Since i am banging my head against the wall trying to write this 2 persony song (sometimes called a duet i believe), i figured i’d make a post spotlighting some completely awesome duets. Maybe it might help me.
My problem is that the damn track i’m making is a conversation between two people a.) over a neverending game of cards, so there’s that action packed angle going on and b.) one of them can’t actually speak. He only picks up country and folk radio stations. He can only communicate by quickly putting snippets of various songs together. So a sentence is maybe 3 words of one song, 2 of another, and 3 more of another.
The upside to this is that it’s very inventive and i can totally pull it off. The downside is that it’s also insane and REALLY bloody difficult and how do you even start to approach this? Plus i want this to be in a kind of victorian chamber piano music style (except the “choruses” or breaks, where we segue to the police state outside which is more industrial music-ish…. probably with a 3rd voice singing an entirely different contrasting plot line….)
All right. Just…. just trust me. I’ll figure this out. In the meantime some my favorite duets of all time.
1. Shane MacGowan and Kristy MacColl: Fairytale Of New York
This is the greatest duet ever by anybody. Everyone is entitled to their opinion except in this case where if you disagree you are wrong. Period.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwHyuraau4Q&feature=related]
2. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John: Summer Nights
Meanwhile, on the opposite end of the spectrum in Cheeseland, we have a song that is so cheesily awesome that even if you have dedicated your life to taking heroin and making glow int he dark heavy metal posters of death, this song STILL makes you happy. Unless you suck.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJUrt0O7uY]
3. Ella Fitzgerald and Louie Jordan: Baby It’s Cold Outside
I mean come on. This is more classic than classic. Timeless and i sing it a thousand times every winter.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPpAngstmt4&feature=related]
4. My. Favorite. Love. Song. EVER.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czs58qZZ780]
5. Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue : Where The Wild Roses Grow
WHO saw this pairing coming? And yet it is awesome and dark as hell. It befits both of them.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chF244LWWqg]
6. Elton John & Kikki Dee: Don’t Go Breaking My Heart
CHEESE TIME AGAIN! Damn, this song make me shake mah bottay Every. Single. Time.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwJ_XuAgMNM]
7. Iggy Pop & Debbie Harris: Well, Did You Evah!
I have very fond memories of the awesome Cole Porter Tribute album Red Hot and Blue. And this song and pairing kicks ass. Punks playin’ it posh.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjejqJVUYOU]
8. Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush: Don’t Give Up
It’s a classic.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJWurqWTeSk]
9. Barabara Streisand & Neil Diamond: You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
Yeah, really. Seriously. This makes me completely weepy. It’s… i just can’t resist it. It plays and i just… say what you will, this bloody song is f****** kryptonite.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAgZnLMdGIo]
10. Freddie Mercury & David Bowie: Under Pressure
I have never, ever had this song come on the radio and not thought “Holy shit, this song f* rules.” End of story.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtrEN-YKLBM]
