Best 1980s Duet Song
While duets have a long history in popular music, they exploded in popularity during the 1980s. Many were heart-wrenching romantic ballads of lust and loss, others were bombastic declarations of friendship and independence. But if you were a top-tier musical artist of the decade, chances are you had at least one smash hit you shared with another music icon. And now the Great Pop Culture Debate wants to look back at these shared successes as we debate the Best 1980s Duet! Songs discussed include “Islands in the Stream,” “Up Where We Belong,” “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” “Ebony and Ivory,” “Almost Paradise,” “Guilty,” “Endless Love,” “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves,” “Somewhere Out There,” “After All,” “On My Own,” “Easy Lover,” and more.
Join host Eric Rezsnyak and GPCD panelists Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue, and Kate Racculia as they discuss 16 of the most gloriously 80s ballads ever recorded.
Play along at home by finding the listener bracket here. Make a copy for yourself, fill it out, and see if your picks match up with ours!
For more exclusive content, including a warm-up in which we discuss the 80s duets we were bummed didn’t make the bracket, become a Patreon supporter of the podcast today.
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Round 1 Match-Ups:
Not a Patreon subscriber? Here’s a quick rundown on how we came up with the bracket:
Match-Up 1: “Islands in the Stream” by Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers (1) vs. “On My Own” by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald (4)
Match-Up 2: “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” by Al Green & Annie Lennox (3) vs. “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie & Diana Ross (2)
Match-Up 3: “Ebony & Ivory” by Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder (1) vs. “We’ve Got Tonight” by Sheena Easton & Kenny Rogers (4)
Match-Up 4: “Easy Lover” by Philip Bailey & Phil Collins (3) vs. “Almost Paradise” by Mike Reno & Ann Wilson (2)
Match-Up 5: “Up Where We Belong” by Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes (1) vs. “Dancing in the Streets” by David Bowie & Mick Jagger (4)
Match-Up 6: “Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves” by Aretha Franklin & Annie Lennox (1) vs. “Guilty” by Andy Gibb & Barbra Streisand (4)
Match-Up 7: “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes (1) vs. “After All” by Cher & Peter Cetera (4)
Match-Up 8: “Somewhere Out There” by James Ingram & Linda Ronstadt (3) vs. “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” by Aretha Franklin & George Michael (2)
Looking for a playlist featuring the nominated songs, plus additional 80s duet suggestions from our panelists? Here you go:
Want to play along at home?
Download the Listener Bracket and see if your picks match up with ours!
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Episode Credits
Host: Eric Rezsnyak
Panel: Derek Mekita, Jonny Minogue, Kate Racculia
Producer: Bob Erlenback
Editor: Eric Rezsnyak
