These Vocal Duets of the 80’s Prove It Really Was the Golden Age of Duets: Part 2
Here’s part two of my special recollections and research on the top vocal duets of the 80s. In this post I will feature the remaining four music genre categories:
Country / CountryPop Crossover
Rock / PopRock / Arena Rock
PopFunk / Contemporary R&B
Movie Theme Duets
Please enjoy the playlist and the lists below — and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. If I missed one of your favorite duets, let me know! There were amazing duets in the 70s and 90s too, but the 80s, at least in my humble opinion, stands apart for its sheer volume and diversity of unforgettable collaborations.
Part 2: Country / Country-Pop Crossover
Songs that connected Nashville, pop radio, and adult contemporary audiences.
Year Song Artists
1982 You and I Eddie Rabbitt & Crystal Gayle
1983 We’ve Got Tonight Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
1983 Islands in the Stream Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
Personal Perspective
These songs have a warmth and sincerity that transcends genre. Even listeners who aren’t country music fans often find themselves drawn to these recordings because the stories feel genuine and universal. I personally love Country music because the music is very real and authentic, as is the emotional connections Country artists make with their fans and audiences. It’s no surprise that these Country artists easily crossed over into the Adult Contemporary and Pop charts with these duets.
Rock / Pop-Rock / Arena Rock
Duets driven by rock energy, attitude, and vocal personality.
Year Song Artists
1981 Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around Stevie Nicks & Tom Petty
1985 It’s Only Love Bryan Adams & Tina Turner
Personal Perspective
The magic of these duets comes from contrast. These singers don’t blend so much as they collide — and that friction creates something unforgettable. The result is often more electrifying than perfect harmony could ever be. Both of these songs are remarkable in their own ways, but my personal favorite collaboration is Bryan Adams and Tina Turner. I’ve admired both of them for years, and It’s Only Love became an instant classic thanks to their explosive vocal chemistry and rocksolid songwriting. Honestly, any song Tina Turner touches turns into a rock anthem — but add Bryan Adams into the mix and it’s an absolute no-brainer.
Pop-Funk / Contemporary R&B
Perhaps the most stylistically distinctive duet category of the decade.
Year Song Artists
1987 U Got the Look Prince & Sheena Easton
Personal Perspective
No other artists on this list sound quite like Prince and Sheena Easton. These recordings capture the adventurous spirit of late-80s pop and R&B and remind us how much fun a duet can be. On the surface who would’ve ever thought that Sheena Easton the Pop Princess could enter the Pop-Rock-Funk music realm of His Purple Highness, Prince, but their collaboration expanded Sheena Easton’s audience base and produced a number of solo hits for her that were produced by Prince. This was a collaboration made in heaven.
Movie Theme Duets
The soundtrack category produced some of the decade’s most enduring recordings. Many of these songs enjoyed lives far beyond their films and became staples of adult contemporary radio, weddings, concerts, and talent showcases.
Year Song Artists Film
1981 Endless Love Diana Ross & Lionel Richie Endless Love
1982 Up Where Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes An Officer and a Gentleman
We Belong
1984 Almost Paradise Mike Reno & Ann Wilson Footloose
1985 Separate Lives Phil Collins & Marilyn Martin White Nights
1986 Somewhere Out Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram An American Tail
There
1989 After All Peter Cetera & Cher After All
Personal Perspective
This may be the strongest category from a purely emotional standpoint. Movie duets often had the advantage of being tied to memorable scenes, but these songs endured because they stood on their own as great recordings.
Taken together, this collection is a remarkable snapshot of how important duet recordings were to Hollywood and popular music during the 1980s. Many of these songs remain standards for singers performing romantic ballads and showcase pieces today.
I had the rare chance to witness the power of “Up Where We Belong” up close when Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes performed it at the Tokyo Music Festival in March 1983, the same year I competed. Just a month later, the song went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. If you’d like to read my personal recollection of meeting Joe Cocker during that unforgettable week in Tokyo, you can find it in this section of my blog or directly at this link: https://www.kevin-i.com/blog/rememberingjoecocker/kevini.
This wraps up my recollections of the top duets of the 80s.
I hope you enjoyed remembering these notable songs and add them to your playlists or just access my publicly available Spotify playlist on my Kevin I. artist page. Just look for Playlist #6 — it includes all the duets I researched, plus my duet with Charlene. And when my upcoming duet with Rachel is released later this year, I’ll add it to the playlist as well.
Please also feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. And if I missed one of your favorite duets from the 80s, let me know!
Listen to “Hold Me Thru Tomorrow”, written and performed by Kevin I. and Charlene on Spotify!