3 Country Duets From the 80s That Are Not at All Romantic

When people think of country duets, especially in the 80s, most people think of love songs, and with good reason. The decade saw a lot of sweet collaborations, like “Islands In The Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, or Eddie Rabbitt and Crystal Gayle’s “You And I“. But not all duets from the 80s were romantic, including these three remarkable collaborations.

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“Another Honky-Tonk Night On Broadway” by David Frizzell and Shelly West

David Frizzell and Shelly West released several albums together. In 1982, the pair released The David Frizzell & Shelly West album. The record includes “Another Honky-Tonk Night On Broadway”. The song, about drowning one’s sorrows, is written by Steve Dorff, Snuff Garrett, and Milton Brown.

“Another Honky Tonk Night On Broadway” says, “I’m hangin’ in by hangin’ out / ‘Til I drink the night away / ‘Til you find your name in neon lights / I guess you’re gonna have to stay / I’m so tired of sleepin’ all alone / My arms can reach to San Antoine / So tonight’ll be another honky tonk night on Broadway.”

“It Should Have Been Love By Now” by Barbara Mandrell and Lee Greenwood

In 1985, Barbara Mandrell and Lee Greenwood released “It Should Have Been Love By Now”. Written by Jan Crutchfield and Paul Harrison, the song appears on their Meant For Each Other duets project.

The opposite of a love song, “It Should Have Been Love By Now’ is about a relationship that is already over. The song begins with, “It’s never gonna happen, together / It will always be a dream / And we’ve tried to make it so good / And it’s not bad, just somewhere in between / But we’re two hearts going nowhere / ‘Cause we just keep holding on / When we both know we should let go.”

“It Should Have Been Love By Now” became a moderate crossover hit for the pair, peaking at No. 35 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Before releasing “It Should Have Been Love By Now”, Mandrell and Greenwood had a Top 5 hit with “To Me“.

“Somewhere Between Ragged And Right” by John Anderson and Waylon Jennings

John Anderson teams up with Waylon Jennings for “Somewhere Between Ragged And Right”. On Anderson’s Blue Skies Again album, Jennings wrote the song with Roger Murrah.

Out in 1987, “Somewhere Between Ragged And Right” is a statement about the world, at least the way Jennings and Murrah saw it, at the time. The song says, “Somewhere between ragged and right / Like a busload of taxi drivers learning how to fly / We’re on automatic pilot / Drifting through our lives / Somewhere between ragged and right.”

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