The 5 Best Soft Rock Duets Of All Time

One of the most favorable aspects of the soft rock tradition was the unending trove of duets it provided. The greatest soft rock songs of the 1970s and '80s helped set the tone for a more cosmopolitan take on the usual rock fodder. What better format for combining two well-loved singers on a single song that could gain even more traction on two albums instead of just one? It's an art form that faded along with the soft rock genre itself, but it left behind a collection of sensational tunes, the best of which represent some of the most memorable moments in popular music.

Some of our choices, like Lionel Richie and Diana Ross' "Endless Love," are Grammy-nominated Billboard hits, with a few even reaching No. 1 for multiple weeks. Each selection represents the pinnacle of musical craftsmanship by some of the best-known names in the soft rock game. They're not all syrupy ballads, either; a few upbeat picks, such as Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's "You're the One That I Want," challenge the tempo and timbre of the usual soft rock selections. Though the era of the soft rock artist came and went in just a few decades, these unforgettable, power-packed duets ensure that the genre will last indefinitely.

When the blockbuster musical "Grease" returned the '50s spirit to the late-'70s cinema landscape, it came with a souped-up new duet written expressly for the two future-icon leads to share. "You're the One That I Want" paired crossover country and soft rock queen Olivia Newton-John with TV-star-turned-matinee-idol John Travolta, who'd released a few soft rock singles and an album of his own. This thumping new banger lent the film's climax a rousing number that gave both stars a bouncy track to chew on while skyrocketing to No. 1, and it helped the two-LP soundtrack sell tens of millions of copies.

Full of sass and pep that fell right in line with the film's other upbeat sing-alongs, the tune was a last-minute addition hastily crafted by Newton-John's long-time songwriter and producer, John Farrar, to provide a fresher number for the film's final act. It also turned out to be a launching pad for Newton-John's next phase as a musical mover and shaker, leading the wholesome singer to her then-controversial "Physical" single, a song originally intended for Rod Stewart. Newton-John's fiery "Grease" duet showed she was ready to tackle sexier material, proving that not all soft rock duets are fluff pieces. 

The serendipitous path that led Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond to record "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" is the stuff of soft rock legends. Both singers first recorded the tune separately for their individual albums — Streisand for her "Songbird" LP, and Diamond for his album that was named for the song itself. When a radio DJ crafted his own tricky mash-up that turned them into a unified duet, listeners went wild. So Diamond and Streisand went back into the studio to record "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" in the form that became one of the best-known soft rock duets of all time. It appeared on "Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits Volume 2" and was released as a single, which reached No. 1 in December 1978, stayed there for two weeks, and became a signature song for the two Brooklyn-born superstars.

Rather than being a traditional love song, this heartbreaker is a bittersweet admission that the honeymoon is over. "It used to be so natural," Diamond sings, "To talk about forever / But 'used-to-be's' don't count anymore / They just lay on the floor / Till we sweep them away." It was a mature, clear-eyed look at a relationship that's too good to lose but too broken to sustain. The re-recording allowed both singers to add more emotional texture to the lyrics and craft intentional harmonies. 

When Elton John shared the microphone with singer Kiki Dee on "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," soft rock sparks flew. John had produced Dee's first album for his own Rocket Record Company, and the two had toured together, forging a connection that would pay off like few others. The intention was to create a Motown-like duet that captured the legendary label's vintage spirit and lush orchestration. Dee's sweet tones matched John's bluesy jive line for line, providing joyful interplay in a duet about two people professing their deep, soft rock feelings for FM radio listeners everywhere to enjoy.

It has to be one of the most upbeat songs about mistrusting your sweetheart ever written, bopping along with joyous energy even as it lays out the terms of this romantic agreement. "Don't go breaking my heart / I couldn't if I tried," the two sing back and forth, before John makes an admission of his own: "Oh honey if I get restless / Baby you're not that kind." He tries to find reasons for this connection not to work, only to get reassurances at every turn — a clever spin on the usual soft rock back-and-forth love song.  It may seem like peak '70s kitsch to a younger crowd, but it's still sheer delight to anyone who loves a duet delivered with charm and cheekiness, and a No. 1 smash to boot.

The stirring orchestration and intense minor-key melody of "With You I'm Born Again" helped longtime rocker Billy Preston and Motown songstress Syreeta turn out one of soft rock's most captivating — and sensual — duets ever. Preston's serious rock chops (he worked with the legendary Rolling Stones and played keyboards with no less than rock godfathers the Beatles) took a turn for the lush and cinematic, shifting his voice into a silky-smooth tone that feels sophisticated and elegant, a far cry from his funky performances on earlier hits like "Nothing From Nothing" and "Will It Go Round in Circles."

As for Syreeta, though her name may not be as familiar as Preston's, she's something of music royalty, having been married to Stevie Wonder and co-written his No. 1 classic "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)," among other songs. Her angelic voice weaves among the lyrics, swooping and soaring with consummate control. This was by far her biggest hit as a performer, a showstopper that stirs even the most stoic heart thanks to a vocal partnership that transcends time. It's an evocative, poetic exploration of love that should be a wedding playlist staple, if it isn't already.

Both Lionel Richie and Diana Ross were foundational soft rock voices when they launched "Endless Love," the most heart-wrenching musical team-up of the early '80s, into the cosmos and set a new standard for how love songs should sound. It was the theme from the doomed-to-fail romance movie of the same name, and it hit the airwaves like the most magnificent heartbreak ever recorded. Director Franco Zeffirelli requested the song from Richie, initially as an instrumental, then as a vocal song, and ultimately as a duet. The strategy worked; the single reached No. 1 in August 1981 and remained in place for a power-packed nine weeks. Listeners ate up the sweet sonic angst and the heavenly audio swirl of two masters at the top of their respective games.

The original by the OGs is where the magic happens; even a slick remake from Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross couldn't kindle as much fiery soft rock heat as Richie and Ross' rousing classic. Richie even revisited it in 2012 and added a bit of country shading, with Shania Twain filling in for Ross, but it's the original that made an indelible impression on music fans. There's a reason Billboard named that version the best love song of all time.