5 Defining Duets Of The '80s That Made Magic

The concept of duets has been around for a long time, but something happened in the 1980s that took things to a whole new level. Be they power ballads, moody hair metal tunes, or dance classics, some duets of this era went beyond just a couple of people singing in a room together. Through an alchemical reaction of talent, star power, hard work, and the more-than-occasional dose of good luck, these team-ups between '80s greats created something beautiful. 

Practically all were chart-toppers in at least one country, if not several, but magic doesn't really happen via commercial sales, no matter what a record producer might say. Truly iconic duets balance the talents of all participants, though some of these collaborations showed that to be an uneasy state — these stars didn't typically get to where they were by being shy and retiring. And when it all worked out, the result wasn't a matter of simple addition, but another equation entirely that multiplied and amplified some of the best voices of the decade. What else could you call it when Aretha Franklin teamed up with George Michael, or Queen with David Bowie? The results have become such favorites that chances are good your own playlists have at least one or two (if not all) of these powerhouse duets.

You might think you sound pretty good singing in the shower, but could you stand up to a duet with the Queen of Soul herself? Don't worry — even George Michael, who possessed a soaring voice of his own, was shaking in his boots at the thought of collaborating with Aretha Franklin. But collaborate he did, on 1987's "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)." Though he was initially overwhelmed by the idea of working with Franklin, he found that she treated him like a fellow singer and musician. "I was nervous. I knew that Aretha would get the melody and then take it all over the place, which sounds great, but the thing also needed tying down," Michaels wrote in his memoir (via Metro). "We did end up doing the chorus together," he said in a 2014 interview. "I'm standing there just freaking out."

Franklin quite liked his work, too; during a backstage interview following a 1988 Detroit performance, she spoke of their connection. "There is a very good chemistry onstage, between the two of us," she said. In other interviews, she repeatedly spoke of her respect for Michael, his artistry, and his work ethic.

That sort of ineffable chemistry was also apparent in the track itself, which rocketed to the tops of both the U.S. and U.K. charts. It's got the energy of both stars working for it, with a bright, poppy beat and Franklin's tremendous voice in particular making it stand out from the duets of the decade.

One of the most towering duets of the '80s began when Queen was recording their latest album in Montreux, Switzerland, in the early '80s. David Bowie stopped in to say hello and, after some socializing, the group began improvising together, with bassist John Deacon (perhaps Queen's most underrated member) coming up with the song's iconic bass riff. After a break, they returned to the studio, with Bowie stepping in to correct Deacon. He had nearly forgotten the riff, to be fair, but this still speaks to the rather audacious way Bowie had begun insinuating himself into the process. He even insisted on calling the song "Under Pressure" rather than the original "People on the Streets."

The initial thought was that Bowie would sing backup on one track, but that became an entire song made using a cut-and-paste technique in which tracks were made by artists who could only hear themselves. That led to an uncomfortable tension between Bowie and lead singer Freddie Mercury. Guitarist Brian May told Mojo magazine that "it was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us [...] It's a great song, but it should have been mixed differently. Freddie and David had a fierce battle over that" (via Far Out). 

Still, "Under Pressure" topped charts in 1981 and became an iconic '80s track. Queen road crew chief Peter Hince (who also worked with Bowie) even said that Bowie recorded other songs with Queen, but these were never released. "There's stuff with Freddie and David singing together — proper full-length rock 'n' roll tracks," he said, wondering if unanswered legal questions barred their public debut (via The Guardian).

Back in 1971, a young Lita Ford attended her first concert. It was to see Black Sabbath, making her 1989 collab with Ozzy Osbourne on "Close My Eyes Forever" all the more meaningful. The fact that it scored No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the biggest hit of either artist's solo career (while also establishing Ford as a legendary female guitarist of the '80s) didn't hurt, either. The finished song takes you right back to being a moody teen who was a bit too cool for George Michael ... but not Ford's ripped jeans or Ozzy's fluffy hair.

The key person: Sharon Osbourne, then Ford's manager and Ozzy's wife. Ford got hold of a partially complete Ozzy-penned song and wanted it for her 1988 album, "Lita." He flew to Los Angeles to finish the track and let Ford have it. Then, Sharon asked Ozzy to record the song as a duet. "So I must have done like five million masters," he told Esquire, "but it turned out okay and I was pretty happy with the end result and she was." 

At the studio, as Ford told Sweetwater, Ozzy "came up with the idea for the song, and we went into this little closet-type area where we had an amplifier and a guitar and a keyboard setup. And we stayed in this little area until the sun came up ... and we came out with 'Close My Eyes Forever.'" She worried that Sharon, who had left by then, wouldn't be too happy with the all-nighter. But, given the success of the track, any ill will was surely forgotten. 

What do you get when you bring together the Bee Gees, Kenny Rogers, and country-pop superstar Dolly Parton? A duet that's stood the test of time for decades now. Written by Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb, "Islands in the Stream" took its title from a posthumously-published Hemingway novel, though the song's content is arguably more cheerful. 

As for the genre mashup, Barry Gibb explained to Billboard that the country music connection wasn't so weird, given his childhood in Australia. "Country music in Australia in 1958 was rock 'n' roll," he said. He maintained that "Islands in the Stream" was originally written for Diana Ross, though brother Robin Gibb claimed elsewhere that it was composed with Marvin Gaye in mind.

Kenny Rogers was ultimately brought in to record it ... but somehow it wasn't clicking. Luckily enough, Parton was in the Los Angeles studio at the same time Rogers was working on the song, so the spur-of-the-moment decision to invite her (at Barry Gibb's suggestion) was easily answered. The addition of Parton proved a genius move, bringing her electric charisma and establishing the song's playful back-and-forth. "Islands in the Stream" became a No. 1 Billboard single in 1983 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Parton and Rogers regularly collaborated thereafter, not just performing their hit multiple times, but also co-recording a Christmas album, filming a holiday special, and releasing even more duets.

The soft-rock anthem "Up Where We Belong" was created for the 1982 film "An Officer and a Gentleman" and even won best original song at the 1983 Oscars. But, it wasn't always a sure bet. At first, some worried that using singer Jennifer Warnes alone would make for a vanilla song with no impact. So, they brought in Joe Cocker, known for his unique gravel-voiced take on rock and blues songs.

Writing for Billboard, Warnes said she'd long been a fan of Cocker yet agreed that it was an odd team-up, considering their disparate vocal styles and also some off-center looks for their 1983 Oscars performance. "[T]hey dressed me in taffeta, Joe in a suit, it was crazy. We looked like two prom kids," she said. But she respected Cocker tremendously, especially his improvisational vocal skills.

However, some people really didn't like this track. Record producer Chris Blackwell, then in charge of Island Records, was so opposed to "Up Where We Belong" that Cocker stopped working with the label. Meanwhile, it was nearly cut from the soundtrack, and a few radio stations reportedly declined to play it at first. Admittedly, it is the kind of song you might have half-heard while pushing a cart through Kmart or sitting in the dentist's waiting room. Yet, some were clearly taken by its dreamy lyrics, as it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Since then, the duet has come to stand as an example par excellence of the genre-changing power ballad, making it a hallmark of the decade regardless of personal taste.