3 Forgotten Duets Between Legends

Music is full of duets between legends. “Leather And Lace” by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley, “Ebony And Ivory” by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, and “Empire State Of Mind” by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys are just a few times when superstars came together for iconic collaborations. But what about the forgotten duets between legends? Even when superstars are involved, some songs fall through the cracks or simply get lost among the better-known hits.

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“Love Song” by Madonna and Prince

“Are you wasting my time?
Are you just being kind?
Oh, no, baby, my love isn’t blind
Are you wasting my time?
Are you just being kind?
Don’t give me one of your lines.”

Madonna’s fourth album, Like A Prayer, is best known for hits like its title track, “Express Yourself”, and “Cherish”. But if you pull up “Love Song” on Spotify, you won’t see Madonna’s duet partner listed next to her name. Prince co-wrote and produced it with Madonna, and the song recalls his late 80s output heard on Sign O’ The Times. A rare collaboration between two singular artists.

“The Rumour” by Olivia Newton-John and Elton John

“As the rain falls, I listen to the radio
And try to memorize the words to ‘Georgia On My Mind’
But we’re no old song, we never stood the test of time
The lies inside the rumour left trust far behind.”

Elton John and Bernie Taupin wrote the first single and title track to Olivia Newton-John’s 1988 album The Rumour. Even with John singing background vocals, his voice and piano are unmistakable on the recording. This wasn’t as commercially successful as Newton-John’s hits from Grease or “Physical”, but it shows off the genius songwriting duo of John and Taupin. Also, check out the classic John/Taupin bridge—two of the best bridge writers in the business. This is one of the best forgotten duets of all time.

“Girl From The North Country” by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash

“So if you’re travelin’ in the north country fair
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine.”

Maybe not entirely forgotten, but perhaps one you haven’t played in a while, “Girl From The North Country” appears in folk form on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. But Dylan and Cash reworked it as a country version for Dylan’s Nashville Skyline. The slow tempo and lazily strummed guitars frame a song that resembles a drunken conversation between two old friends enamored by the same woman. Dylan’s singing voice changed on the Nashville album, but Cash’s baritone grounds his newly adopted croon like a rambling stranger meeting a new acquaintance.

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