These 3 Live Duets Are So Bittersweet (If You Know the Context Behind Them)

They say not to mix business with pleasure, and now we know why. Here are three duets in which the singers are singing about their real-life relationships after the fact.

Videos by American Songwriter

“I Got You Babe” by Sonny & Cher

In 1965, Sonny & Cher released “I Got You Babe” as a track off their debut album, Look At Us. The song was first written by Sonny for him and Cher, and ultimately became their signature hit.

This live duet of the song is from 1987, several years after the couple’s divorce. However, when Sonny wrote “I Got You Babe”, it would seem he meant every word.

“The lyrics of my songs are very important to me,” Sonny shared in 1966. “I never write anything until that very moment when I feel the emotion conveyed in the words I write.”

Ironically, this live duet actually isn’t as awkward as you would think. Sonny and Cher might not have stayed together, but they had a knack for putting on a show regardless of what was going on in their personal lives. For two years, the duo actually continued performing together on their show after their divorce.

When asked how they were able to keep performing, Cher had this to say:

“Because we had fun with each other,” she told CBS. “And because on stage, there was no marriage. There was no discord. There was no word for our relationship. And you couldn’t cut it with a chainsaw.”

“Silver Springs” by Fleetwood Mac

While there have been several songs written about Buckingham and Nicks’ tumultuous relationship, this iconic 1997 performance of “Silver Springs” might just be the most referenced of them all. In this video, it seems like Nicks is trying to haunt Buckingham a little bit, but she revealed to Rolling Stone in 2009 that the song actually communicates the opposite.

“[‘Silver Springs’] was me realizing that Lindsey was going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and he has,” she shared.

Nicks wrote this song following her breakup with Buckingham during the making of the Rumours album.

“We’re Gonna Hold On” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

“We’re Gonna Hold On” is about perseverance in a relationship despite the struggles. If you know anything about Wynette and Jones, you know this was likely a song they personally related to.

Originally, the couple released this song shortly after Wynette filed for divorce in 1973. It ended up being her first-ever No. 1 and a huge hit overall for the couple. However, in 1975, their relationship came to an end when Wynette decided to file for divorce for the second and final time.

This live performance takes place in 1980, about five years following their last divorce.

Wynette’s husband, George Richie, whom she married in 1978, later spoke about how the stars’ relationship affected them creatively. “The writers who wrote for [Wynette], and there were about four of us who wrote regularly, would sort of write what was happening that day,” he shared in Tammy Wynette: ‘Til I Can Make It On My Own. “And if she and Jones were having a tough time, that’s what we wrote about.”

Photo by: Lester Cohen/Getty Images for NARAS