The 1980s were a golden stretch for two voices sharing one song. Film soundtracks, pop superstars and country crossovers all pushed duets to the top, and radio played them constantly.
Some of these records came from partnerships that made sense on paper. Others paired people who had no obvious reason to share a microphone. The nine below reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 or the UK singles chart.
“Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie (1981)
This one started as a studio accident of the best kind. Queen and Bowie were both in Montreux, Switzerland, in 1981, and the song grew out of a jam session. It reached number one in the UK.
American listeners were slower to catch on, since it peaked around number twenty nine on the Hot 100 at the time. Its bass line has since become one of the best known in pop, and it was famously sampled on Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” in 1990.
“Endless Love” by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie (1981)
Lionel Richie wrote this ballad for the Brooke Shields film of the same name. He sang it with Diana Ross, and the pairing of a Motown legend with the Commodores’ lead singer clicked immediately.
The single spent nine weeks at number one on the Hot 100. That made it one of the longest running chart toppers of the decade.
“Ebony and Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder (1982)
McCartney used a piano keyboard as a metaphor for racial harmony, and he brought in Stevie Wonder to sing it with him. The song came from his album Tug of War. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number one in the US and the UK.
In America it held the top spot for seven weeks. Critics were often lukewarm about the lyric, yet the public kept buying it.
“Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (1982)
Cocker’s raspy growl and Warnes’s clear, bright voice made an unlikely blend, and it worked. The song was written for the film An Officer and a Gentleman. It reached number one on the Hot 100 and stayed there for three weeks.
It also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Its writers were Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Will Jennings.
“Islands in the Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (1983)
The Bee Gees’ Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb wrote this song, and Barry Gibb produced the album it appeared on. Rogers and Parton turned it into a crossover event. It reached number one on the Hot 100 and also topped the country chart.
Part of the appeal was how easy the two sounded together. Parton and Rogers went on to be linked in the public mind for decades, and the song remains a fixture at weddings and karaoke nights.
“Say Say Say” by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson (1983)
Two of the biggest names in music joined forces on this upbeat single from McCartney’s album Pipes of Peace. It reached number one in the US and stayed there for six weeks. A lavish music video helped keep it in heavy rotation.
It was a second number one duet for McCartney within about a year. The song also arrived at a peak for Jackson, who was riding the wave of Thriller.
“Separate Lives” by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin (1985)
Written by Stephen Bishop for the film White Nights, this was a heartbroken ballad about a couple parting. Phil Collins sang it with Marilyn Martin. It went to number one on the Hot 100 in late 1985.
The song earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song. For Martin, who was not a household name, it was a career defining moment.
“I’ve Had the Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (1987)
This was the climax of the film Dirty Dancing, and it quickly outgrew the movie. Bill Medley, formerly of the Righteous Brothers, sang it with Jennifer Warnes. It reached number one on the Hot 100 in late 1987.
The track won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a Grammy. Franke Previte, John DeNicola and Donald Markowitz wrote it, and it still turns up in pop culture today.
“I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” by Aretha Franklin and George Michael (1987)
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, was paired with the young British pop star George Michael on this uptempo single. It reached number one in both the US and the UK. It was her only UK number one.
In America, it was her second chart topper on the Hot 100, after “Respect” two decades earlier. The song also earned a Grammy nomination, and it remains a high point of her later career.
