10 Best Selling Love Duets

Time and again we will be awestruck by the lines on a song aired on the radio or played on TV. I have here 10 of the best selling love duets which may help you refresh your memory just in case you need some break out of mental block owing to too much blogging. I hope you will like them.

You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (1978)– Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond

Originally a song written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman for an ill fated TV show, it was later unfitted to be performed and Neil Diamond and other contributors expanded the song. This song made a hit for Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand making it to the top of Billboard Hot 100 Chart in 1978. The song took the # 1 slot on the Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks in December of the same year.

With You I’m Born Again (1979)- Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright

This song immortalizes the successful team up of Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright. It had been the former’s biggest hit in 5 years and the latter’s biggest pop hit in her career. The song became an international hit for the two making it to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and # 2 on the UK singles chart. Syreeta Wright died of congestive heart failure in July 2004 as a result of chemotherapy and radiation treatments owing to breast and bone cancers. Billy Preston died of complications of malignant hypertension that resulted to kidney failure in June of 2006.

I Can’t Help It (1980)– Olivia Newton John and Andy Gibb

This song duet between Olivia Newton John and Andy Gibb made it to # 12 in US charts and # 8 as Adult Contemporary single in the US the same year it was released. Andy died 10 March 1988 of myocarditis after a planned reunion with his brothers in joining Bee Gees.

Suddenly (1980)– Olivia Newton John and Cliff Richard

This song was actually the theme song for the movie Xanadu. This was rendered as a duet with Olivia Newton John and Cliff Richard with lyrics written by John Farrar. The song has positively achieved market success making it to # 15 in the UK and # 20 in the US the same year it was released.

Up Where We Belong (1982)- Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (From an Officer and a Gentleman)

This song was the theme for the 1982 movie “An Officer and a Gentleman” and performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes. Released the same year, it became # 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in November and stayed there for 3 weeks. This song won the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1983. A Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group was also granted to Cocker and Warnes for the rendition of the song.

Islands in the Stream (1983) – Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

Originally written by the Bee Gees, this song was performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton as a duet country and pop single in 1983. It eventually gained two times platinum in the US and eventually was ranked # 1 song of the year in 1983.

All of You (1984) –Julio Iglesias and Diana Ross

Included in Julio Iglesias’ album “1100 Bel Air Place” released in 1984 which sold 8 million copies worldwide, this song also made it to # 19 in US Billboard Hot 100, #2 in US Adult Contemporary Chart, # 38 in US Hot R&B/ Hip Hop Songs and # 43 in UK Singles Chart on the same year.

On My Own (1986) – Michael Mc Donald and Patti LaBelle

Released in 1986, this song duet by singers Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald was part of the former’s platinum album titled “The Winner in You”. The feature of this duet was that the parts for both singers were recorded separately and only “married” through mastering. Despite of this the result was flawlessly achieved accounting for the song’s success making it at #1 on Billboard magazine pop for 3 weeks, #2 in the UK singles chart and eventually as the 22nd best-selling single of 1986 in the UK.

Friends and Lovers (1986) – Glora Loring and Carl Anderson

Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson stunned the world with this song duet back in 1986. Loring being a singer actress and a cast in the TV soap opera “Days of our Lives” and Anderson best remembered for a part played in the rock opera “Jesus Christ Superstar”. The two performed the song as required in a scene at “Days of Our Lives” which popularized it among viewers before it was officially released commercially as part of Gloria Loring’s self titled album (after being turned down by most recording studios). The song remained on Top 40 for 14 weeks and made it to # 1 on Billboard sales chart. Carl Anderson died after a long time battle with leukemia in 2004.

Especially for You (1988)- Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan

This song was included in Jason Donovan’s 1989 debut album titled “Ten Good Reasons” and later on Kylie Minogue’s US version of her second album “Enjoy Yourself”. The song stayed at #2 for 4 weeks during Christmas of 1988 and rose to #1 in 3 weeks in early 1989.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Especially_for_You

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends_and_Lovers_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_My_Own_(song)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio_Iglesias

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islands_in_the_Stream

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Gibb

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Newton-John

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_Where_We_Belong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/With_You_I'm_Born_Again

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Don't_Bring_Me_Flowers_(song)