheek' (2014); the two performers toured together to promote the album throughout 2014 and 2015. Of note is their rendition of 'Anything Goes,' which has become a YouTube favorite.

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Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton -

Regularly cited as one of the most memorable musical duets ever conceived, 'Islands in the Stream' was first performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton in 1983 for Rogers' album 'Eyes That See in the Dark.' It was penned by the Bee Gees.

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Diana Ross and Lionel Richie -

'Endless Love' is another evergreen duet, a mournful ballad written in 1981 by Richie and recorded with fellow R&B legend Diana Ross. It's since been covered as a duet by other singers, including Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey.

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David Bowie and Mick Jagger -

Music legends David Bowie and Mick Jagger teamed up in 1985 for a video performance of the old Martha and the Vandellas' hit 'Dancing in the Street,' which was broadcast during the Live Aid concert at Wembley in London. The pair duetted again the following year at the Prince's Trust Birthday Party gig, also hosted at Wembley.

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George Michael and Stevie Wonder -

Throughout his career, George Michael performed several memorable duets with a whole host of music stars, notably Aretha Franklin on 1987's 'I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).' He also paired up with Mary J. Blige in 1999 for their version of 'As,' written and originally recorded by Stevie Wonder. Two years earlier during the VH1 Honors gig at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, Michael had teamed up with Wonder to duet on 'Living for the City.'

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Ariana Grande and Barbra Streisand -

Ariana Grande joined Barbra Streisand on stage in Chicago in 2019 to perform 'No More Tears (Enough is Enough).' Streisand originally recorded the track in 1979 as a duet with Donna Summer.

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Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes -

Popular music duets are often recorded as part of a movie soundtrack. So it was in 1982 that Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes teamed up to sing 'Up Where We Belong' for the Richard Gere romantic drama 'An Officer and a Gentleman.' The track was a huge worldwide hit.

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Philip Bailey and Phil Collins -

Phil Collins of Genesis and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind & Fire scored a big hit with 'Easy Lover,' released in late 1984. The pair are seen in 2010 in New York dusting down the track for old time's sake.

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John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John -

Written by Australian music producer John Farrar for the 1978 movie 'Grease,' 'You're the One That I Want' is a duet performed by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John during one of the film's set piece scenes. The song went Platinum in the US and remains a karaoke favorite.

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Jay-Z and Alicia Keys -

Included in multiple critics' top 10 list of the best songs of 2009, 'Empire State of Mind' brought Jay-Z and Alicia Keys together to create a modern-day Big Apple anthem.

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Beyoncé and Shakira -

The 2007 collaboration between Queen Bey and the Colombian singer produced the commercially successful 'Beautiful Liar,' which melds Beyoncé's hip-hop and R&B styles with Shakira's Latin and Arabic flourishes.

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Elton John and Kiki Dee -

A 1976 duet by Elton John and fellow English singer Kiki Dee, 'Don’t Go Breaking My Heart' was written by John's long-term collaborator Bernie Taupin. Catchy and upbeat, it became a surprise hit and marked the first no. 1 single in the UK for both John and Kiki Dee.

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Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash -

One of the most exciting musical pairings of the 1960s was the duet performed by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash of 'Girl from the North Country,' a song Dylan originally recorded in 1963. The pair sang the track together on the 'Johnny Cash Show,' broadcast on June 6, 1969.

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Beyoncé and Madonna -

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Beyoncé created a remix of her 'Renaissance' hit single 'BREAK MY SOUL' with the one and only, Madonna. Titled 'BREAK MY SOUL (THE QUEENS REMIX),' the song samples Madonna's iconic 1990 hit 'Vogue.' Madonna shared a photo of the flowers Beyoncé sent to her along with the thank you note, which read, "I'm so grateful for you. You have opened so many doors for so many women. You are a masterpiece genius. Thank you for allowing me to sing in your song and thank you for naming the remix." The Queen of Pop responded with the caption "Thank you!! From one [queen] to another. I love the re-mix!" 

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Jennifer Lopez and LL Cool J -

Jennifer Lopez was joined by rapper LL Cool J on 'All I Have,' which was subsequently released in December 2002 as the second single from her third studio album, 'This Is Me... Then.'

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Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush -

'Don't Give Up' was prompted by a nervous breakdown its creator Peter Gabriel experienced, compounded by a newspaper article he read about a mother who took her own life together with that of her child by jumping out of a high-rise apartment building. He recorded the song as a duet with Kate Bush, who also appears in the memorable promotional video.

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Rihanna and Ne-Yo -

Taken from her third studio album, 'Good Girl Gone Bad' (2007), 'Hate That I Love You' has Rihanna expressing her bewilderment at the powerful hold love can have over people by way of directing her lyrics to Ne-Yo, who replies accordingly.

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Stevie Nicks and Don Henley -

Written by Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, 'Leather and Lace' appeared on her 1981 solo debut studio album, 'Bella Donna,' with Eagles' drummer and co-lead vocalist Don Henley on the other mic. Nicks enjoyed a brief fling with Henley in the mid-1970s while still in a tumultuous relationship with Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham.

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Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey -

The supposed rivalry between these two divas quickly evaporated after 'When You Believe' was released. The song featured in the 1988 musical animated movie 'The Prince of Egypt.' Houston and Carey performed the song at the Academy Awards and on the 'Oprah Winfrey Show.'

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Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli -

Canadian singer Celine Dion and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli both recorded two solo versions of 'The Prayer'—in English by Dion and Italian by Bocelli—for the 1998 film 'Quest for Camelot.' They later performed the song live as a duet at a number of concerts and events, including Grammy and Academy Award ceremonies.

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Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney -

The former Beatle joined forces with the "King of Pop" for two duets, 1982's 'The Girl Is Mine' and 'Say Say Say,' released in 1983. The pair fell out big time in 1985 when Jackson obtained the publishing rights to the majority of the Beatles back catalogue for US$47 million from parent company ATV—a move McCartney considered an unforgivable betrayal of trust.

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Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand -

Released in 1978, 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers' was a track released by Neil Diamond from his album 'I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight.' Streisand subsequently covered the song on her album 'Songbird.' These recordings were spliced together by enterprising sound engineers at different radio stations, creating unofficial duets. The result so impressed music executives that the pair were brought back into the studio to record an "official" duet.

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RUN DMC and Aerosmith -

On paper a seemingly unworkable clash of style and attitude, 'Walk This Way' was nonetheless a massive international success for rockers Aerosmith and hip-hop outfit RUN DMC. Written by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry back in 1975, it was covered in 1986 by RUN DMC before the idea of a rap-rock duet brought the two acts together for a memorable fusion of heavy metal and quick-fire vocal delivery.

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Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra -

During 1960's 'Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis' TV special, which took place at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami, Florida, Sinatra performed a swinging 'Love Me Tender' while Elvis did his version of the standard 'Witchcraft,' a hit for "Ol Blue Eyes" in 1957. It was Presley's first televised appearance following his military service in West Germany.

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Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé -

Originally released in 1987 and one of the biggest hits of Freddie Mercury's solo career, 'Barcelona' is a duet performed by Queen's front man and operatic soprano Montserrat Caballé. The track was rereleased in 1992 after being featured at that year's Summer Olympics, which was hosted in the Catalan capital.

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Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell -

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell were noted for several duets they performed together in the 1960s, especially 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough' in 1966 and 'Your Precious Love,' released the following year. Terrell's life and career was tragically cut short in 1970 after succumbing to cancer.

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UB40 and Chrissie Hynde -

In 1985, a version of the Sonny & Cher classic 'I Got You Babe' was recorded by British reggae-pop band UB40 and the Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. They took it to number one on the UK Singles Chart, while it peaked at 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

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Phil Everly and Cliff Richard -

Phil Everly, one half of the enormously successful Everly Brothers, joined British singer Cliff Richard in 1983 to record 'She Means Nothing to Me.' Among the session musicians playing was Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler on rhythm guitar.

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Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong -

Released as a single in 1951, 'Gone Fishin'' was originally recorded as a one-off performance for Bing Crosby's radio show. The delighted reaction of the audience prompted a second studio recording. The duet, delivered in a droll, world-weary manner, describes two pals yearning to escape life's obligations for a day out fishing.

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Ashford & Simpson -

Ashford & Simpson were in fact husband-and-wife songwriting-production team Nikolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. Their 1984 hit 'Solid' peaked at number one on the US Billboard soul chart. At President Barack Obama's 2009 inauguration, the pair rewrote 'Solid' as 'Solid as Barack.' They dedicated it to him at his inaugural festivities. Nikolas Ashford died of cancer in 2011.

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Peaches & Herb -

Herb Fame has performed with several "Peaches," that is to say different female collaborators since the duo was created in 1966. However, it is Linda Greene Tavani, the third "Peaches," who appeared on the duo's biggest hits 'Shake Your Groove Thing' (1978) and 'Reunited' (1979).

Sources: (Far Out Magazine) (Los Angeles Times) (Songfacts) (Stereogum) (Smooth Radio)

See also: Having memory problems? Try listening to music

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