Dazzling Duets By Dynamic Duos: The 1990s

Here's part 2 in a 4-part series featuring classic duets. These songs are all from the 1990s, which may very well be the best decade in history for duets – in my opinion, at least. How many of these do you remember fondly?  ~  JH

1)  Tim McGraw & Faith Hill  ~  "It's Your Love"  (Something about a love song sung by real-life lovers – a husband and wife, in fact – makes it all the more…lovey-dovey? Maybe so, maybe not. But this is a cute song either way.)

2)  Céline Dion & Andrea Bocelli  ~  "The Prayer"  (It doesn't get much more powerhouse than this. Great song by two all-time greats.)

3)  Luther Vandross & Mariah Carey  ~  "Endless Love"  (This rendition and the Lionel Richie/Diana Ross version are both outstanding. Instead of choosing between one or the other, I decided to include them both. The original song will appear in the '80s edition of this series.)

4)  Brandy & Monica  ~  "The Boy Is Mine"  (Catty? Oh, yes! Enjoyable? Absolutely!)

5)  John Mellencamp & Me'Shell Ndegeocello  ~  "Wild Night"  (This song brings back some memories. Why? Because MTV played the crap out of it back in '94 or '95. And for good reason – it's a fun song!)

6)  Reba McEntire & Vince Gill  ~  "The Heart Won't Lie"  (I can't remember whether someone suggested this song, or if I just found it. Either way, it's a good one.)

7)  Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole  ~  "Unforgettable"  (Ah, the power of technology! Natalie Cole sang this iconic duet with her father who, at the time, had been dead for a quarter of a century. And she won three Grammys for it, to boot!)

8)  Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey  ~  "When You Believe"  (Remember The Prince Of Egypt? That animated musical movie about the Exodus from the late '90s? Yeah, me neither. But I do remember this song from its soundtrack quite well.)

9)  Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black  ~  "When I Said I Do"  (Here's another sweet love song by a real-life husband and wife. I wonder how many wedding ceremonies or vow renewals included a rendition of this song?)

10)  Anita Baker & James Ingram  ~  "When You Love Someone"  (I'm sure James Ingram has had a nice solo career, but I know him best for the classic duets he's a part of. This is one of those. Another classic duet of his will appear in the '80s post.)

11)  Michael Jackson & Janet Jackson  ~  "Scream"  (Stop pressurin' me! I'm trying to think of something original to say about this classic brother-sister duet.)

12)  Barbra Streisand & Bryan Adams  ~  "I Finally Found Someone"  (I remember this movie not at all. The song, however, is still good some 15-20 years later.)

13)  Tony Bennett & k.d. lang  ~  "Moonglow"  (Oh, look! Another Tony Bennett duet! Yeah. What's your point? It's good, isn't it?)

14)  Céline Dion & Peabo Bryson  ~  "Beauty And The Beast"  (If James Ingram is the king of duets, then Peabo Bryson is the emperor. This is just one of three great songs on which Peabo teamed up with [better-known] singers in this post alone.)

15)  Elton John & George Michael  ~  "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"  (This is actually an older song of Elton John's, but George Michael covered it live and brought Elton onstage to sing it with him in the '90s, and the live version became a smash hit. And why not? It's pretty awesome!)

16)  Patty Smyth & Don Henley  ~  "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough"  (This song will sound every bit as good fifty years from now, and will probably be better then than most songs on the radio. It's sad that some folks today may never have heard it before, or may have even forgotten it exists. Don't be one of those people!)

17)  Youssou N'Dour & Neneh Cherry  ~  "7 Seconds"  (This is one of those nifty songs I discovered years and years after it was released, and I like it. Do you remember it from when it came out originally?)

18)  Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville  ~  "All My Life"  (Great song by a great couple of singers.)

19) Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle  ~  "A Whole New World"  (Don't you DARE close your eyes!)

20)  Céline Dion & R. Kelly  ~  "I'm Your Angel"  (I forgot about this song. I liked it then, and I still do. Take a listen!)

21)  Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight  ~  "Love Is"  (This is another great collaboration that I'd forgotten about. Amazing stuff!)

22)  Whitney Houston & CeCe Winans  ~  "Count On Me"  (CeCe gives Whitney a run for her money here, and that's saying a LOT!)

23)  Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men  ~  "One Sweet Day"  (I looked it up, and apparently this does count as a duet, even though one of the two "artists" is a vocal group. Either way, I would have included it because it's fantastic!)

24)  Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack ~   "Tonight I Celebrate My Love"  (I was singing Peabo's part of this song at the top of my lungs in the shower yesterday morning, after having heard it a couple of days before. Is that TMI?)

25)  Céline Dion & Clive Griffin  ~  "When I Fall In Love"  (This is a timeless classic that deserves multiple listens. But for now, why not at least give it one?)

Dazzling Duets By Dynamic Duos: 2000 To The Present

Here's part 1 of what will be a 4-part series featuring...well, exactly what the title says...Dazzling Duets by Dynamic Duos. There were so many good ones to choose from that I decided to break the posts up by time periods. These songs are from the past 15 years. The 2nd post will be all 1990s songs, the third will be '80s songs, and the final post will be songs released before 1980. Why did I decide to do the posts from newest to oldest? Because, frankly, as good as these songs are, the duets just get better and better the longer ago they were. Enjoy!  ~  JH

1)  P!nk & Nate Ruess  ~  "Just Give Me A Reason"  (This is one of my personal favorites among these. The lyrics, their voices, it's just perfect!)

2)  Gotye & Kimbra  ~  "Somebody That I Used To Know"  (Another "instant classic" here. The first time I heard this song, I found myself yelling at the radio: "Who is THAT? I have to KNOW!")

3)  Rihanna & Mikky Ekko  ~  "Stay"  (Powerful song!)

4)  Needtobreathe & Gavin DeGraw  ~  "Brother"  (I've heard this song on the radio a bunch of times, but I honestly didn't know it was a duet – or that there was a duet version of it – until a Facebook friend suggested it for this series. Love it!)

5)  Céline Dion & Ne-Yo  ~  "Incredible"  (Here's one I hadn't heard before researching for this post. Two very different artists with...well...incredible voices, plus there's a giraffe in the video? Count me in!)

6)  A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera  ~  "Say Something"  (There are no words for how I feel when I listen to this song. Well, here's one word: Breathtaking!)

7)  He Is We & Owl City  ~  "All About Us"  (When I first came up with the concept for this series, it was supposed to be duets between two different solo artists...in theory. But I've already broken that rule with the Needtobreathe and A Great Big World songs above, and there are a few other songs that "break the rules" which absolutely belong here, so I'm letting go of this arbitrary rule from here on out.)

8)  Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga  ~  "The Lady Is A Tramp"  (You'd think a lady who goes by "Lady" would be reticent to sing a song by this title. But when the lady is "Gaga" all bets are off!)

9)  Jordin Sparks & Chris Brown  ~  "No Air"  (I know, I know, we're all supposed to hate Chris Brown because he beats women up. I'm not condoning his behavior by including this song here; I'm including it because it's good. Simple as that!)

10)  Jay-Z & Alicia Keys  ~  "Empire State Of Mind"  (I wasn't sure when adding this if vocal/rap combos counted as duets or not. Then I decided since this one is composed of almost equal parts of each that this song certainly does count.)

11)  Shakira & Rihanna  ~  "Can't Remember To Forget You"  (Both of these singers appear elsewhere in this post. When the songs are good, repeating artists is absolutely okay.)

12)  Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood  ~  "Remind Me"  (Whomever suggested this song for inclusion in this series [was it you, Penny?], thank you. I had only heard it once before and had forgot it existed. It's a good one!)

13)  Taylor Swift & Ed Sheeran  ~  "Everything Has Changed"  (I adore this song. And I'm a big fan of both of its singers.)

14)  Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow  ~  "Picture"  (An odd pairing of quite-different artists resulted in a modern classic. Somebody knew what they were doing.)

15)  Beyoncé & Shakira  ~  "Beautiful Liar"  (These two highly accomplished pop singers complement each other nicely as a duo.)

16)  Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat  ~  "Lucky"  (I love both of these artists individually, but especially so on this song that pairs their wonderful voices together.)

17)  Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor  ~  "Come What May"  (I've loved this song ever since I first saw Moulin Rouge, the musical from which it derives. So much so that it was sung as part of our wedding ceremony.)

18)  John Mayer & Katy Perry  ~  "Who You Love"  (These two love who they love for a little while [and sometimes each other[, then they love somebody else. Serially. But it's a good song.)

19)  Brad Paisley & Alison Krauss  ~  "Whiskey Lullaby"  (Thank you for suggesting this one, Amy. It's a gem!)

20)  Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová  ~  "Falling Slowly"  (Haven't seen the movie, but I bet I'd like it. Because I just LOVE this song. Thanks, Jenny, for the suggestion!)

21)  Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse  ~  "Body And Soul"  (Let's face it: Tony Bennett would sound good with anybody. But pair him with one of the best neo-soul singers in the past 15 years and you have a song for the ages. This one.)

22)  Keith Urban & Miranda Lambert  ~  "We Were Us"  (We've had a Nicole Kidman sighting – two in one post, actually – so why not have her hubby, Keith Urban, make an appearance as well? Nice tune, too.)

23)  Nelly & Tim McGraw  ~  "Over And Over"  (Talk about your oddball duets. But it's actually not bad. Just unexpected is all.)

24)  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss  ~  "Please Read The Letter"  (Every song I've heard from these two together has been excellent. This song is just one of the more memorable ones.)

25)  Robbie Williams & Nicole Kidman  ~  "Somethin' Stupid"  (Here's the other Nicole Kidman sighting. And a cute song it is, too. It's actually a cover song of one Frank Sinatra did with his daughter, Nancy, in the '60s.)

Songs About Going

Here's the other half of that last "Opposites" music  post I promised you. Those were "Coming" songs, and these are "Going." So enjoy 'em before they're gone for good! Or something like that...  ~  JH

1)  Fall Out Boy  ~  "Sugar, We're Goin' Down"

2)  Evanescence  ~  "Going Under"

3)  Dizzee Rascal ft. Robbie Williams  ~  "Goin' Crazy"

4)  Brad Paisley ft. Dolly Parton  ~  "When I Get Where I'm Going"

5)  Marvin Gaye  ~  "What's Going On"

6)  Mary J. Blige  ~  "Goin' Down"

7)  Canned Heat  ~  "Going Up The Country"

8)  Ella Eyre  ~  "Going On"

9)  Dave Matthews Band  ~  "Where Are You Going?"

10)  Kenny G  ~  "Going Home"

11)  Dixie Chicks  ~  "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me"

12)  The Jam  ~  "Going Underground"

13)  Phil Collins  ~  "Going Back"

14)  Daniel Truhitte & Charmian Carr  ~  "Sixteen Going On Seventeen"

15)  Eels  ~  "I'm Going To Stop Pretending That I Didn't Break Your Heart"

16)  Sade  ~  "When Am I Going To Make A Living?"

17)  Dire Straits  ~  "Where Do You Think You're Going?"

18)  Ledisi  ~  "Goin' Thru Changes"

19)  P.O.D.  ~  "Going In Blind"

20)  Cream  ~  "We're Going Wrong"

21)  Mariah Carey  ~  "Do You Know Where You're Going To?"

22)  Joe Jackson  ~  "Is She Really Going Out With Him?"

23)  Queen  ~  "I'm Going Slightly Mad"

24)  Amos Lee ft. Pete Townshend  ~  "What's Been Going On"

25)  Gaither Homecoming ft. Bill Gaither  ~  "Going Home"

BONUS TRACK:  Cyndi Lauper  ~  "What's Going On"  (This is a cover of Marvin Gaye's iconic song [above], but Cyndi put her own unique mark on the song, and it too merits a spot in this collection.)

Songs About Coming

This is yet another entry in my ongoing "Opposites" music post series. Here's a bunch of great songs with the word "Coming" in their titles. Next time, it'll be a bunch of songs with "Going" in their titles. Enjoy!

BLOGGER'S NOTE:  I previously did an "Opposites" post featuring songs with the words "Come" and/or "Go" in their titles, but as I used exclusively those particular conjugations of the words, I did not at that time include any "Coming" or "Going" songs – and there are plenty of good ones. Thus, the follow-up post – albeit a couple of years later.  ~  JH

1)  U2 & Green Day  ~  "The Saints Are Coming"

2)  Céline Dion  ~  "It's All Coming Back To Me Now"

3)  Korn  ~  "Coming Undone"

4)  Skylar Grey  ~  "Coming Home, Pt. II"

5)  Foster The People  ~  "Coming Of Age"

6)  Paolo Nutini  ~  "Coming Up Easy"

7)  Dum Dum Girls  ~  "Coming Down"

8)  Kaiser Chiefs  ~  "Coming Home"

9)  Damn Yankees  ~  "Coming Of Age"

10)  Carly Simon  ~  "Coming Around Again"

11)  Green Day  ~  "Coming Clean"

12)  Leon Bridges  ~  "Coming Home"

13)  Eurythmics  ~  "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"

14)  Paul McCartney & Wings  ~  "Coming Up"

15)  'Til Tuesday  ~  "Coming Up Close"

16)  Pink Floyd  ~  "Coming Back To Life"

17)  Cheryl Cole ft. Joel Compass  ~   "Coming Up For Air"

18)  Napoleon XIV  ~  "They're Coming To Take Me Away"

19)  Belle & Sebastian  ~  "I Didn't See It Coming"

20)  Three Dog Night  ~  "Eli's Coming"

21)  Gloria Estefan  ~  "Coming Out Of The Dark"

22)  Nate Ruess  ~  "What This World Is Coming To"

23)  Cass Elliot  ~  "The Good Times Are Coming"

24)  Keira Knightley  ~  "Coming Up Roses"

25)  Ozzy Osbourne  ~  "Mama, I'm Coming Home"

BONUS TRACK:  Patti Lupone  ~  "Everything's Coming Up Roses"