A Six-Pack of My Favorite Unlikely Duets
1. Morrissey & Siouxsie, “Interlude”
Recorded in the summer of 1993 while Morrissey was in the midst of sessions for his Vauxhall and I album, with each singer doing their vocal independently and then turned into a “duet” by producer Boz Boorer, a member of Morrissey’s band. While the recording itself went swimmingly, it’s said that Morrissey and Siouxsie sparred over the video for the song, resulting in no video and a threat from EMI that they wouldn’t promote the single if it was released without a video. In the end, they did release the single, but not until the following summer, when it ended up climbing to #25 on the UK Singles chart.
2. Marc Almond & Nico, “Your Kisses Burn”
When the once and future Soft Cell frontman released his album The Stars We Are in September 1988, the big selling point for the LP from a duet standpoint was the one Almond did with Gene Pitney on a version of the latter’s “Something’s Gotten Hold of My Heart.” Often forgotten, however, is “Your Kisses Burn,” a song made all the more poignant by the album being released a few months after Nico’s death. The first time I heard this song, I’ll admit that I was thrown for a loop by the depth of Nico’s voice, but over the years it’s become one of my favorite tracks on the album, and I absolutely love the unique way her voice blends with Almond’s at the end. When she growls, “I will take your very soul,” you goddamned well believe her.
3. k.d. lang & Andy Bell, “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)”
I’m not saying that the world necessarily needed a version of this song by anyone other than Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand, but what I am saying is that if anyone else was going to do it, this is as fun a pairing as I can imagine doing it. The soundtrack to Coneheads is a weird fucking album—it also includes Barenaked Ladies doing a cover of “Fight the Power—and even lo these many years later, I AM HERE FOR IT.
4. Elton John & Nik Kershaw, “Old Friend”
This wasn’t the first time Elton and Nik had worked together—if you check the credits of 1985’s Ice on Fire, you’ll see that Mr. Kershaw served as guitarist on two tracks, one of which was a big hit (“Nikita”)—but it was the first time they’d actually duetted together. It’s a shame that it wasn’t released as a single, because it’s got a chorus as catchy as anything in either singer’s catalog.
5. New Model Army featuring Tom Jones, “Gimme Shelter”
Done as a charity single for the Putting Our House In Order homeless initiative in the UK, this—as you can see from the screenshot of the video—was only one of several versions of the Rolling Stones’ single released, and these three aren’t even the only ones in the bunch. If you’re of a mind to search them out, there are also versions by Voice of the Beehive with Jimmy Somerville, Heaven 17 with Hannah Jones, Hawkwind with Samantha Fox (!), and more. This one, however, is arguably the best of the bunch.
6. Cliff Richard and The Young Ones, “Livin’ Doll”
This isn’t exactly obscure in the UK, since it was a major chart hit, but for my part, I had already devoured all of the episodes of The Young Ones before ever discovering its existence, and even then I went years without actually hearing it, so you can imagine how insanely happy I was when I stumbled upon a copy of it on YouTube. This is actually the video for their live performance at the first Comic Relief concert in the UK, and if you’re a Young Ones fan, it’s basically the best thing ever.