3 Songs From the 80s That Weren’t Supposed To Be Duets (But We’re So Glad They Were)

Two is almost always better than one. Here are three songs from the 80s that weren’t supposed to be duets but turned out to be.

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“Separate Lives” by Phil Collins (feat. Marilyn Martin)

Originally, this song was written and released by Stephen Bishop in 1986.

As decided by director Taylor Hackford, Phil Collins was to record a version of the song for the film White Nights. Eventually, it was decided that the song would be a duet with Marilyn Martin, a relatively unknown singer at the time. The song got an Oscar nomination that same year. Unfortunately, it lost to Lionel Richie, who won Best Original Song for “Say You, Say Me”.

Collins’ version was still a hit, though, and earned him and Martin a No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US.

“Walk This Way” by Run-D.M.C. (feat. Aerosmith)

Originally, “Walk This Way” was released as a single for Aerosmith’s Toys In The Attic album in 1975. When Run-DMC hit up the rock band about collaborating, Aerosmith was in desperate need of a hit single. Similarly, the rap trio from Queens, New York, was trying to break into the mainstream. Sue Cummings, a magazine editor who had covered Run-DMC, was interviewing Aerosmith at the time. She recalled giving the Boston band Run-DMC’s version.

“When I met up with the band, I proposed the collaboration,” Cummings shared. “Aerosmith had never heard of Run-DMC when I handed them that cassette, but they were willing to take the risk of working with a new artist.”

Run-DMC’s version of the song was even more successful than the original “Walk This Way”. The song peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it the first hip-hop single to reach the top five on that chart.

“Islands In The Stream” by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

Originally written by The Bee Gees, “Islands In The Stream” was supposed to be a solo song by Kenny Rogers. After attempting to record it for four days, Rogers decided the track needed a female voice. He told Barry Gibb, who produced the song, “What we need is Dolly Parton.”

Luckily for Rogers, Parton happened to be in the same recording studio that day and was down to turn the song into a duet. To this day, “Islands In The Stream” is one of the biggest pop-crossover hits of its decade.

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