classic yacht duet

Vessel stats

Queen Galadriel, Faramir and Duet.

Specification

• Nationality: United Kingdom
• Year built: 1912
• Home port: Ipswich, UK
• Rig: Gaff Yawl
• Height: 14.63 m
• Length of hull: 15.24 m
• Entered by: The Cirdan Sailing Trust
• Number of trainees: 7
• Number of permanent crew: 2
• Special diets catered for: Yes
• Special needs catered for: Yes

Duet is a wooden gaff rigged yawl. She was built on the River Itchen, Southampton in 1912 and originally called Gaviota. A famous explorer Augustine Courtauld bought her in the 1930’s and renamed her Duet. When he died in 1959, ownership of Duet passed to Augustines son, the Revd Christopher Courtauld who together with Christopher Ellis founded the Ocean Youth Club in 1960.

Duet was used by the club for adventure sailing until 1994. Since then she has been loaned to the Cirdan Sailing Trust who provide disadvantaged young people with the opportunity to develop life skills through living and working aboard.

Oman Bursary Scheme 2024 Opens for Applications

A final parade and prizes in cadiz, the final celebrations begin in cadiz, reasons to sail, sail training programme.

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Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs

Yacht rock was one of the most commercially successful genres to emerge from the '70s and yet has managed to evade concise definition since its inception. For many listeners, it boils down to a feeling or mood that cannot be found in other kinds of music: Simply put, you know it when you hear it.

Some agreed-upon elements are crucial to yacht rock. One is its fluidity, with more emphasis on a catchy, easy-feeling melody than on beat or rhythm. Another is a generally lighthearted attitude in the lyrics. Think Seals & Crofts ' "Summer Breeze," Christopher Cross ' "Ride Like the Wind" or Bill Withers ' "Just the Two of Us." Yes, as its label suggests, music that would fit perfectly being played from the deck of a luxurious boat on the high seas.

But even these roughly outlined "rules" can be flouted and still considered yacht rock. Plenty of bands that are typically deemed "nyacht" rock have made their attempts at the genre: Crosby, Stills & Nash got a bit nautical with "Southern Cross," leading with their famed tightly knit harmonies, and Fleetwood Mac also entered yacht rock territory with "Dreams" – which, although lyrically dour, offers a sense of melody in line with yacht rock.

Given its undefined parameters, the genre has become one of music's most expansive corners. From No. 1 hits to deeper-cut gems, we've compiled a list of 50 Top Yacht Rock Songs to set sail to below.

50. "Thunder Island," Jay Ferguson (1978)

Younger generations might be more apt to recognize Jay Ferguson from his score for NBC's The Office , where he also portrayed the guitarist in Kevin Malone's band Scrantonicity. But Ferguson's musical roots go back to the '60s band Spirit; he was also in a group with one of the future members of Firefall, signaling a '70s-era shift toward yacht rock and "Thunder Island." The once-ubiquitous single began its steady ascent in October 1977 before reaching the Top 10 in April of the following year. Producer Bill Szymczyk helped it get there by bringing in his buddy Joe Walsh for a soaring turn on the slide. The best showing Ferguson had after this, however, was the quickly forgotten 1979 Top 40 hit "Shakedown Cruise." (Nick DeRiso)

49. "Southern Cross," Crosby, Stills & Nash (1982)

CSN's "Southern Cross" was an example of a more literal interpretation of yacht rock, one in which leftover material was revitalized by Stephen Stills . He sped up the tempo of a song titled " Seven League Boots " originally penned by brothers Rick and Michael Curtis, then laid in new lyrics about, yes, an actual boat ride. "I rewrote a new set of words and added a different chorus, a story about a long boat trip I took after my divorce," Stills said in the liner notes  to 1991's CSN box. "It's about using the power of the universe to heal your wounds." The music video for the song, which went into heavy rotation on MTV, also prominently displayed the band members aboard a large vessel. (Allison Rapp)

48. "Jackie Blue," the Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1974)

Drummer Larry Lee only had a rough idea of what he wanted to do with "Jackie Blue," originally naming it after a bartending dope pusher. For a long time, the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' best-known single remained an instrumental with the place-keeper lyric, " Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh Jackie Blue. He was dada, and dada doo. He did this, he did that ... ." Producer Glyn Johns, who loved the track, made a key suggestion – and everything finally snapped into place: "No, no, no, mate," Johns told them. "Jackie Blue has to be a girl." They "knocked some new lyrics out in about 30 minutes," Lee said in It Shined: The Saga of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils . "[From] some drugged-out guy, we changed Jackie into a reclusive girl." She'd go all the way to No. 3. (DeRiso)

47. "Sailing," Christopher Cross (1979)

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more quintessential yacht rock song than “Sailing.” The second single (and first chart-topper) off Christopher Cross’ 1979 self-titled debut offers an intoxicating combination of dreamy strings, singsong vocals and shimmering, open-tuned guitar arpeggios that pay deference to Cross’ songwriting idol, Joni Mitchell . “These tunings, like Joni used to say, they get you in this sort of trance,” Cross told Songfacts in 2013. “The chorus just sort of came out. … So I got up and wandered around the apartment just thinking, ‘Wow, that's pretty fuckin' great.’” Grammy voters agreed: “Sailing” won Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Arrangement at the 1981 awards. (Bryan Rolli)

46. "Just the Two of Us," Bill Withers and Grover Washington Jr. (1980)

A collaboration between singer Bill Withers and saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. resulted in the sleek "Just the Two of Us." When first approached with the song, Withers insisted on reworking the lyrics. "I'm a little snobbish about words," he said in 2004 . "I said, 'Yeah, if you'll let me go in and try to dress these words up a little bit.' Everybody that knows me is kind of used to me that way. I probably threw in the stuff like the crystal raindrops. The 'Just the Two of Us' thing was already written. It was trying to put a tuxedo on it." The track was completed with some peppy backing vocals and a subtle slap bass part. (Rapp)

45. "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1975)

It doesn't get much smoother than "Sara Smile," Daryl Hall & John Oates ' first Top 10 hit in the U.S. The song was written for Sara Allen, Hall's longtime girlfriend, whom he had met when she was working as a flight attendant. His lead vocal, which was recorded live, is clear as a bell on top of a velvety bass line and polished backing vocals that nodded to the group's R&B influences. “It was a song that came completely out of my heart," Hall said in 2018 . "It was a postcard. It’s short and sweet and to the point." Hall and Allen stayed together for almost 30 years before breaking up in 2001. (Rapp)

44. "Rosanna," Toto (1982)

One of the most identifiable hits of 1982 was written by Toto co-founder David Paich – but wasn't about Rosanna Arquette, as some people have claimed, even though keyboardist Steve Porcaro was dating the actress at the time. The backbeat laid down by drummer Jeff Porcaro – a "half-time shuffle" similar to what John Bonham played on " Fool in the Rain " – propels the track, while vocal harmonies and emphatic brass sections add further layers. The result is an infectious and uplifting groove – yacht rock at its finest. (Corey Irwin)

43. "Diamond Girl," Seals & Crofts (1973)

Seals & Crofts were soft-rock stylists with imagination, dolling up their saccharine melodies with enough musical intrigue to survive beyond the seemingly obvious shelf life. Granted, the lyrics to “Diamond Girl,” one of the duo’s three No. 6 hits, are as sterile as a surgery-operating room, built on pseudo-romantic nothing-isms ( “Now that I’ve found you, it’s around you that I am” — what a perfectly natural phrase!). But boy, oh boy does that groove sound luxurious beaming out of a hi-fi system, with every nuance — those stacked backing vocals, that snapping piano — presented in full analog glory. (Ryan Reed)

42. "What You Won't Do for Love," Bobby Caldwell (1978)

Smooth. From the opening horn riffs and the soulful keyboard to the funk bass and the velvety vocals of Bobby Caldwell, everything about “What You Won’t Do for Love” is smooth. Released in September 1978, the track peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went on to become the biggest hit of Caldwell’s career. It was later given a second life after being sampled for rapper 2Pac's posthumously released 1998 hit single “Do for Love.” (Irwin)

41. "We Just Disagree," Dave Mason (1977)

Dave Mason's ace in the hole on the No. 12 smash "We Just Disagree" was Jim Krueger, who composed the track, shared the harmony vocal and played that lovely guitar figure. "It was a song that when he sang it to me, it was like, 'Yeah, that's the song,'" Mason told Greg Prato in 2014. "Just him and a guitar, which is usually how I judge whether I'm going to do something. If it holds up like that, I'll put the rest of the icing on it." Unfortunately, the multitalented Krueger died of pancreatic cancer at age 43. By then, Mason had disappeared from the top of the charts, never getting higher than No. 39 again. (DeRiso)

40. "Crazy Love," Poco (1978)

Rusty Young was paneling a wall when inspiration struck. He'd long toiled in the shadow of Stephen Stills , Richie Furay and Neil Young , serving in an instrumentalist role with Buffalo Springfield and then Poco . "Crazy Love" was his breakout moment, and he knew it. Rusty Young presented the song before he'd even finished the lyric, but his Poco bandmates loved the way the stopgap words harmonized. "I told the others, 'Don't worry about the ' ooh, ooh, ahhhh haaa ' part. I can find words for that," Young told the St. Louis Dispatch in 2013. "And they said, 'Don't do that. That's the way it's supposed to be.'" It was: Young's first big vocal became his group's only Top 20 hit. (DeRiso)

39. "Suspicions," Eddie Rabbitt (1979)

Eddie Rabbitt 's move from country to crossover stardom was hurtled along by "Suspicions," as a song about a cuckold's worry rose to the Top 20 on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. Behind the scenes, there was an even clearer connection to yacht rock: Co-writer Even Stevens said Toto's David Hungate played bass on the date. As important as it was for his career, Rabbitt later admitted that he scratched out "Suspicions" in a matter of minutes, while on a lunch break in the studio on the last day of recording his fifth album at Wally Heider's Los Angeles studio. "Sometimes," Rabbitt told the Associated Press in 1985, "the words just fall out of my mouth." (DeRiso)

38. "Moonlight Feels Right," Starbuck (1976)

No sound in rock history is more yacht friendly than Bruce Blackman’s laugh: hilarious, arbitrary, smug, speckled with vocal fry, arriving just before each chorus of Starbuck’s signature tune. Why is this human being laughing? Shrug. Guess the glow of night will do that to you. Then again, this is one of the more strange hits of the '70s — soft-pop hooks frolicking among waves of marimba and synthesizers that could have been plucked from a classic prog epic. “ The eastern moon looks ready for a wet kiss ,” Blackman croons, “ to make the tide rise again .” It’s a lunar make-out session, baby. (Reed)

37. "Same Old Lang Syne," Dan Fogelberg (1981)

“Same Old Lang Syne” is a masterclass in economic storytelling, and its tragedy is in the things both protagonists leave unsaid. Dan Fogelberg weaves a devastating tale of two former lovers who run into each other at a grocery store on Christmas Eve and spend the rest of the night catching up and reminiscing. Their circumstances have changed — he’s a disillusioned professional musician, she’s stuck in an unhappy marriage — but their love for each other is still palpable if only they could overcome their fears and say it out loud. They don’t, of course, and when Fogelberg bids his high-school flame adieu, he’s left with only his bittersweet memories and gnawing sense of unfulfillment to keep him warm on that snowy (and later rainy) December night. (Rolli)

36. "Eye in the Sky," the Alan Parsons Project (1982)

Few songs strike a chord with both prog nerds and soft-rock enthusiasts, but the Alan Parsons Project's “Eye in the Sky” belongs to that exclusive club. The arrangement is all smooth contours and pillowy textures: By the time Eric Woolfson reaches the chorus, shyly emoting about romantic deception over a bed of Wurlitzer keys and palm-muted riffs, the effect is like falling slow motion down a waterfall onto a memory foam mattress. But there’s artfulness here, too, from Ian Bairnson’s seductive guitar solo to the titular phrase conjuring some kind of god-like omniscience. (Reed)

35. "Somebody's Baby," Jackson Browne (1982)

Jackson Browne 's highest-charting single, and his last Top 10 hit, was originally tucked away on the soundtrack for the 1982 teen comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High . That placed Browne, one of the most earnest of singer-songwriters, firmly out of his element. "It was not typical of what Jackson writes at all, that song," co-composer Danny Kortchmar told Songfacts in 2013. "But because it was for this movie, he changed his general approach and came up with this fantastic song." Still unsure of how it would fit in, Browne refused to place "Somebody's Baby" on his next proper album – something he'd later come to regret . Lawyers in Love broke a string of consecutive multiplatinum releases dating back to 1976. (DeRiso)

34. "Still the One," Orleans (1976)

Part of yacht rock’s charm is being many things but only to a small degree. Songs can be jazzy, but not experimental. Brass sections are great but don’t get too funky. And the songs should rock, but not rock . In that mold comes Orleans’ 1976 hit “Still the One.” On top of a chugging groove, frontman John Hall sings about a romance that continues to stand the test of time. This love isn’t the white-hot flame that leaves passionate lovers burned – more like a soft, medium-level heat that keeps things comfortably warm. The tune is inoffensive, catchy and fun, aka yacht-rock gold. (Irwin)

33. "New Frontier," Donald Fagen (1982)

In which an awkward young man attempts to spark a Cold War-era fling — then, hopefully, a longer, post-apocalyptic relationship — via bomb shelter bunker, chatting up a “big blond” with starlet looks and a soft spot for Dave Brubeck. Few songwriters could pull off a lyrical concept so specific, and almost no one but Donald Fagen could render it catchy. “New Frontier,” a signature solo cut from the Steely Dan maestro, builds the sleek jazz-funk of Gaucho into a more digital-sounding landscape, with Fagen stacking precise vocal harmonies over synth buzz and bent-note guitar leads. (Reed)

32. "Sail On, Sailor," the Beach Boys (1973)

The Beach Boys were reworking a new album when Van Dyke Parks handed them this updated version of an unfinished Brian Wilson song. All that was left was to hand the mic over to Blondie Chaplin for his greatest-ever Beach Boys moment. They released "Sail On, Sailor" twice, however, and this yearning groover somehow barely cracked the Top 50. Chaplin was soon out of the band, too. It's a shame. "Sail On, Sailor" remains the best example of how the Beach Boys' elemental style might have kept growing. Instead, Chaplin went on to collaborate with the Band , Gene Clark of the  Byrds  and the Rolling Stones – while the Beach Boys settled into a lengthy tenure as a jukebox band. (DeRiso)

31. "Time Passages," Al Stewart (1978)

Al Stewart followed up the first hit single of his decade-long career – 1976's "Year of the Cat" – with a more streamlined take two years later. "Time Passages" bears a similar structure to the earlier track, including a Phil Kenzie sax solo and production by Alan Parsons. While both songs' respective album and single versions coincidentally run the same time, the 1978 hit's narrative wasn't as convoluted and fit more squarely into pop radio playlists. "Time Passages" became Stewart's highest-charting single, reaching No. 7 – while "Year of the Cat" had stalled at No. 8. (Michael Gallucci)

30. "I Go Crazy," Paul Davis (1977)

Paul Davis looked like he belonged in the Allman Brothers Band , but his soft, soulful voice took him in a different direction. The slow-burning nature of his breakthrough single "I Go Crazy" was reflected in its chart performance: For years the song held the record for the most weeks spent on the chart, peaking at No. 7 during its 40-week run. Davis, who died in 2008, took five more songs into the Top 40 after 1977, but "I Go Crazy" is his masterpiece – a wistful and melancholic look back at lost love backed by spare, brokenhearted verses. (Gallucci)

29. "Biggest Part of Me," Ambrosia (1980)

Songwriter David Pack taped the original demo of this song on a reel-to-reel when everyone else was running late, finishing just in time: "I was waiting for my family to get in the car so I could go to a Fourth of July celebration in Malibu," he told the Tennessean in 2014. "I turned off my machine [and] heard the car horn honking for me." Still, Pack was worried that the hastily written first verse – which rhymed " arisin ,'" " horizon " and " realizin '" – might come off a little corny. So he followed the time-honored yacht-rock tradition of calling in Michael McDonald to sing heartfelt background vocals. Result: a Top 5 hit on both the pop and adult-contemporary charts. (DeRiso)

28. "Africa," Toto (1982)

Remove the cover versions, the nostalgia sheen and its overuse in TV and films, and you’re left with what makes “Africa” great: one of the best earworm choruses in music history. Never mind that the band is made up of white guys from Los Angeles who'd never visited the titular continent. Verses about Mt. Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti paint a picture so vivid that listeners are swept away. From the soaring vocals to the stirring synth line, every element of the song works perfectly. There’s a reason generations of music fans continue to proudly bless the rains. (Irwin)

27. "Hello It's Me," Todd Rundgren (1972)

“Hello It’s Me” is the first song Todd Rundgren ever wrote, recorded by his band Nazz and released in 1968. He quickened the tempo, spruced up the instrumentation and delivered a more urgent vocal for this 1972 solo rendition (which became a Top 5 U.S. hit), but the bones of the tune remain the same. “Hello It’s Me” is a wistful, bittersweet song about the dissolution of a relationship between two people who still very much love and respect each other a clear-eyed breakup ballad lacking the guile, cynicism and zaniness of Rundgren’s later work. “The reason those [early] songs succeeded was because of their derivative nature,” Rundgren told Guitar World in 2021. “They plugged so easily into audience expectations. They’re easily absorbed.” That may be so, but there’s still no denying the airtight hooks and melancholy beauty of “Hello It’s Me.” (Rolli)

26. "Smoke From a Distant Fire," the Sanford/Townsend Band (1977)

There are other artists who better define yacht rock - Michael McDonald, Steely Dan, Christopher Cross - but few songs rival the Sanford/Townsend Band's "Smoke From a Distant Fire" as a more representative genre track. (It was a Top 10 hit in the summer of 1977. The duo never had another charting single.) From the vaguely swinging rhythm and roaring saxophone riff to the light percussion rolls and risk-free vocals (that nod heavily to Daryl Hall and John Oates' blue-eyed soul), "Smoke" may be the most definitive yacht rock song ever recorded. We may even go as far as to say it's ground zero. (Gallucci)

25. "Dream Weaver," Gary Wright (1975)

Unlike many other songs on our list, “Dream Weaver” lacks lush instrumentation. Aside from Gary Wright’s vocals and keyboard parts, the only added layer is the drumming of Jim Keltner. But while the track may not have guitars, bass or horns, it certainly has plenty of vibes. Inspired by the writings of Paramahansa Yogananda – which Wright was turned on to by George Harrison – “Dream Weaver” boasts a celestial aura that helped the song peak at No. 2 in 1976. (Irwin)

24. "Reminiscing," Little River Band (1978)

The third time was the charm with Little River Band 's highest-charting single in the U.S. Guitarist Graeham Goble wrote "Reminiscing" for singer Glenn Shorrock with a certain keyboardist in mind. Unfortunately, they weren't able to schedule a session with Peter Jones, who'd played an important role in Little River Band's first-ever charting U.S. single, 1976's "It's a Long Way There ." They tried it anyway but didn't care for the track. They tried again, with the same results. "The band was losing interest in the song," Goble later told Chuck Miller . "Just before the album was finished, Peter Jones came back into town, [and] the band and I had an argument because I wanted to give 'Reminiscing' a third chance." This time they nailed it. (DeRiso)

23. "Heart Hotels," Dan Fogelberg (1979)

Ironically enough, this song about debilitating loneliness arrived on an album in which Dan Fogelberg played almost all of the instruments himself. A key concession to the outside world became the most distinctive musical element on "Heart Hotels," as well-known saxophonist Tom Scott took a turn on the Lyricon – a pre-MIDI electronic wind instrument invented just a few years earlier. As for the meaning of sad songs like these, the late Fogelberg once said : "I feel experiences deeply, and I have an outlet, a place where I can translate those feelings. A lot of people go to psychoanalysts. I write songs." (DeRiso)

22. "Year of the Cat," Al Stewart (1976)

Just about every instrument imaginable can be heard in Al Stewart's "Year of the Cat." What begins with an elegant piano intro winds its way through a string section and a sultry sax solo, then to a passionate few moments with a Spanish acoustic guitar. The sax solo, often a hallmark of yacht-rock songs, was not Stewart's idea. Producer Alan Parsons suggested it at the last minute, and Stewart thought it was the "worst idea I'd ever heard. I said, 'Alan, there aren’t any saxophones in folk-rock. Folk-rock is about guitars. Sax is a jazz instrument,'" Stewart said in 2021 . Multiple lengthy instrumental segments bring the song to nearly seven minutes, yet each seems to blend into the next like a carefully arranged orchestra. (Rapp)

21. "How Long," Ace (1974)

How long does it take to top the charts? For the Paul Carrack-fronted Ace: 45 years . "I wrote the lyric on the bus going to my future mother-in-law's," he later told Gary James . "I wrote it on the back of that bus ticket. That's my excuse for there only being one verse." Ace released "How Long" in 1975, reaching No. 3, then Carrack moved on to stints with Squeeze and Mike and the Mechanics . Finally, in 2020, "How Long" rose two spots higher, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's rock digital song sales chart after being featured in an Amazon Prime advertisement titled "Binge Cheat." (DeRiso)

20. "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)," Looking Glass (1972)

Like "Summer Breeze" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs), Looking Glass' tale of an alluring barmaid in a busy harbor town pre-dates the classic yacht-rock era. Consider acts like Seals & Crofts and these one-hit wonders pioneers of the genre. Ironically, the effortless-sounding "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)" was quite difficult to complete. "We recorded 'Brandy' two or three different times with various producers before we got it right," Looking Glass' principal songwriter Elliot Lurie told the Tennessean in 2016. The chart-topping results became so popular so fast, however, that Barry Manilow had to change the title of a new song he was working on to " Mandy ." (DeRiso)

19. "I Can't Tell You Why," Eagles (1979)

Timothy B. Schmit joined just in time to watch the  Eagles disintegrate. But things couldn't have started in a better place for the former Poco member. He arrived with the makings of his first showcase moment with the group, an unfinished scrap that would become the No. 8 hit "I Can't Tell You Why." For a moment, often-contentious band members rallied around the outsider. Don Henley and Glenn Frey both made key contributions, as Eagles completed the initial song on what would become 1979's The Long Run . Schmit felt like he had a reason to be optimistic. Instead, Eagles released the LP and then promptly split up. (DeRiso)

18. "Sentimental Lady," Bob Welch (1977)

Bob Welch  first recorded "Sentimental Lady" in 1972 as a member of Fleetwood Mac . Five years later, after separating from a band that had gone on to way bigger things , Welch revisited one of his best songs and got two former bandmates who appeared on the original version – Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie – to help out (new Mac member Lindsey Buckingham also makes an appearance). This is the better version, warmer and more inviting, and it reached the Top 10. (Gallucci)

17. "So Into You," Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)

Atlanta Rhythm Section is often wrongly categorized as a Southern rock band, simply because of their roots in Doraville, Ga. Songs like the seductively layered "So Into You" illustrate how little they had in common with the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd . As renowned Muscle Shoals sessions ace David Hood once said, they're more like the " Steely Dan of the South ." Unfortunately, time hasn't been kind to the group. Two of this best-charting single's writers have since died , while keyboardist Dean Daughtry retired in 2019 as Atlanta Rhythm Section's last constant member. (DeRiso)

16. "Dreams," Fleetwood Mac (1977)

Stevie Nicks was trying to channel the heartbreak she endured after separating from Lindsey Buckingham into a song, but couldn't concentrate among the bustle of Fleetwood Mac's sessions for Rumours . "I was kind of wandering around the studio," she later told Yahoo! , "looking for somewhere I could curl up with my Fender Rhodes and my lyrics and a little cassette tape recorder." That's when she ran into a studio assistant who led her to a quieter, previously unseen area at Sausalito's Record Plant. The circular space was surrounded by keyboards and recording equipment, with a half-moon bed in black-and-red velvet to one side. She settled in, completing "Dreams" in less than half an hour, but not before asking the helpful aide one pressing question: "I said, 'What is this?' And he said, 'This is Sly Stone 's studio.'" (DeRiso)

15. "Minute by Minute," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald was so unsure of this album that he nervously previewed it for a friend. "I mean, all the tunes have merit, but I don't know if they hang together as a record," McDonald later told UCR. "He looked at me and he said, 'This is a piece of shit.'" Record buyers disagreed, making Minute by Minute the Doobie Brothers' first chart-topping multiplatinum release. Such was the mania surrounding this satiny-smooth LP that the No. 14 hit title track lost out on song-of-the-year honors at the Grammys to "What a Fool Believes" (found later in our list of Top 50 Yacht Rock Songs) by the Doobie Brothers. (DeRiso)

14. "Lonely Boy," Andrew Gold (1976)

Andrew Gold’s only Top 10 U.S. hit is a story of parental neglect and simmering resentment, but those pitch-black details are easy to miss when couched inside such a deliciously upbeat melody. Gold chronicles the childhood of the titular lonely boy over a propulsive, syncopated piano figure, detailing the betrayal he felt when his parents presented him with a sister two years his junior. When he turns 18, the lonely boy ships off to college and leaves his family behind, while his sister gets married and has a son of her own — oblivious to the fact that she’s repeating the mistakes of her parents. Gold insisted “Lonely Boy” wasn’t autobiographical, despite the details in the song matching up with his own life. In any case, you can’t help but wonder what kind of imagination produces such dark, compelling fiction. (Rolli)

13. "Baby Come Back," Player (1977)

Liverpool native Peter Beckett moved to the States, originally to join a forgotten act called Skyband. By the time he regrouped to found Player with American J.C. Crowley, Beckett's wife had returned to England. Turns out Crowley was going through a breakup, too, and the Beckett-sung "Baby Come Back" was born. "So it was a genuine song, a genuine lyric – and I think that comes across in the song," Beckett said in The Yacht Rock Book . "That's why it was so popular." The demo earned Player a hastily signed record deal, meaning Beckett and Crowley had to assemble a band even as "Baby Come Back" rose to No. 1. Their debut album was released before Player had ever appeared in concert. (DeRiso)

12. "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight," England Dan & John Ford Coley (1976)

There aren't too many songs with choruses as big as the one England Dan & John Ford Coley pump into the key lines of their first Top 40 single. Getting there is half the fun: The conversational verses – " Hello, yeah, it's been a while / Not much, how 'bout you? / I'm not sure why I called / I guess I really just wanted to talk to you " – build into the superpowered come-on line " I'm not talking 'bout moving in ...  ." Their yacht-rock pedigree is strong: Dan Seals' older brother is Seals & Croft's Jim Seals. (Gallucci)

11. "Hey Nineteen," Steely Dan (1980)

At least on the surface, “Hey Nineteen” is one of Steely Dan’s least ambiguous songs: An over-the-hill guy makes one of history’s most cringe-worthy, creepiest pick-up attempts, reminiscing about his glory days in a fraternity and lamenting that his would-be companion doesn’t know who Aretha Franklin is. (The bridge is a bit tougher to crack. Is anyone sharing that “fine Colombian”?) But the words didn’t propel this Gaucho classic into Billboard's Top 10. Instead, that credit goes to the groove, anchored by Walter Becker ’s gently gliding bass guitar, Donald Fagen’s velvety electric piano and a chorus smoother than top-shelf Cuervo Gold. (Reed)

10. "Rich Girl," Daryl Hall & John Oates (1976)

It’s one of the most economical pop songs ever written: two A sections, two B sections (the second one extended), a fade-out vocal vamp. In and out. Wham, bam, boom. Perhaps that's why it’s easy to savor “Rich Girl” 12 times in a row during your morning commute, why hearing it just once on the radio is almost maddening. This blue-eyed-soul single, the duo’s first No. 1 hit, lashes out at a supposedly entitled heir to a fast-food chain. (The original lyric was the less-catchy “rich guy ”; that one change may have earned them millions.) But there’s nothing bitter about that groove, built on Hall’s electric piano stabs and staccato vocal hook. (Reed)

9. "Fooled Around and Fell in Love," Elvin Bishop (1975)

Elvin Bishop made his biggest pop-chart splash with "Fooled Around and Fell In Love," permanently changing the first line of his bio from a  former member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band to a solo star in his own right. There was only one problem: "The natural assumption was that it was Elvin Bishop who was singing,” singer  Mickey Thomas told the Tahoe Daily Tribune in 2007. Thomas later found even greater chart success with Starship alongside Donny Baldwin, who also played drums on Bishop's breakthrough single. "A lot of peers found out about me through that, and ultimately I did get credit for it," Thomas added. "It opened a lot of doors for me." (DeRiso)

8. "Baker Street," Gerry Rafferty (1978)

Gerry Rafferty already had a taste of success when his band Stealers Wheel hit the Top 10 with the Dylanesque "Stuck in the Middle With You" in 1973. His first solo album after the group's split, City to City , made it to No. 1 in 1978, thanks in great part to its hit single "Baker Street" (which spent six frustrating weeks at No. 2). The iconic saxophone riff by Raphael Ravenscroft gets much of the attention, but this single triumphs on many other levels. For six, mood-setting minutes Rafferty winds his way down "Baker Street" with a hopefulness rooted in eternal restlessness. (Gallucci)

7. "Dirty Work," Steely Dan (1972)

In just about three minutes, Steely Dan tells a soap-opera tale of an affair between a married woman and a man who is well aware he's being played but is too hopelessly hooked to end things. " When you need a bit of lovin' 'cause your man is out of town / That's the time you get me runnin' and you know I'll be around ," singer David Palmer sings in a surprisingly delicate tenor. A saxophone and flugelhorn part weeps underneath his lines. By the time the song is over, we can't help but feel sorry for the narrator who is, ostensibly, just as much part of the problem as he could be the solution. Not all yacht rock songs have happy endings. (Rapp)

6. "Ride Like the Wind," Christopher Cross (1979)

“Ride Like the Wind” is ostensibly a song about a tough-as-nails outlaw racing for the border of Mexico under cover of night, but there’s nothing remotely dangerous about Christopher Cross’ lithe tenor or the peppy piano riffs and horns propelling the tune. Those contradictions aren’t a detriment. This is cinematic, high-gloss pop-rock at its finest, bursting at the seams with hooks and elevated by Michael McDonald’s silky backing vocals. Cross nods to his Texas roots with a fiery guitar solo, blending hard rock and pop in a way that countless artists would replicate in the next decade. (Rolli)

5. "Summer Breeze," Seals & Crofts (1972)

Jim Seals and Dash Crofts were childhood friends in Texas, but the mellow grandeur of "Summer Breeze" makes it clear that they always belonged in '70s-era Southern California. "We operate on a different level," Seals once said , sounding like nothing if not a Laurel Canyon native. "We try to create images, impressions and trains of thought in the minds of our listeners." This song's fluttering curtains, welcoming domesticity and sweet jasmine certainly meet that standard. For some reason, however, they released this gem in August 1972 – as the season faded into fall. Perhaps that's why "Summer Breeze" somehow never got past No. 6 on the pop chart. (DeRiso)

4. "Lowdown," Boz Scaggs (1976)

As you throw on your shades and rev the motor, the only thing hotter than the afternoon sun is David Hungate’s sweet slap-bass blasting from the tape deck. “This is the good life,” you say to no one in particular, casually tipping your baseball cap to the bikini-clad crew on the boat zooming by. Then you press “play” again. What else but Boz Scaggs ’ silky “Lowdown” could soundtrack such a moment in paradise? Everything about this tune, which cruised to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is equally idyllic: Jeff Porcaro’s metronomic hi-hat pattern, David Paich’s jazzy keyboard vamp, the cool-guy croon of Scaggs — flexing about gossip and “schoolboy game.” You crack open another cold one — why not? And, well, you press play once more. (Reed)

3. "Lido Shuffle," Boz Scaggs (1976)

Scaggs' storied career began as a sideman with Steve Miller  and already included a scorching duet with Duane Allman . Co-writer David Paich would earn Grammy-winning stardom with songs like "Africa." Yet they resorted to theft when it came to this No. 11 smash. Well, in a manner of speaking: "'Lido' was a song that I'd been banging around, and I kind of stole – well, I didn't steal anything. I just took the idea of the shuffle," Scaggs told Songfacts in 2013. "There was a song that Fats Domino did called 'The Fat Man ' that had a kind of driving shuffle beat that I used to play on the piano, and I just started kind of singing along with it. Then I showed it to Paich, and he helped me fill it out." Then Paich took this track's bassist and drummer with him to form Toto. (DeRiso)

2. "Peg," Steely Dan (1977)

"Peg" is blessed with several yacht-rock hallmarks: a spot on Steely Dan's most Steely Dan-like album, Aja , an impeccable airtightness that falls somewhere between soft-pop and jazz and yacht rock's stalwart captain, Michael McDonald, at the helm. (He may be a mere backing singer here, but his one-note chorus chirps take the song to another level.) Like most Steely Dan tracks, this track's meaning is both cynical and impenetrable, and its legacy has only grown over the years – from hip-hop samples to faithful cover versions. (Gallucci)

1. "What a Fool Believes," the Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald not only steered the Doobie Brothers in a new direction when he joined in 1975, but he also made them a commercial powerhouse with the 1978 album Minute by Minute . McDonald co-wrote "What a Fool Believes" – a No. 1 single; the album topped the chart, too – with Kenny Loggins and sang lead, effectively launching a genre in the process. The song's style was copied for the next couple of years (most shamelessly in Robbie Dupree's 1980 Top 10 "Steal Away"), and McDonald became the bearded face of yacht rock. (Gallucci)

Top 100 Classic Rock Artists

Gallery Credit: UCR Staff

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White Dolphin

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Gorgeous classic

This beautiful classic is a picture to see, just like the other classic yachts Duet (UK) and KIM (NL) that were also present during SAIL 2015.

White Dolpin was ordered in 1967 by Sergio Rossi, the then director of FIAT. She is the last yacht in her class that was built by Vicenzo Beltramo, but this famous shipbuilder died before she was delivered. Eventually she was finished at the prestigious Cantiere San Germani yard. The yellow line, ending with three yellow dots, can be seen on the hull, as ‘signature’ by designer Vicenzo Beltramo.

The beautiful yacht still looks good, is 20.20 meters long and has a draft of 2.90 meters.

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Cream and the who make their live debut in america, the pioneering bonnie guitar: session woman, star, and label owner, leaders in the mix: pioneering female music producers to know, ‘native’: how onerepublic’s third album brought it all back home, the diplomats’ ‘diplomatic immunity’ is defiantly timeless, ‘dead end street’: lou rawls wins a grammy for the windy city, anitta prepares new album ‘funk generation,’ shares ‘double team’, joywave announces fifth studio album ‘permanent pleasure’, meshell ndegeocello, charles lloyd and more join bill for north sea jazz 2024, tierra whack shares stirring new video for ‘two night’, blue note’s classic vinyl reissues series to issue titles by hank mobley and more, remi wolf announces new album ‘big ideas,’ shares ‘cinderella’, shabaka recruits andré 3000, floating points, and esperanza spalding for ‘i’ll do whatever you want’, best duets ever: 72 classics for your next karaoke session.

The best duets of all time. Open your ears, and enjoy the company of two voices, very often singing as one, and always singing brilliantly.

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As Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston once sang: “It Takes Two.” Indeed, a pairing of great talents can often lead to truly memorable (and highly profitable) results. Whether it’s a romantic ballad, a tandem melody, or complex, counterpart harmonies, the most successful duets find both artists supporting one another – allowing both parties to excel. From Motown to metal and pop to country, below are some of the best duets of all time.

While you’re reading, listen to our playlist of the best duets here .

72: YUNGBLUD ft. Machine Gun Kelly – Acting Like That (2020)

In 2019, British alt-rocker YUNGBLUD joined American rapper and rock artist Machine Gun Kelly for “I Think I’m OKAY” (off MGK’s Hotel Diablo ). Since then, a well-documented friendship has developed between the two artists, spanning stages, studios, and plenty of bars on both sides of the Atlantic. In 2020, MGK and YUNGBLUD joined forces again for “Acting Like That,” off the British artist’s best-selling LP, Weird! The high-energy track also produced an inspired, pandemic-era music video, in which both artists fend off a zombie apocalypse in their respective cities.

‘High Civilization’: How The Bee Gees Advanced Into The 1990s

‘i’m fortunate to write songs people like’: elton john in 20 quotes, 71: faith hill and tim mcgraw – let’s make love (2000).

At the turn of the millennium, country music power couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw paired up for their third duet, “Let’s Make Love,” for Hill’s chart-topping crossover hit, Breathe . The piano-driven ballad not only landed in the Country Top Ten, but earned the husband and wife a Grammy Award in 2001. While Hill and McGraw have continued to perform on each other’s records over the last two decades, they finally released their first collaborative LP, The Rest of Our Life , in 2017.

70: Juice WRLD ft. Halsey – Life’s a Mess (2020)

“You just gotta learn to live and love on,” sings the late Juice WRLD  in this poignant duet with Halsey. “Life’s a Mess” finds the duo (who previously collaborated in 2018 on Halsey’s “Without Me”) finding gratitude for their romantic partners while looking back on the difficulties that they’ve faced in life. The song – which appeared on the talented rapper’s record-breaking posthumous album, Legends Never Die – became a Top Ten hit in the US. Months later, an earlier version of the song was released, featuring Juice WRLD with Post Malone.

69: Lady A – Need You Now (2009)

A former couple realizes how much they miss one another in this multi-platinum crossover hit from country band Lady A . Performed by Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley, the emotive “Need You Now” achieved massive commercial and critical success – topping the Billboard Country chart for five weeks, peaking at No.2 on the Hot 100, and earning the group multiple ACM and Grammy Awards, among others.

68: The Righteous Brothers – (You’re My) Soul and Inspiration (1966)

In 1966, The Righteous Brothers (aka Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield) scored their second No.1 pop hit with “(You’re My) Soul and Inspiration” – a lushly-arranged ballad written by the legendary songwriting team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who also penned the group’s first chart-topper, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’.” While the duo had recently parted ways with producer Phil Spector, they worked with arranger Jack Nitzsche to recreate Spector’s popular “Wall of Sound” that defined many of their previous releases.

67: Dinah Washington & Brook Benton – A Rockin’ Good Way (To Mess Around and Fall in Love) (1960)

In 1960, legendary jazz vocalist Dinah Washington and R&B star Brook Benton paired up to record The Two of Us – an album that spawned not one but two chart-topping duets, including this peppy, orchestral number. When it came to success, there was certainly no messing around: “A Rockin’ Good Way” went straight to No.1 on the R&B charts, and peaked at No.7 on the Billboard Hot 100.

66: Britney Spears feat. Madonna – Me Against the Music (2003)

Pop fans around the globe were pinching themselves when Britney Spears paired up with Madonna for an iconic performance (and a kiss) at the 2003 MTV Music Awards. Months later, when they released the duet “Me Against the Music,” it was one of the most anticipated moments in pop music history. The dance track, which came about during rehearsals for the award show, marked Spears’ 10th charting single and Madonna’s 50th charting single, and truly proved the power of a cross-generational partnership.

65: Maroon 5 ft. Christina Aguilera – Moves Like Jagger (2011)

This delectable 2011 dance-pop tune paired Maroon 5 ’s Adam Levine with his fellow judge on The Voice , Christina Aguilera. The duet finds Levine trying to impress Aguilera with his dancing skills, which he compares to the iconic moves of Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger (the song’s melody also takes a cue from the Stones’ disco hit, “Miss You.”) One of the best-selling singles of all-time, “Moves Like Jagger” landed at the top of the charts in nearly 20 countries.

64: Isaac Hayes & David Porter – Ain’t That Loving You (For More Reasons Than One) (1972)

Long before Isaac Hayes was a larger-than-life music icon, he was one-half of a hit-making songwriting team with David Porter at Stax Records. While the pair didn’t write “Ain’t That Loving You” (a Homer Banks/Allen Jones song first recorded by Johnnie Taylor) the two old friends reunited in 1972, when Hayes was at the height of his fame, to cover this soul classic. Smooth as silk, this disco-era track finds the two men singing side by side in funky harmony.

63: James Morrison & Nelly Furtado – Broken Strings (2008)

Deeply moving (and yet surprisingly catchy) this duet between James Morrison and Nelly Furtado finds the two stars mourning the end of a relationship. Released in 2008, the song became Morrison’s biggest hit yet, peaking at No.2 on the UK pop charts and landing in the Top five across Europe. Months later, Morrison released a version with singer Ai for the Japanese edition of his album, Songs for You, Truths for Me .

62: Diane Schuur & José Feliciano – By Design (1985)

In 1985, Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Diane “Deedles” Schuur paired up with Latin star José Feliciano for several tracks on her delightfully-titled LP, Schuur Thing . The soaring, pop-forward duet “By Design” was a major success for the artists, and helped to make Schuur Thing a Top Ten hit on the Billboard 200.

61: The Captain & Tennille – Do That to Me One More Time (1979)

Captain & Tennille (aka real-life married couple “Captain” Daryl Dragon and Toni Tennille) burst onto the scene in 1975 with one of soft rock’s most iconic duets, “Love Will Keep Us Together.” While they followed with a string of hits over the next five years, they closed out the decade with one of their most successful tracks, “Do That to Me One More Time.” The suggestive tune, penned by Tennille, marked the duo’s second No.1 hit on the US pop charts, as well as their highest-charting song in the UK. It was so popular, in fact, that the duo recorded a Spanish version of the song, “Amame Una Vez Mas.”

60: Don Williams & Emmylou Harris – If I Needed You (1981)

This sweet, acoustic duet brought together Country Hall of Famer Don Williams with Americana star Emmylou Harris, who covered the Townes Van Zandt tune on her 1981 LP, Cimarron . The song not only earned the duo multiple nominations at the ACM, CMA, and GRAMMY Awards but also was a No.3 hit on the Billboard Country charts and a No.1 Country hit in Canada.

59: Kenny Rogers & Kim Carnes – Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer (1980)

A year before Kim Carnes became a chart-topping star with “Bette Davis Eyes,” she was an in-demand songwriter who had worked with some of the industry’s biggest acts. In 1980, country star Kenny Rogers hired Carnes to help him write his next project – a concept album revolving around a cowboy, titled Gideon . The LP’s sole single, “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer,” became a crossover hit, landing at No.4 on the Billboard Hot 100, topping the Canadian country chart, and helping to make Carnes a household name.

58: The Mamas & The Papas – Dream a Little Dream of Me (1968)

The Mamas & The Papas frequently covered this 1931 pop standard during their live shows and chose to include it in their fourth studio album (1968’s The Papas & the Mamas ), with “Mama” Cass Elliot on lead vocals. The resulting song (which became a Top 20 hit in the UK and US) was decidedly dreamy, with a touch of vintage flair. In an interview with Melody Maker , Cass shared that she “tried to sing it like it was 1943 and somebody had just come in and said, ‘Here’s a new song.’ I tried to sing it as if it were the first time.”

57: Bing Crosby & Louis Armstrong – Gone Fishin’ (1951)

Originally recorded as a one-off performance for Bing Crosby’s radio show, “Gone Fishin’” with Louis Armstrong was so well-received by audiences that it was released as a single in 1951. The droll duet, which finds two pals calling each other out for escaping life’s obligations for a day of fishing, went on to become a Top 20 hit.

56: Fred Astaire & Jack Buchanan – I Guess I Have To Change My Plans (1953)

In the 1953 musical The Band Wagon , Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan don tuxedos and top hats for a charming duet of “I Guess I Have to Change My Plans.” The ballad, which was first used in the 1929 Broadway revue, The Little Show , is about a man discovering that the woman he admired is spoken for. Astaire and Buchanan’s version, meanwhile, slightly changed the meaning of the song – making it from the point of view of two competing suitors. The tune, which has since become a pop standard, would go on to be featured in a variety of films, and covered by numerous artists.

55: George Jones & Tammy Wynette – Cryin’ Time (1976)

Fiction met reality in this 1976 duet, which paired recently-divorced country stars, George Jones and Tammy Wynette. Written by Buck Owens, the sorrowful break-up song appeared on the former couple’s chart-topping seventh studio album, Golden Ring . In a twist of fate, however, the album was so successful that the two artists continued to work together for the rest of the decade, despite their particularly contentious divorce.

54: Elton John & Kiki Dee – Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (1976)

It’s impossible not to smile when you hear “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” the playful, 1976 duet from Elton John and Kiki Dee. The Ivor Novello-winning song, which marked the first UK No.1 for both artists, was written as a hat-tip to the classic Motown-era duets by John and his longtime collaborator, Bernie Taupin (under the pseudonyms “Ann Orson” and “Carte Blanche”).

53: Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash – Jackson (1967)

In this Billy Edd Wheeler/Jerry Leiber song, a husband fantasizes about going to the unspecified city of “Jackson,” where he’ll get into all sorts of trouble. His wife, meanwhile, has a more realistic view of what will happen. In 1967, real-life married couple Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash turned the tune into a Grammy-winning country hit, while just a few months later, Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood offered their own rendition. Although it’s still unclear where this mythical “Jackson” is…the song is decidedly a classic.

52: Lady Gaga & Beyonce – Telephone (2010)

While it’s hard to imagine “Telephone” being performed by anyone other than Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, the Gaga-penned global hit was actually intended for Britney Spears. Although Spears certainly would have made it her own, Queen Bey and Gaga poured their star power into the dance-pop tune to make it an epic hit, complete with a nine-and-a-half-minute short film/music video.

51: Joe Pizzulo & Leeza Miller – Never Gonna Let You Go (1983)

When Brazilian bandleader Sergio Mendes was in search of a ballad to add to his 1983 self-titled album, he turned to the celebrated husband-and-wife songwriting duo of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, whose “Never Gonna Let You Go” hit the spot. Mendes enlisted singers Joe Pizzulo and Leeza Miller to perform the soaring tune and wrote a complex arrangement of chord progressions to accompany them. Released as a single that spring, “Never Gonna Let You Go” spent four weeks at the top of the Adult Contemporary chart in the US, and became a massive hit in Brazil, among other territories. Today, it remains one of Mendes’ most successful songs.

50: Paul Young & Zucchero – Senza una donna (Without a Woman) (1991)

In 1991, the popular Italian singer-songwriter Zucchero paired up with British artist Paul Young for an English-language version of his song “Senza una donna (Without a Woman).” Not only did the bluesy ballad introduce Zucchero to an American audience, but it made the singer an international star, topping the charts in several European countries and landing in the Top 10 in Korea, the UK, and Brazil, among other territories.

49: Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen – Good Time (2012)

In 2012, Owl City (the electronica project of singer-songwriter Adam Young) and Carly Rae Jepsen partnered for the anthem of the summer – the aptly named “Good Time.” The joyful, high-energy dance track reverberated on beaches and in clubs across the globe – hitting No.1 in South Korea, Canada, and New Zealand, among other territories.

48: Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris – Love Hurts (1974)

When Gram Parsons embarked on a solo career, following the dissolution of the Flying Burrito Brothers, one of his first tasks was finding a female collaborator. His former bandmate, Chris Hillman, recommended a rising country singer named Emmylou Harris. While their time together was brief (cut short by Parsons’ untimely death in 1973), they produced a variety of incredible songs together – and plenty of sweet harmonies, as heard in this incredible cover of “Love Hurts,” which appeared on Parsons’ posthumous Grievous Angel . Harris, meanwhile, would go on to dominate the Americana scene and become a celebrated artist in her own right.

47: Ray Charles & Willie Nelson – Seven Spanish Angels (1984)

In 1962, R&B and jazz singer-songwriter Ray Charles expanded his range with the hugely popular Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music . 22 years later, he revisited the genre on Friendship , which found him partnering with country music’s biggest stars. Among the album’s highlights was “Seven Spanish Angels” with Willie Nelson, which tells the dramatic tale of an outlaw and his girlfriend. The song hit No.1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and became Charles’ most successful hit in the genre.

46: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss – Please Read the Letter (2007)

When Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant partnered with bluegrass star Alison Krauss for a duet album (2007’s Raising Sand ), many were surprised at the unlikely pairing. The results, however, were magical, earning the pair universal acclaim and countless awards. Their yearning, melancholic rendition of “Please Read the Letter” (Plant’s 1998 duet with his former bandmate, Jimmy Page) was one of the album’s standout tracks and was later named Record of the Year at the Grammys.

45: Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – Señorita (2019)

While “Señorita” wasn’t Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s first duet together (2015’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was), the steamy duet did spark a romance between the real-life couple. The song, which appeared on Mendes’ 2018 self-titled album and Cabello’s Romance LP (2019), became one of the hottest songs of the summer, hitting No.1 in over 35 countries: from the US to Brazil and China to Russia.

44: Frank & Nancy Sinatra – Somethin’ Stupid (1967)

The first-and-only father-daughter duet to hit No.1 in the US, Frank and Nancy Sinatra ’s rendition of “Somethin’ Stupid” became a massive hit for both generations of the talented family in 1967. While the song (penned by folk artist Carson Parks) raised a few eyebrows with its romantic lyrics, the Sinatras had the last laugh – earning a gold record and a Grammy nod for their endearing performance.

43: Bryan Adams & Melanie Chisholm – When You’re Gone (1998)

Bryan Adams and Mel C. (aka Sporty Spice) capture that feeling of realizing how much you care about a significant other when they’re not with you in this 1998 single. The catchy duet appeared on Adams’ eighth studio album, On a Day Like Today , and became a Top Ten hit across the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australia.

42: Stevie Nicks & Don Henley – Leather And Lace (1981)

While Stevie Nicks originally wrote “Leather and Lace” for Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter’s album of the same name, the song never made it to the LP. Instead, Nicks (who was still a member of Fleetwood Mac) recorded the ballad with her then-boyfriend, Don Henley (who had recently departed the Eagles), for her solo debut, Bella Donna . The tender song peaked at No.6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped to secure both Nicks and Henley as bona fide solo stars.

41: Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross – Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) (1974)

In the early 70s, Motown artists Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross were two of music’s biggest stars, so it was a natural move when the label paired them up for a duet album. 1973’s Diana & Marvin spawned several singles, including a cover of the soulful ballad, “Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart)” – first made famous by the Stylistics. Featuring heartfelt performances by both artists, the song was released as a single in the UK, where it became a Top 40 hit.

40: The Everly Brothers – Cathy’s Clown (1960)

In the mid-50s, brothers Don and Phil Everly rose to fame with their country-influenced rock’n’roll duets, including hits like “Bye Bye Love,” All I Have to Do Is Dream,” and “Wake Up Little Susie.” But their biggest hit was 1960’s “Cathy’s Clown,” which tells the tale of a man who is played by his girlfriend. The unusually structured song – which opens with a chorus and has no actual verses – went on to influence some of music’s biggest pop acts (including the Beatles) was later added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.

39: Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes – Up Where We Belong (1982)

Written as the theme to 1982’s An Officer and a Gentleman by celebrated songwriters Jack Nitzsche, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Will Jennings, this soaring, romantic duet between Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (who later went on to record Dirty Dancing ’s hit theme song) was a defining song of the decade. The platinum-certified hit landed at the top of the pop charts in the US, Australia, and South Africa, among other territories, and went on to win a Grammy, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe.

38: Colbie Caillat & Gavin DeGraw – We Both Know (2013)

In 2013, Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw wrote this poignant duet for the romantic thriller, Safe Haven . Mirroring the love story between the film’s main characters, Caillat and DeGraw’s song captures the feelings of two people who are trying to move forward while letting go of difficult moments in their pasts.

37: Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond – You Don’t Bring Me Flowers (1978)

This classic duet is the result of, quite possibly, one of the very first memes. In the mid-70s, Neil Diamond wrote “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” as the theme song to a TV show called All that Glitters . While the song was never used on the show, Diamond recorded it for his 1977 LP, “I’m Glad You’re Here with Me Tonight.” One year later, Barbara Streisand covered the song on her album, Songbird . That inspired a DJ to edit together his own version of a “duet” between the two stars. What began as a one-off bit turned into a craze across the country, inspiring countless other stations to do the same. Finally, Streisand and Diamond recorded a proper duet of the song, much to the delight of fans. Released in October 1978, the platinum-selling “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore” went to No.1, and resulted in a must-see live performance by the pair at the 1980 Grammys.

36: Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – I Know What You Did Last Summer (2015)

Long before they became a couple, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello paired up for this 2015 duet. The dramatic song was written during a backstage jam session, when Mendes was on tour with Taylor Swift and Cabello, along with Fifth Harmony, visited for a guest performance. The Top 20 hit marked Cabello’s debut single as a solo artist, as well as the lead single off Mendes’ Handwritten Revisited .

35: Janet Jackson & Michael Jackson – Scream (1995)

It’s unique when two of music’s biggest stars happen to come from the same family…and when they pair up for a single, it’s an event. That’s what happened when siblings Michael and Janet Jackson got together for 1995’s “Scream.” Written by the pair, alongside the hitmaking team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis , the hard-driving song found the Jacksons firing back at the tabloid media.

34: Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn – If This World Were Mine (1982)

In 1967, Marvin Gaye wrote this soulful duet and released it as a B-side with his frequent duet partner, Tammi Terrell. 15 years later, Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn introduced it to a new generation of fans – delivering plenty of chemistry with their smooth-as-silk rendition and scoring a Top 5 hit on the R&B charts along the way.

33: Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston – When You Believe (1998)

Christmas came early for pop music fans in November 1998 when Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston – two of the greatest vocalists ever – combined their talents for “When You Believe.” Written for the 1998 animated film The Prince of Egypt , the inspiring ballad earned an Academy Award…and plenty of publicity. While “When You Believe” marked the only musical partnership for these two divas, it was certainly a memorable one.

32: Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves – I Fall to Pieces (1982)

In 1961, Patsy Cline made the Hank Cochran/Harlan Howard tune “I Fall to Pieces” a country standard and a major crossover hit. 20 years later, the magic of digital technology allowed for engineers to pair Cline’s vocals with those of another country legend, Jim Reeves. While both artists had tragically lost their lives to plane crashes in the 60s and never worked together during their lifetimes, they were brought together posthumously in the album Remembering Patsy Cline & Jim Reeves . Their duet of “I Fall to Pieces,” meanwhile, rose up the charts in the US and Canada, and offered a beautiful reminder of Reeves and Cline’s incredible talents.

31: Billy Eckstine & Sarah Vaughan – Passing Strangers (1957)

A couple reflects on their strained relationship in this melancholic standard, originally made famous in 1957 by bandleader and singer Billy Eckstine and jazz singer Sarah Vaughan. While the duet achieved success upon its release in America and Britain, “Passing Strangers” returned to the UK charts 12 years later, becoming a Top 20 hit.

30: Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash – Girl from the North Country (1969)

Inspired by a trip to England, Bob Dylan’s “Girl from the North Country” made its first appearance in 1963 on The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan . Seven years later, Dylan revisited the folk ballad, recording it as a duet with Johnny Cash for his country-inspired 1969 LP, Nashville Skyline . Since then, the classic tune has been covered – in both formats – by countless artists, including Leon Russell and Joe Cocker, the Black Crowes, and Rosanne Cash.

29: Nelly Furtado & Timbaland – Promiscuous (2006)

Nelly Furtado and Timbaland deliver plenty of playful, sexy banter in this delectable hit, off Furtado’s best-selling 2006 LP, Loose . In the studio, the track (written by Furtado and Timothy “Attitude” Clayton) was often referred to as “the BlackBerry Song,” as its lyrics felt akin to flirty text messages. Produced by Timbaland, who helmed the majority of Loose , “ Promiscuous ” became the Canadian pop star’s first No.1 hit in the US and earned the pair a Grammy nod.

28: Ozzy Osbourne & Lita Ford – Close My Eyes Forever (1989)

Take two super talented rockers, a bottle of whiskey, and a couple of guitars: wait a few hours, and you might just get a powerhouse ballad like “Close My Eyes Forever.” That’s what happened in 1989 when Ozzy Osbourne and Lita Ford spent a long, late night jamming in the studio. Appearing on Ford’s album, Lita, the song broke the Billboard Hot 100’s Top Ten, becoming the highest-charting single of both artists’ solo careers.

27: Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind (2009)

Over the past century, New York City has had several iconic songs written about it. But in 2009, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys created one for the modern age. Anthemic, hip, and soulful, “Empire State of Mind” became a sensation in New York and around the globe, earning multiple Grammys, multiple platinum records, and countless accolades from the press. Fittingly becoming the final No.1 hit of the 2000s, the song closed out a particularly turbulent decade for New Yorkers.

26: John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – Summer Nights (Grease) (1978)

In one of the most memorable scenes from Grease , Danny Zuko (John Travolta) and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John) detail their summer romance in “Summer Nights” – each delivering a slightly different version to their eager friends (the “T-Birds” and “The Pink Ladies”). The humor-laced song was released as a single in August 1978 – two months after Grease premiered in movie theaters – and landed at No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was an even bigger hit in the UK, spending a whopping seven weeks at the top of the pop charts. One of the best karaoke duets ever penned.

25: Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald – On My Own (1986)

A couple mourns a relationship and wonders what could have been in this moving, 1986 ballad from Patti Labelle and Michael McDonald. Despite the intimate performance, the busy artists were in different locations when it came time to record the song, and recorded their parts separately. Fittingly, the music video also reflects this distance, showing McDonald and Labelle on a split-screen, each performing from a different coast. Topping the pop charts in the US and Canada, “On My Own” became both stars’ biggest hit single.

24: Nelly & Kelly Rowland – Dilemma (2002)

Nelly and Kelly Rowland face the ultimate “Dilemma” in this Grammy-winning duet from 2002. The song, which appeared on solo albums by both artists, finds the rapper and singer trading lines about how they can’t stop thinking about each other, despite being in relationships with other people. Fans found the song equally as appealing: “Dilemma” topped the charts around the globe, including in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and across Europe.

23: Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson – Say Say Say (1983)

In the spring of 1981, Paul McCartney was settling back into a solo career, following the breakup of Wings, while Michael Jackson had recently released his breakthrough record, Off the Wall . During this time, McCartney enlisted Jackson to work with him on the bubbly “Say Say Say,” inviting the young artist to stay at his home and encouraging him creatively along the way. In the two years that passed between the song’s recording and release (off McCartney’s Pipes of Peace ), Jackson’s star would rise exponentially with Thriller (which included another duet with McCartney, “The Girl is Mine”). By the time that “Say Say Say” came out in 1983, the world was primed for more of the duo. It became a massive global hit for both artists and remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks.

22: Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper – Shallow (2018)

The chemistry between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is undeniable in this poignant folk-rock duet, which leads the soundtrack to 2018’s A Star Is Born . Performed several times throughout the film by Ally (Gaga) and Jackson (Cooper), the chart-topping hit earned a multitude of accolades – including an Academy Award, four Grammy Awards, and a BAFTA – and was included in a variety of year-end and decade-end lists. Co-written by Lady Gaga, the song has since been covered by several artists, including husband-and-wife duo, Tricia Yearwood and Garth Brooks.

21: Louis Armstrong & Ella Fitzgerald – Cheek to Cheek (1956)

Originally written for Fred Astaire to sing to Ginger Rogers in the 1935 movie, Top Hat , this Irving Berlin standard has been performed frequently throughout the 20th century (and beyond). One of the most memorable renditions of “Cheek to Cheek,” however, was by two of the greatest jazz vocalists in history, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, for their 1956 LP, Ella and Louis . Backed by the great Oscar Peterson on piano, the swinging performance is utterly charming and stands as one of the best duets of the 50s.

20: George Michael & Aretha Franklin – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (1987)

In 1987, when producer Clive Davis paired George Michael, one of the biggest pop stars in the world, with soul legend Aretha Franklin, it was a magical moment in music history. Both artists were equally as enamored with each other’s work, and that chemistry certainly shines through in “I Knew You Were Waiting.” Fans of both artists responded just as enthusiastically – the single not only earned a Grammy but also topped the pop charts in the US and the UK (making the song Franklin’s first No.1 single on the Billboard Hot 100).

19: Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil’ Kim, & P!nk – Lady Marmalade (2001)

In 1974, LaBelle topped the charts and raised eyebrows with the funky “ Lady Marmalade ,” singing the suggestive French lyrics “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?” (“Do you want to sleep with me?”). Nearly three decades later, four of the fiercest female vocalists in music (Christina Aguilera, Mya, Lil Kim, and P!nk) reimagined the song for a new generation. The song, recorded for the best-selling Moulin Rouge! soundtrack, earned the artists a Grammy and hit No.1 in more than a dozen countries, including the US, UK, and Australia.

18: Brandy & Monica – The Boy Is Mine (1998)

Two of R&B’s biggest stars battled it out over a cute boy in this irresistibly catchy 1998 single. While we never did find out the fate of the young man in question, both ladies ultimately won. Not only did “The Boy is Mine” top the US charts but it became the best-selling song of the year and earned Monica and Brandy their first Grammy Awards.

17: Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks – Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around (1981)

The first single off Stevie Nicks’ 1981 solo debut ( Bella Donna ), “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” was the first of several collaborations between the Fleetwood Mac star and Tom Petty . The only song on the album not written or co-written by Nicks, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” was penned by Petty and his Heartbreakers bandmate, Mike Campbell. Their producer, Jimmy Iovine, was also working with Nicks at the time and recommended that she try out the song, bringing the band in to join in on the recording. The track not only became an instant classic but also marked the biggest US hit for both Nicks and the Heartbreakers.

16: Peaches & Herb – Reunited (1979)

While several women sang under the name “Peaches” in the long-running vocal duo Peaches & Herb, Linda Greene (1976 – 1983) helped Herb score some of the duo’s biggest hits, including “ Reunited .” As the title suggests, the 1979 slow-jam finds a couple reveling in getting back together. Like the subjects in their duet, Greene and Fame had something else to celebrate: scoring a multi-platinum-selling crossover hit. The song spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the R&B chart, and was ranked as the 5th biggest single of the year.

15: Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure (1981)

Opening with one of the most recognizable bass lines ever, 1981’s “Under Pressure” was the result of an impromptu jam session between Queen and David Bowie (two of the biggest acts in the world), when they were recording at the same studio in Montreux, Switzerland. Released as a single in 1981, and later appearing on Queen’s tenth studio album, Hot Space , the powerful rock song became a massive hit – topping the pop charts in the UK and Canada, and landing in the Top Ten in a multitude of countries. In the decades following its release, “Under Pressure” has often been ranked among the greatest songs of all time.

14: Donna Summer & Barbra Streisand – No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) (1979)

Two of music’s greatest pop singers teamed up with an important message: that women shouldn’t put up with a bad relationship. Co-produced by Giorgio Moroder (aka the “Father of Disco”) the track was released in multiple edits and mixes (including an 11-minute extended version), appearing on Streisand’s 1979 LP, Wet , and Summer ’s compilation LP, On the Radio: Greatest Hits Vols. I & II (also 1979). While the women never performed the song together live, they did score a major hit – landing at No.1 in the US and in the Top Ten across the globe. One of the great female duets ever.

13: Donny Hathaway & Roberta Flack – The Closer I Get to You (1977)

In 1972, soul stars Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack teamed up for an album of duets, resulting in several best-selling singles and a Grammy Award (for “Where is the Love”). Five years later, they reunited for the romantic single, “The Closer I Get to You.” The ballad, which appeared on Flack’s solo LP, Blue Lights in the Basement , flew to the top of the Soul chart and landed at No.2 on the Billboard Hot 100. While the artists continued to collaborate in the studio, Hathaway sadly passed away in 1979. Flack paid tribute to her close friend and musical partner by including several of these songs on 1980’s Roberta Flack Featuring Donny Hathaway .

12: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Your Precious Love (1967)

In the spring of 1967, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell captured the hearts of America with their debut duet, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Ashford & Simpson. Not long after, all four reunited to repeat the magic with “Your Precious Love.” Released in August 1967, the soulful track continued the duo’s success – and then some – landing at No.2 on the R&B chart and No.5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It would go on to be covered by everyone from D’Angelo and Erykah Badu to Neil Sedaka and his daughter, Dara.

11: Method Man & Mary J. Blige – I’ll Be There For You/You’re All I Need to Get By (1995)

In 1995, rapper Method Man teamed up with songstress Mary J. Blige and RZA (as producer) for a remix of “All I Need” (off his 1994 debut, Tical). Borrowing from another famous duet (Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “You’re All I Need to Get By”), the pair delivered one of the most iconic hip-hop duets ever, earning a Grammy and a No.1 R&B hit. Decades later, the song is considered to be among the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time.

10: Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes – (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life (1987)

In the summer of 1987, people couldn’t get enough of “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”– the irresistible theme to Dirty Dancing . A duet between Bill Medley (of the Righteous Brothers) and singer-songwriter Jennifer Warnes, the song was one of a few originals written for the blockbuster movie, which took place in 1963. While “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” was decidedly modern, compared to many of the soundtrack’s era-specific tunes, it defined the now-classic flick – not only becoming a massive global hit, but scoring multiple awards, including a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Golden Globe.

09: Andrea Bocelli & Sarah Brightman – Time To Say Goodbye (1996)

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli broke records across Europe with 1995’s “Con te partirò.” One year later, he topped himself, recording an English-language version of the operatic song with British soprano Sarah Brightman. The song (released as “Time to Say Goodbye”) topped the pop charts across Europe and became one of the best-selling singles, globally, of all time. It remains one of the best duets of the 90s.

08: Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings – Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (1978)

…But it’s not so bad if they grow up to be country singers! When Ed and Patsy Bruce wrote “Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” they offered a tip of the (cowboy) hat to the classic songs of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. Three years later, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings turned the song into a male duet for their 1978 album, Waylon & Willie . The memorable recording became a No.1 Country hit and scored the legendary artists a Grammy along the way.

07: Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack – Tonight I Celebrate My Love (1983)

One of the consummate romantic ballads of the 80s, the platinum-selling “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” set the mood for countless couples throughout the decade. Featuring a soulful performance by Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack (who recorded their song for their duet album, Born to Love ), the 1983 single landed in the Top Ten in multiple territories, including the UK, South Africa, Canada, Norway, and Australia.

06: Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway – Where Is the Love (1972)

The best duet of the 70s? Two of the smoothest vocals in soul wonder what happened to the love that they once had in this 1972 duet. Hathaway and Flack didn’t have to look too far for that missing adoration: they scored a Top 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group. The love continued through the years with dozens of covers, including those by Liza Minelli, Sérgio Mendes, and Johnny Mathis.

05: The Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody (1965)

Originally written by Alex North and Hy Zaret for the 1955 film Unchained , “Unchained Melody” became one of the most-recorded songs of the 20th century. The ballad first hit the charts in 1955, with versions by Liberace, Harry Belafonte, and bandleader Les Baxter, among several others. In 1965, however, the Righteous Brothers recorded the most enduring version of the song, with a powerful and emotion-packed vocal solo performance by the duo’s Bobby Hatfield. 25 years later, the Righteous Brothers’ moving recording re-entered the Billboard Hot 100’s Top Ten, after it featured prominently in the film Ghost .

04: Sonny & Cher – I Got You Babe (1965)

For a ten-year period in the 60s and 70s, husband-and-wife duo Sonny & Cher were one of the most famous couples in entertainment – beginning with their chart-topping 1965 debut, “I Got You Babe.” Drawing from elements of folk, rock, and pop, the duet became the couple’s signature hit, as well as a defining song of the era. Decades later, the song remains a staple in popular culture ( Groundhog Day , anyone?), and is considered to be among one of the best duets in history.

03: Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton – Islands In The Stream (1983)

One of the most enduring crossover hits ever (and a must-sing karaoke song), “Islands in the Stream” paired country superstars Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton to perform a duet of the Bee Gees -penned ballad. The 1983 song, which appeared on Rogers’ LP, Eyes That See in the Dark , topped country and pop charts around the world, giving both Parton and Rogers their second No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.

02: Diana Ross & Lionel Richie – Endless Love (1981)

The best duet of the 80s? While 1981’s Endless Love might not have been quite as enduring as its title suggests, the film’s theme song – written by Lionel Richie and performed as a duet with Diana Ross – fared much better. A multi-platinum-selling hit, “Endless Love” went on to spend nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, earning Oscar and GRAMMY nods, and becoming the best-selling single of Ross’ career.

01: Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (1967)

From 1967-1970, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell were Motown’s golden duo. Together, the gifted singers released three studio albums and scored a dozen hit singles, beginning with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” Written by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Ashford & Simpson, and featuring instrumentation by the Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the song landed at No.3 on the R&B chart and crossed over into the Billboard Hot 100’s Top 20. In 1999, the enduring hit was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, while today, it is regarded as one of the best duets ever recorded.

81 Comments

PATRICIO DONOSO

October 21, 2014 at 7:50 pm

Another of my Favorites is:

I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) George Michael & Aretha Franklin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuU0cJ_iW8w

Greetings from Chile.

Betty Joblin

October 29, 2016 at 6:29 pm

You listed the Pet Shop Boys for What Have I Done to Deserve This. However, you left out Dusty Springfield who contributed in a magnificent way to the song. In fact the song was written for her. Please make a correction!

Kenny Croughan

October 21, 2014 at 8:50 pm

I cannot believe that ‘Don’t Give Up’ by Peter Gabriel with Kate Bush is not on the list. I would have thought top 5 at least.

October 22, 2014 at 5:46 pm

Was it not with Paula Cole?

August 28, 2015 at 11:27 am

only when he was touring the recorded version was with KB

December 8, 2015 at 4:40 pm

No, the original version is with Kate Bush

October 23, 2014 at 5:50 am

May 22, 2016 at 11:05 am

Yeah, definitely my favourite duet too!

October 21, 2014 at 9:35 pm

barbara Dickson and Elaine page. I knew him so well. And Barry Gibb with barbara Streisand quilty.

October 21, 2014 at 9:37 pm

Barbara dickson and elaine paige. I knew him so well. Barry Gibb and Barbera Streisand. Quilty. George michael and Aritha Franklin i knew you were waiting

Jeff Bushnell

October 21, 2014 at 9:55 pm

My favorite duet is Laura Branigan and John Farnham, singing I want to know what love is!

October 21, 2014 at 10:11 pm

Tom Waits and Bette Middler I never talk to strangers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lu51WVRfmE

precioushis

October 21, 2014 at 11:54 pm

One of my favorites is Mated by David Grant and Jaki Graham

Mihaela Jukic

October 22, 2014 at 12:03 am

well my favourite is 10000% Agnetha Faltskog and Gary Barlow “I Shoud Have Followed You Home” , (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes , Dilemma Nelly & Kelly Rowland,…….and moooore 😀

October 22, 2014 at 12:11 am

I think Guilty or What Kind Of Fool by Barbra Streisand & Barry Gibb should be there. Girl from the North Country by Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash. ELO and Olivia Newton-John’s Xanadu or Suddenly by OIivia Newton-John and Cliff Richard.

October 22, 2014 at 10:28 am

I would include as “oldie but goody” : “Besame Mucho” in theEydie Gormé-Steve Lawrence-version and a more recent :”Bach Aire” or another Musica Nuda !! NO???

October 22, 2014 at 10:47 am

Eros Ramazotti & Tina Turner “Cose della vita”, Tina Turner & Bryan Adams “It’s only love”, David Bowie &TT “Tonight”…..

Music Lover

October 22, 2014 at 5:25 pm

There’s a gorgeous duet by Diane Schuur and José Feliciano, By Design, that never got the attention it deserved. I can think of a few songs on the list that don’t hold a candle to By Design.

October 22, 2014 at 5:31 pm

Music Lover, we agree, that’s why we included in our playlist from the very start 🙂

January 7, 2016 at 6:15 pm

Agree, That by Jose Feliciano and Diane Schuur is one of the best duet recorded for me

October 9, 2016 at 6:58 pm

I love that duet by Schuur and Feliciano and I totally agree.

ronny whitebear

October 22, 2014 at 5:59 pm

My fav.is JERRY LEE LEWIS and Mickey Gilly.

October 22, 2014 at 6:23 pm

Ridiculously pretentious!!

4 million years of global human history, and somehow the “greatest duets of all time” all happened in the last 80 years, and all happened in the USA or the UK.. It’s amazing that somehow you got a nod in there to the Spanish speaking world.

October 22, 2014 at 8:24 pm

I’m guessing this list is only radio play because one of the absolute greatest duets of all time was Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland singing “happy days are here again” and “get happy” on the Judy garland show.

October 22, 2014 at 9:30 pm

I also really like these two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_OnFHJou4o (Manic Street Preachers & Nina Persson – “Your Love Alone”) & https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEg7TJ3nkT4 (The All-American Rejects feat The Pierces – “Another Heart Calls”)

Cindy Blessing Stevens

October 22, 2014 at 9:57 pm

#9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had the pleasure of having Bill Medley on 1 knee, sing this to me, at his restaurant Medley’s, in 1979. He and my NEW husband had gone to school together, so he knew him. My husband tried to put his arm around me while Bill was singing. I was like “who are you?” “Get away!, can’t you see I have Bill Freakin Medley singing to ME!” It was funny, you had to be there!

October 22, 2014 at 10:02 pm

What about Tom Jones & Mark Knopfler in “I feel like going home!?

October 22, 2014 at 11:04 pm

Dwight Yoakum and KD Lang “Sin City”, Jane Siberry and KD Lang “Calling all Angels”, Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris ..anything, Rosanne Cash and Bobby Bare “Don’t Need No Memories”, Linda Rondstat and Ann Savoy :Cant Get Over You”…many others I cant think of right now

October 23, 2014 at 12:57 am

Steve Earle and Iris De Ment…I’m Still In Love With You, best song ever!!

Peter Michael Ward

October 23, 2014 at 8:42 am

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G4jnaznUoQ

David Bowie, Mick Jagger: Dancing in the Street. One of the most unlikely pairings and songs but it works beautifully!

October 23, 2014 at 9:03 am

George Michael and Elton John – Don’t let the sun go down on me Queen and David Bowie – Under pressure

October 23, 2014 at 1:06 pm

October 23, 2014 at 1:16 pm

Emmylou Harris & Mark Knopfler – This Is Us (Letterman) A great duet. Will Lee (The Fab Faux) perfectly framed by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris in the camera on bass truly has the song a rock’en ! ! !

Martin Cooper

October 23, 2014 at 3:35 pm

Judy Garland and a very young Barbara Streisand, singing Happy Days/ Get Happy. It’s on YouTube. It is extraordinary!

Tony delacey

October 23, 2014 at 4:47 pm

What about that brilliant song …’On my own’….Fabulous performance by both of em.

John Fowler

October 23, 2014 at 6:43 pm

My favourite duets: 1( Sarkodie and Efya, I’m in love with you now 2)Tiffany and Fuse ODG Spanner and 3) Mampi and Jose Chaemelon Nimakwanesa and 4) DrCRyme and Cyann I do

Steve Wilson

October 24, 2014 at 12:33 am

James Taylor and Carly Simon singing Close Your Eyes

Robert Hiller

October 24, 2014 at 12:59 am

Here is La Vien Rose with Tony Bennett ^ K D Lang….. http://youtu.be/Rmla2el35gQ

October 24, 2014 at 2:28 pm

any song by vince gill and alison krauss

Thomas Drake

October 24, 2014 at 9:04 pm

Mark Knopfler & Sting – Money for Nothing is another good one, as is Sting & Eric Clapton – It’s Probably Me. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUYI7kIR0S4 )

October 25, 2014 at 2:07 am

FREDDIE MERCURY & MONTSERRAT CABALLE!!!

December 2, 2014 at 11:20 am

A very recent duet which is absolutely AMAZING is Mary J Blige and Andrea Bocelli! “Bridge over Trouble Water” WOW WOW WOW

January 8, 2015 at 9:21 am

Interlude – Morrissey & Siouxsie

LINO TERLATI

January 30, 2015 at 5:58 am

Todd Rundgren and Bonnie Tyler loving you is a dirty job but somebody’s gotta do it

February 9, 2015 at 10:01 pm

Please help! In the late 70’s or early 80’s I had a cassette with popular duets that I bought. Barbra Streisand and Lily Tomlin did one together, it was a spoof about love song duets. Very very funny. Can anyone remember this? It’s not listed on either of their bios.

March 21, 2015 at 10:08 pm

Virginia, you sure you don’t mean this… https://open.spotify.com/track/3rcvehJKLNBZStJGM0PzrK

March 31, 2015 at 7:18 pm

The great Simon and Garfunkel should be at the top of the list. Sounds of Silence, or Mrs. Robertson.

May 3, 2015 at 9:24 pm

Jim Reeves and Patsy Cline singing “Have you ever been lonely?”

August 16, 2015 at 9:58 pm

beauty and the beast ( celine Dione. Aaron Neville ft Linda Ronstadt..Dont know much. George Michael ft Elton John..Dont let the sun go down on me

September 21, 2015 at 8:33 pm

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell or Willie Nelson or Linda Rondstadt or anyone! Sweetest harmony ever.

September 22, 2015 at 12:34 pm

Not nearly enough country duets on here. How can you omit Porter & Dolly? Conway & Loretta? And all those many hits the Everly Brothers recorded?

Madel smith

September 23, 2015 at 6:06 am

nelson eddy and Jeannette McDonald an springtime

October 11, 2015 at 2:09 am

Here are some of my favourite duets: Mockingbird – James Taylor & Carly Simon Almost Paradise – Ann Wilson & Mike Reno Tonight – David Bowie & Tina Turner Whenever I call you friend – Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks Where is the love – Rick Price & Margaret Ulrich You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling – Long John Baldry & Kathy McDonald

October 26, 2015 at 12:53 pm

“When love comes to town” Bono + BB King “Riding with the King” Clapton + BB King “Don’t let the sun go down” George Michael + Elton John

November 15, 2015 at 4:09 pm

Judy Garland And Barbra Streisand – Happy Days are Here Again

David Reardon

November 28, 2015 at 3:29 am

My personal favourite (I am Canadian, it gets a U) was ranked 71??????????? Notable absence, The Walker Brothers Without You!!!!!!!!

January 5, 2016 at 7:06 am

LUCKY STARS by Dean Friedman and Denise Marsa

January 5, 2016 at 7:09 am

OTHER FAVOURITE DUETS OF MINE: 1. Run to Me – Dionne Warwick and Barry Manilow 2. Nobody loves me like you do – Whitney Houston & Jermaine Jackson 3. You are everything – Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye 4. Almost Paradise – Ann Wilson & Mike Reno 5. Whenever I call you friend – Kenny Loggins & Stevie Nicks

February 21, 2016 at 8:18 pm

Elvis presley and ann Margaret “the lady loves me”

March 6, 2016 at 12:29 pm

One of the best duets ever is Al Green and Lyle Lovett … Funny How Time Slips Away

Jerry Avery

March 20, 2016 at 12:39 am

This may be the WORST “All-Time” list ever published. Get the wax out of your ears and try it again . . .

April 24, 2016 at 2:23 am

Lovely to hear songs I haven’t heard in a while, and to discover some new ones! Another great duet is Jason Mraz with Colbie Caillat – ‘Lucky’. Such a happy song! 🙂

Henk Scheerooren

May 22, 2016 at 12:03 pm

Yello featuring Shirley Bassey, The Rhythm Divine

May 23, 2016 at 1:00 am

B.B. King and Bono…..When Love Comes To Town. How did this one not get picked?

May 26, 2016 at 9:54 pm

These are all great, especially no.1! I also love Frank S and Sammy D Jr’ Me and My Shadow and Robbie W sang many really entertaining duets on his Swing When You’re Winning album and the piercing harmonies of Pie Jesu. If I ever took up singing to be recorded, I’d love to sing with someone else – so great to sing and hear voices in harmony and so much more fun!

william Hope

July 25, 2016 at 12:19 am

Some nice songs,but when I saw Andrea Bocelli and anyone and Frank and Nancy but not one Simon and Garfunkel you lost me right there

August 14, 2016 at 5:04 am

Where is Atlantic Starr’s Always, which should be at the top 10. Where is Sheena Easton and Kenny Roger’s We’ve Got Tonight?

September 8, 2016 at 7:05 am

The best duet ever is not even listed: Eric Andersen and Joni Mitchel singing Blue River.

Lorrainne Wilson

September 12, 2016 at 11:02 am

The brilliant Slim Whitman and his son, Byron Whitman…

Knut Olav Halseth

October 16, 2016 at 2:47 am

“Love Hurts” – Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris – In my opinion, the best duet ever.

Tee Staffel

October 29, 2016 at 8:25 pm

Lot missing here — for starters — instead of one of the ones listed below Number 100 on this list of Top DUETS is “You Don’t Send Me Flowers Anymore” Neil Diamonds SOLO version?? At least add the Barbara Striesand duet version.

But how about at least ONE song from CONWAY TWITTY and LORETTA LYNN? I’m sure you could find at least ONE from DOLLY PARTON and PORTER WAGNONER — none listed. One of the acknowledged all time greats which actually introduced a whole new timeless concept of music videos is HANK & HANK Jr. “There’s a Tear in My Beer” — this led to one you have on the list that should be ranked higher : Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole breathtaking duet which was such a sensation (and deservedly so) when it came out. “Poncho & Lefty” Willie and Merle — when Merle comes in on this song to join Willie -it’s one of the best recording segments on duet of all time perhaps only eclipsed by when JUNE CARTER CASH comes in on “JACKSON” with Johnny Cash (another song NOT on this list). I would also add any of the tunes from a Tony Bennett/ KD Lang album perhaps ‘Unplugged’ but there are others — some of their earliest duets are just show stopping — two incredible talents. And to go back in the vault a bit — I liked the Kris Kristofferson / Rita Coolidge duets of earlier years and way back there’s LORRETTA LYNN’s original duet partner – ERNEST TUBB – “Thanks, Thanks a LOT” and “Mr. & Mrs. Used to Be”

Stuart Stockdale

October 31, 2016 at 12:15 pm

October 31, 2016 at 8:49 pm

How come Richard Max and Donna Lewis’ “At the Beginning” (Anastasia OST) didn’t make it here? @__@

December 6, 2016 at 9:32 am

I know him so wel from Barbara Diksons and Elaine Page

December 6, 2016 at 7:32 pm

No contest. ‘Islands in the stream’ closely followed by ‘up where we belong’

December 23, 2016 at 8:04 pm

Edie Brickell, Paul Simon, Willie Nelson singing Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,,,,,on YouTube….for Willie’s Birthday Bash

December 26, 2016 at 4:22 am

With you I’m born again. Vanessa Williams & George Benson and Billy Preston & Syreeta!!!

January 17, 2017 at 12:09 am

Women, I go to Pieces several others by Peter & Gordon also Chad & Jeremy willow weep for me. Righteous Brothers should have more

February 16, 2017 at 2:44 pm

Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn, God Bless America Again! One of the greatest duets of all times.

April 2, 2018 at 2:50 pm

Didn`t see it on here but one very unusual one is Bing Crosby and David Bowie” Little Drummer Boy” also anything by Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell.

Zintle Nyembe

November 18, 2018 at 12:10 am

Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway,Marvin Gaye with Dianna Ross/Mary Wells/Tammi Terrel Michael McDonald with Kenny Logginns Mick Jagger with Peter Tosh

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Alfred Mylne Glen-Coats Gaff Sloop, DUET

McGruer & Co Ltd Clynder, Alfred Mylne Glen-Coats Gaff Sloop Built 1926 / £35,000, VAT paid

Broker’s Comments

Alfred Mylne Glen-Coats Gaff Sloop, DUET is a captivatingly pretty yacht, originally built in 1926 with an Alfred Mylne pedigree and thoroughly restored by her current owner. She has been fully optimised and has proved herself to be a phenomenally successful silverware collector in the Vintage Class at the Mediterranean classic regattas.

Compact and very easy to handle and to look after, she provides a massive amount of fun both on the regatta circuit and also for local sailing.

With the addition of a suitable Bermudian mast and rigging, she will rate as a second rule 6m yacht and be very competitive in this class. Class rules only allow wood and aluminum, so costs for this conversion are not steep.

DUET is now stored under cover in a barn close to the Berthon Sales Group HQ in Lymington in the UK, where she and her extensive kit can be easily viewed.

On the market as her owner’s plans have changed, and has retired from classic yacht racing. She is a very special piece of our maritime history that also wins races and turns heads. She is being offered at a very modest figure and is VAT paid both in the UK and Europe.

We have been instructed by the owner for a prompt sale, and hence the paltry asking price.

Alfred Mylne Glen-Coats Gaff Sloop, DUET was designed by Sir Thomas Glen-Coats and built by the renowned Scottish yard McGruer & Co in 1926 to compete in the International 6 M class.

Thomas Glen-Coats after completing his apprenticeship worked as a naval architect for Alfred Mylne & Co and specialised in the metre class; producing some wonderful race-winning yachts. Born into the famous Coats cotton dynasty of Paisley, he owned many yachts that he had designed himself. Considered an illustrious designer in his own right, his most famous victory was winning the gold medal for Great Britain in the 1908 Olympics; that race contested in his home waters of the Clyde. Sailing HERA, Glen-Coats pushed the Alfred Mylne designed yacht MOUCHETTE into silver medal position – thus securing an immortal Olympics one-two for A. Mylne & Co.

Following the war DUET became a “Q Class” handicap cruiser with the addition of her attractive cuddy / cabin and interior accommodation etc. She was subsequently restored by the International College of Boatbuilding and displayed at the London Boat Show as an exemplar of their work and skill. In more recent years, she has had refits by leading Lymington boat builders, Steve Etheridge and Neville Hutton.

In 2011, DUET took overall victory in the Yarmouth Old Gaffers Festival, held annually on the Isle of Wight, in which 150 plus gaff rig yachts took part. Then on her way down to the Mediterranean she competed in and won the Open Championship for International Classic 6 M Class at La Trinite-sur-Mer. Since then she has raced from her Cannes base, winning several races including the Yacht Club de France “Coupe d’Automne” in 2012 and the Vintage Class overall at Les Voiles d’Antibes in 2013. In 2014, she was 3rd in Les Voiles d’Antibes and 2nd at the Régates Royales Cannes. DUET has a 2014 CIM certificate, APM 245 and is also 6 M certificated with Bermudan rig. An extensive selection of original drawings is available from the Alfred Mylne design archive.

Panerai Les Voiles d’Antibes 2013:

Yacht Club de France Coupe d’Automne 2012:

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Yacht Details

• Builder: McGruer & Co Ltd Clynder
• Model: Alfred Mylne Glen-Coats Gaff Sloop
• Yacht Name: DUET
• Hull Designer: Sir Thomas Glen-Coats of Alfred Mylne
• Year Built: 1926
• LOA: 34'1" / 10.4m
• LWL: 24'7" / 7.5m
• Beam: 6'6" / 1.97m
• Min Draft / Max Draft: 5'5" / 1.63m
• Displacement: 4,000kg / 8,818lb
• Berths: 2 berths in 1 cabin(s) / 1 head/WC(s)
• Engine Count: 1 Bellman BV Aquapella 24 V Electric
• Country: Lymington, Hampshire, United Kingdom
• Asking Price: £35,000, VAT paid

Contact Details

Sue Grant Berthon UK Tel: 0044 (0)1590 679 222 E-Mail: [email protected] Click image for full broker profile.

Enquire about DUET

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Classic Yacht Brokers

We are very fortunate in offering for sale some of the most beautiful boats in the world and we consider it both our pleasure and our duty to guide you carefully towards ownership of the yacht that is right for you.

Of course there are choices to make, but whether you’re charmed by the artistry of William Fife, the balance of Olin Stephens, or the sure-footedness of a Buchanan or Holman and more contemporary yachts, we would want the love affair - which may start here - to be enduring.

Featured Yachts

Alfred Mylne 58 ft Bermudan Cutter 1931/2003

Charles Sibbick 48 ft Bermudan Yawl 1900/2016

Saunders Roe 45 ft Medina/Saro Class Twin Screw Motor Yacht 1937/ 2011

Quarterly spotlight.

ALTAIR is the ultimate vintage yacht – and surely one of the world’s most beautiful works of mind and hand. Always the darling of the classic regatta fleet and often winning her class, in more recent years she has succeeded in paying homage to her original owner’s unfulfilled desire to safely sail to the South Sea Islands.

William Fife III 108 ft Gaff-Rigged Schooner 1931/2007

Sandeman yacht company, brokerage of classic & vintage yachts.

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20 Best Dramatic Duets of All Time

So many co-sung tunes are a man and a woman trading bars about love and heartbreak, but only a handful of them have enough tone, intent, content, and chemistry to resonate. Here are 20 of the most memorable.

This list was originally published on April 7, 2014.

Mashonda feat. Jadakiss – “Can’t Leave the Block Alone”

Talk about the pathos of thug love: On this 2005 NYC mixtape hit, Mashonda and Jadakiss embodied the pain felt by drug dealers and the women who love them. Over a beat that’s almost sinister in its recollection of a summertime ice cream truck, the R&B singer expresses her fear and worry that her man might be arrested or worse. Jadakiss is the dealer in question, rapping “Long as the love never outwears the trust/And you understand that I’m out there for us.”

Rihanna feat. Ne-Yo – “Hate That I Love You”

"The best way to express an emotion like love is through storytelling," Ne-Yo said in a 2007 interview. "It makes it more, 'I can relate to this character in this song because I've been through something similar.'" He was talking about "Hate That I Love You," a beguilingly breezy track that he wrote for Rihanna's breakthrough album Good Girl Gone Bad . Ne-Yo and the Barbadian dynamo trade off lines about being crazy in love — in the bad way, alas — and the way their voices soar and blend is enough to make one hope that they eventually figure out a way to work things out, or at least duet again. 

The Human League – “Don’t You Want Me”

One of the most substantial love tracks in the entirety of the new wave catalogue, its phrasing and story is so Eighties downtown New York that it's amazing Human League were British. "You were workin' as a waitress at a cocktail bar when I met you," opens singer Philip Oakey, in a scene so pastoral it could be the opening to an Updike novel. Susan Ann Sulley, just 17 at the time she cut this classic, responds in kind. "That much is true, but even then I knew I'd find a much better place either with or without you," she sings, turning this push-and-pull into a de facto feminist anthem. Don't be misled by the glossy, Nagel-style make-up in the video: This song is deep.

Lita Ford & Ozzy Osbourne – “Close My Eyes Forever”

Dripping with drama and dressed up with enough attitude to come off as simultaneously blustery and funereal, this duet between guitar goddess Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne was one of the hard rock era's most powerful ballads, at least as far as the pop charts were concerned. Ford recalled in an interview that the track came about after Osbourne and his wife Sharon had stopped by her house to give her a life-sized replica of Koko the gorilla as a housewarming present — Sharon eventually "got bored and left," which left the other two ample room to spend the rest of the night drinking and writing this dreary, emotion-soaked duet. 

Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z – “Drunk in Love”

It's so close to the most important duet of 2013 and 2014, if only Jay Z hadn't invoked Ike Turner and Mike Tyson in his rap. Ostensibly a glimpse into the spouses' boozy, loving nights, Bey's not singing her best – listen to the a cappella and experience true pitchiness – but she's at her most heartfelt, which is why this song has quickly become a women's bar-sing-along jam for bosses and bachelorette parties. "We woke up in the kitchen like, 'How did this shit happen?'" she wonders, and Jay's slurred, slovenly-minded raps offer an answer: drunk, in love, you know how it goes.

Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot – “Bonnie & Clyde”

Weeks before her death in 1934, notorious criminal Bonnie Parker wrote "The Trail's End," a poem about the tribulations faced by her and her partner Clyde Barrow, whom she'd known since he was "honest and upright and clean." (She gave it to her mother.) The source material proved irresistible for the slightly sleazy yé-yé legend Serge Gainsbourg, who recast a French-language adaptation of the poem as a duet between him and his then-muse, the breathy Brigitte Bardot. Even for non-Francophones, the combination of Bardot's weary sighs and Gainsbourg's rasp oozes with the sort of eroticism that can only come from impending doom. 

Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige – “I’ll Be There for You/You’re All I Need to Get By”

"All I Need" is widely considered the first track to successfully conjoin R&B and hip-hop – two genres that hated each other with a passion before it was discovered they're like peanut butter and jelly. Sure, it took the queen of hip-hop R&B to tempt one of Wu-Tang 's premiere weedmongers to do it, but the result changed pop history. Two New York street stars expressing their love to each other in the shadow of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, whose "You're All I Need To Get By" they sampled and interpolated. "You are my destiny," sang Blige, while Meth dropped lines about her beauty and strength — but not before shouting out "cheeba," setting another precedent: the rapper who shields his love for a woman with other, more day-to-day concerns.

Aretha Franklin & George Michael – “I Knew You Were Waiting”

George Michael's liberation from the cheeky pop act Wham! reached another milestone when he got to team up with one of his R&B heroes — the Queen of Soul, as a matter of fact — on a love-conquers-all anthem that topped the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1987. This glittering duet allows Michael and Franklin the chance to showboat all over the place, their vocals reaching ever more ebuillent highs right through the song's fade-out; it also paved the way for Michael to fully shed his teen-idol image with his solo debut Faith , which hit stores a few months after "Waiting" reached Number One.

George Jones & Tammy Wynette – “Golden Ring”

Talk about real-life drama spilling upwards into art: Wynette and Jones had a love that was well-documented for its tumult – but boy did it ever sound good with a slide guitar. On "Golden Ring," one of their most popular numbers, these two sing sweetly about two lovers buying a wedding ring at a pawnshop. Sweet enough, but over the course of a few verses the tale escalates to the point that the lovers become fighters, and the ring ends back where it began. So sad they slowed down the tempo and howled like two lone wolves, with a little country twang.

Peter Gabriel feat. Kate Bush – “Don’t Give Up”

If ever there was a video that perfectly captured the intent of a song, it's the clip for "Don't Give Up," which simply features Gabriel and Bush in an embrace for dear life, a camera panning around their singing visages. There's an insular, intimate feeling to this song of struggle and hope, which Gabriel initially wrote for Dolly Parton , who declined. It's hard to imagine if she hadn't – Bush and Gabriel are so completely in sync their yearning gentility enveloping one another with hug-like strength.

Teena Marie & Rick James – “Fire & Desire”

The early Eighties was a ripe time for smoldering R&B duets between stars in the making, with radio stations specializing in love songs of the smoother variety sprouting up all over the country. This seven-minute chronicle of ex-lovers looking back at their past lives together, which appeared on James's 1981 full-length Street Songs, was never released as a single, but it lit up R&B radio. Marie and James had collaborated previously — he co-produced her 1979 debut Wild And Peaceful  — but the way the two wind around each other on this particular track is pure, well, fire. 

Barbra Striesand & Neil Diamond – “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”

One of the greatest duets in history was actually a fluke: Each cut was a take of this Neil Diamond song individually. But in 1978, a scorned, just-divorced radio jockey from Louisville, Kentucky, spliced them together as a spiteful missive to his ex-wife. Thus an apparently messy end sparked a beautiful beginning: The makeshift duet was so popular that Diamond and Streisand were compelled by their label to record an actual duet, which brought the pain of a break-up to a whole new level — and shot to Number One on the Billboard charts.

Patti Austin & James Ingram – “Baby Come to Me”

This staple of early-'80s smooth jazz playlists is one of two pairings between the precocious Austin (her first Apollo appearance came when she was four years old) and the Ohio-born Ingram, who was just getting his performer bearings when he laid down the track for Austin's 1981 album Every Home Should Have One .  "James did not consider himself a singer," Austin told the Palm Beach Post in 2005. "He was a writer and a musician, and he had no stage chops. Here I had been in the music business for 30 years, and he hadn't been doing it five minutes!" Their chemistry, however seemingly mismatched, proved undeniable, and they paired up again for the Oscar-nominated 1983 track "How Do You Keep The Music Playing?"

Ashford & Simpson – “Solid”

The key to this song is not the bombastic chorus, nor its triumphant disco synths. It's in the subtle curlicues: Simpson's breathless counter-harmonies on Ashford's verse; the half-key ascension on the pre-chorus; and, especially, when the duo sings " ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hot! " It's a study in composition and chemistry, and an example of what takes a song from being great to being a lasting pop hit. Granted, songwriting powerhouses and real-life spouses Ashford and Simpson together could do no wrong, but this is a high point, a song perfect for weddings and the roller rink (and, if you're adventurous, both at the same time).

Peaches & Herb – “Reunited”

It's currently all over the airwaves thanks to a cheeky tax-preparation ad, but back at the turn of the Eighties this duet between Herb Fame and Linda Greene (the second woman to fill the "Peaches" role on record) was even more ubiquitous, its tale of two lovers drawn back together after too much time spent apart serving as a wedding staple, a massive radio hit and even as a seduction accompaniment for people who were just getting to know one another. "I always hear people saying that their child was made off of that song," Fame told The Washington Post in 2009. 

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell – “I’m Your Puppet”

One of R&B's great singing duos, there's a sweet restraint on Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's hit "I'm Your Puppet" – both singers have extremely powerful voices but they're trodding along this song almost gingerly, the "I'll do anything for you" sentiment conveyed by their tenderness. It also showcases why these two were such a great pair: They have similar vocal tone, but they could vary them just enough to hit a sweet spot in their harmonies, implying total surrender to the music.

Cherrelle feat. Alexander O’Neal – “Saturday Love”

This wistful remembrance of a romance that first bloomed over a weekend is a showcase for the production talents of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, with shimmering keyboards, towering 808s and guarded-yet-giving interplay between the two singers. It gets a little bit of added backstory on Cherrelle's High Priority  — O'Neal spots his ex-flame at a bar and agonizes over seeing her, leading up to Cherrelle's shy "It's been a long time, I didn't think I was going to see you again" opening gambit. 

Stevie Nicks & Don Henley – “Leather & Lace”

The grizzly-voiced leaders of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles , respectively, were practically born to sing together about difficult love: Their voices cracked in complimentary places and, on this 1981 hit, both sounded like they'd been caravan-ing on motorcycles across the open highway for a long time. A relationship conversation in real time, they devote the song to singing how true they promise to be to one another, but in a lonely minor key so you get the feeling they both know they're lying to themselves. But here in the moonlight, they need each other today – and for now, it's all that matters.

Diana Ross & Lionel Ritchie – “Endless Love”

This Lionel Richie-penned track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a solid two months in 1981, and it's easy to hear why; the lush production and restrained yet powerhouse performances by Richie and his duet partner Diana Ross made it the type of song that any human with even an inkling of romantic feeling could relate to. The reaction startled Richie, who at that point was still with the soul outfit the Commodores: "Things got unbelievable," Richie said in a 1982 interview with the Chicago Tribune . "It was 'Endless Love,' endless award shows, endless everything." Endless variations on that song's theme, too — it's since been covered by Mariah Carey and Luther Vandross, a slew of American Idol hopefuls, and Richie himself (with Shania Twain as his foil). 

Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton – “Islands in the Stream”

The Bee Gees — Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb — worked with Kenny Rogers on his 1983 country chart-topper Eyes That See In the Dark . The fact that they wrote this fidelity-minded smash surprised people —although their handiwork is made plain by the exquisite harmonies on its chorus. (That chorus returned to the pop charts 15 years later, when Mya and Pras appropriated it for the briefly ubiquitous “Ghetto Superstar.” ) The blindingly obvious chemistry between Rogers and Parton turbocharged this track’s popularity, and it became the Number One song of 1983 and the second crossover hit for both of the Nashville superstars.

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Classic Yachts For Sale

While new, radically designed superyachts are always guaranteed to catch the public's attention, there are many owners dedicated to the preservation, restoration and maintenance of fine old pleasure crafts. Although the term classic yacht is a relatively elastic one, here are a selection of timeless classic yachts for sale currently with BOAT International. 

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Admired for their elegance and desired wherever they go, classic yachts attract a large number of owners and charterers. For those wanting a genuine sailing experience or who want to capture the real romance and thrill of yachting, these historic beauties have an enduring appeal. Every classic has a unique story to tell — whether it’s racing with royalty or hosting the Hollywood elite, or perhaps even serving in the war effort.

And each of the yachts featured here defined the glamor of her respective era. But what is it about these storied vessels that makes every generation of owners prepared to sink time and financial resources into their restoration? Here are 10 of the most exquisite classic yachts afloat today, a handful of which are available for the yacht aficionado to charter or even own.

Kalizma served in the British Royal Navy in both World War I and World War II / ©Morley Yachts

Builder:  Ramage & Ferguson Built:  1906 Refit:  1955, 1991, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2020 LOA:  150.1 ft Number of guests:  10 Crew:  10

One of the finest vintage yachts afloat,  Kalizma  (pictured top) has an iconic past with a tale steeped in history. Originally commissioned by Robert Stewart, vice commodore of the Royal Eastern Yacht Club (whose wealth came from his Scotch whisky distillery and estate),  Minona , as she was named upon her launch, was the first steam-powered yacht to have electric lighting.

Designed by naval architect GL Watson & Co, leading designers of their day, and built by Ramage & Ferguson in Scotland, she is a testament to expert craftsmanship — and has stood the test of time with her classic Edwardian looks and fresh contemporary updates.

As  Minona , she served in the British Royal Navy in both World War I and World War II, serving as an Auxiliary Patrol Vessel between 1914 and 1920, and in 1939 as HMS Minona. During her time as the flagship and base for His Majesty’s Deep Sea Rescue Tug Services in Scotland, she was responsible for saving the lives of crewmen from over 1,100 vessels.

The classic yacht was fully restored in 2020, rejuvenating her old-world charm / ©Morley Yachts

As a frequent guest of Aristotle Onassis aboard his yacht  Christina O , Burton was inspired to purchase the classic yacht as a congratulatory gift for Taylor after she earned an Academy Award for her performance in  Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ? The yacht was subsequently renamed  Kalizma , after the stars’ children Kate, Liza and Maria, and refurbished with all new interiors said to have cost more than twice her asking price. Adorned with an art collection with works by Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso, and an extensive library, she became their floating home for the next decade.

It was on board  Kalizma  while berthed on the River Thames that Burton presented Taylor with the 33-carat Krupp Diamond, also known as the Elizabeth Taylor Diamond. Then, while berthed in Monaco, he gave her the record-breaking $1.5m 69-carat Cartier diamond, which arrived under police escort. Taylor wore the jewel, which became known as the Taylor-Burton Diamond, for the first time on a necklace at Princess Grace’s 40th birthday party.

A number of royalty, including Princess Grace of Monaco and Prince Rainier III, and distinguished personalities such as Rex Harrison and Tennessee Williams, were later guests of the most famous Hollywood couple during their high-profile ownership.

Kalizma  has gone on to have a number of owners since then, including serial classic yacht owner Peter de Savary.  Kalizma  was de Savary’s flagship and floating headquarters for the British team at the 1983 America’s Cup challenge, hosting several spectators in Newport.

Acquired by Indian tycoon Vijay Mallya in 2006, and then by philanthropist Shirish Saraf in 2019, she has since been fully restored, rejuvenating her old-world charm with all the luxuries and amenities expected of a modern superyacht. Today she is available to charter in the Indian Ocean and Asia Pacific with accommodation for 10 guests in five staterooms, including a stunning master suite, two doubles and two twins.

From €90,000 to €100,000 (approx. $101,800 to $113,100) per week. Contact Tim Morley, founder, [email protected], +33 680 863 091, morley-yachts.com

• Shenandoah of Sark

Shenandoah of Sark is a symbol of one the most glamorous eras in yachting / Courtesy of Burgess Yachts

Builder:  Townsend & Downey Built:  1902 Refit:  1972, 1996, 2018 LOA:  178 ft Number of guests:  10 Crew:  12

Built at the turn of a century for American banker Charles Fahnestock,  Shenandoah , as she was then known, was one of the most high-profile yachts of her age and a symbol of one the most glamorous eras in yachting. Delivered in 1902 by the Townsend & Downey Shipyard in New York, she quickly gained a reputation not only for her celebrated design but for the parties held on board.

During these formative years  Shenandoah  played host to some of the world’s most powerful families and international royalty while in her homeport of Newport, Rhode Island. A few years later, Fahnestock retired and sailed her to the Mediterranean, where her reputation as one of the most elegant sailing yachts on the circuit was solidified, with parties held along the Côte d’Azur and Amalfi Coast becoming the most sought-after ticket for the yachting fraternity.

While cruising the Mediterranean,  Shenandoah  turned the head of German aristocrat Landrat Walter von Bruining, who went on to purchase the three-masted schooner and rechristened her Lasca II. Under Bruining’s ownership, Lasca II spent time in Germany and England, where he enjoyed just one summer in Cowes on the Isle of Wight before World War I broke out.

Commandeered by the British, she subsequently became the property of British shipbuilder Sir John Esplen, who reinstated her previous name and installed two engines on board.  Shenandoah  then went through a number of different names and owners, including an Italian prince and the Danish sculpture philanthropist, Viggo Jarl, between the wars. Jarl endowed a substantial part of his fortune on the renamed Atlantide, updating her with new diesel engines and an electricity plant, and embarking on a series of long passages to the West Indies and through the Panama Canal to South America.

Shenandoah of Sark is today a perfectly preserved piece of sailing history / Courtesy of Burgess Yachts

After surviving two World Wars, Atlantide’s run of good fortune was apparently over. During the next few decades she went ‘underground’ and is rumored to have seen her fair share of smugglers and gamblers, cruising throughout the Americas and Caribbean, before ending up in the Mediterranean, where she was seized by the French government in a tax scandal.

Following many years of neglect, she was rescued in 1972 by the inventor of the Bic ballpoint pen, Baron Marcel Bich. Restored to her former splendor and christened  Shenandoah  once again, Bich sailed the yacht back to America as a spectator boat for the America’s Cup — the first time she had been back to her original homeport of Newport for over 70 years.

Shenandoah  spent several years under Bich’s ownership, immaculately maintained, before being purchased by industrialist Philip Bommer. Having witnessed  Shenandoah  sailing when he was just 13, Bommer had spent the ensuing two decades dreaming about owning her, and in 1986 his ambition was fulfilled. Extensively refit and restored once again,  Shenandoah  became a renowned charter yacht, before once again entering years of neglect.

Rescued once again, refit and refurbished,  Shenandoah  was an America’s Cup spectator for the second time, this time in New Zealand in 2000, before competing in the Millennium Cup superyacht regatta. Five circumnavigations later, with a number of successful transatlantic races and classic regattas under her belt, and via a number of owners and award-winning refits, the rechristened  Shenandoah of Sark  is today a perfectly preserved piece of sailing history.

• Christina O

Christina O is arguably the most famous classic yacht still afloat / ©Stef Bravin

Builder:  Canadian Vickers Built:  1943 Refit:  1954, 2001, 2015, 2018 LOA:  325.3 ft Number of guests:  34 Crew:  3

Christina O  is a part of yachting legend. Arguably the most famous classic yacht still afloat, the fabled yacht of Aristotle Socrates Onassis has regularly entertained some of the world’s most powerful and famous people. She may not be a classic beauty like Delphine and Talitha but, thanks to the lavish parties hosted aboard by Onassis, with guest lists full of some of the most well-known names of the time, including Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Christina (as she was then known) regularly featured in newspapers and on the cover of glossy magazines.

Becoming a part of the zeitgeist of her era — and as famous as some of the Hollywood stars who came aboard — she remains today a visible symbol of the glamorous lifestyle enjoyed by the yachting crowd from the late 1950s throughout the ’60s.

As an in-demand charter yacht, her eternal appeal to a modern clientele is proven / ©Stef Bravin

In those days this was a vast sum of money, but the investment paid off. Not only did Christina hugely enhance his status and fortune — as a venue for hosting businessmen and politicians, as well as film stars — but she also served as the backdrop for his famous romantic relationships, including his love affair with the renowned soprano Maria Callas. It was on board the converted frigate that John F. Kennedy met his idol Winston Churchill during a dinner hosted by Onassis, and a decade later where Onassis began his courtship of the widowed Jackie Kennedy. The yacht was even their wedding venue.

Despite seeing some deterioration under the ownership of the Greek government,  Christina O  has been refurbished and refitted; today she retains the fantastic opulence Onassis so extravagantly bestowed on her. In fact, she positively oozes ’50s Hollywood glamor; it could even be said she has only improved with age. As an in-demand charter yacht, her eternal appeal to a modern clientele is proven.

All the modern comforts and luxuries that are expected on a luxury yacht seamlessly blend with her original features. All of the 17 guest suites have been refurbished, yet maintain the pastel decor selected by style icon Jackie O. The original, mosaic-tiled pool that transforms into a dance floor has also been restored, while the famous Ari’s barstools retain their original upholstery, believed to be sperm-whale foreskin — now there’s a conversation starter when you are perched at the bar.

Christina O is the perfect yacht for large family groups or event charters / ©Stef Bravin

The Camper & Nicholsons-built Grace has led many lives during almost a century afloat / ©Classic Charters

Builder:  Camper & Nicholsons Built:  1928 Refit:  1947, 2009, 2013, 2018 LOA:  147 ft Number of guests:  16 Crew:  12

With a unique and historic pedigree, the Camper & Nicholsons-built  Grace  has led many lives during almost a century afloat. Built as a luxury yacht in 1928 and originally christened Monica, she was used by the British as part of the war effort. While serving in the Royal Navy as HMS Rion, she sadly suffered serious damage as part of the Dunkirk evacuation fleet.

Rescued by Aristotle Onassis in 1951 and renamed  Arion , she played host to iconic figures like Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor. On hearing of Prince Rainier’s engagement to Grace Kelly in 1955, Onassis presented the classic motor yacht to them as a gift for their forthcoming 1956 nuptials.

Grace is available for charter in the Galápagos Islands for up to 16 guests and 12 crew / ©Classic Charters

Rechristened  Grace , she is available for charter in the Galápagos Islands for up to 16 guests and 12 crew. Great attention to detail has been given to restoring her original features, including the original brass ship’s wheel from 1927, which is still inscribed with the yacht’s original name. The master suite, known as the Grace Kelly Suite, is in the original location, while two further master suites and two twin-bedded cabins are all decorated to the highest standards.

Her communal guest areas feature period-style, custom furniture in keeping with her elegant build. In addition to her alfresco dining and lounging areas and hot tub, the toybox is geared towards exploring the Galápagos National Park and includes kayaks, snorkeling equipment and two Zodiac tenders.

Delphine is the largest steam-powered yacht ever to be built in the US / ©SS Delphine Cruises

Builder:  Great Lakes Engineering Works Refit yard:  Scheepswerf Zeebrugge Built:  1921 Refit:  1926, 1997, 2003, 2016 LOA:  258 ft Number of guests:  26, 150 day guests Crew:  26

Commissioned by auto magnate Horace Dodge and named after his only daughter,  Delphine  is the largest steam-powered yacht ever to be built in the US. Sadly, Horace never got to see the launch of this third private yacht he built, as he passed away just a year before her delivery. However, his wife Anna and their family loved and cherished  Delphine , cruising on board her in the Great Lakes and along the East Coast, hosting cocktail parties on board.

With all her luxuries, including 10 magnificent staterooms, a music room, card room, dining room and smoking room, and a crew of 55, she positively defined 1920s East Coast glamor. In 1926, while she was docked on the Hudson River in Manhattan, two cabins caught fire, and with too much water poured in by the fire department,  Delphine  sank. Unwilling to live without her, the Dodge family salvaged her from the deep and restored her faithfully, with some additional renovations to her interior.

Delphine the largest luxury classic yacht of her era with her original steam engines still in service / ©SS Delphine Cruises

Reacquired by the Dodge family after the war, she was restored to a private yacht and rechristened  Delphine  once again. Over the next three decades  Delphine  sailed under numerous ownerships and different names, including almost 20 years spent as a training ship for merchant seamen, until finally being sold (for scrap metal prices) in 1997.

Having crossed the Atlantic for the first time and berthed in the Mediterranean, she was towed to Bruges, Belgium, where she underwent a six-year, $60m restoration. Her new Belgian owner scoured museums and archives for  Delphine’s  original blueprints, in an effort to ensure that the engineering and architectural refit was faithful to her original design, right down to the 20-ft-tall quadruple steam engines, six-person Turkish bath and hairdressing salon. Even her bespoke tenders, handmade from Honduran mahogany, remain exactly as they were when she was brand new.

Rechristened in 2003 as  Delphine  by HSH Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, she is today the largest luxury yacht of her era with her original steam engines still in service. To put that into context, her 6-ft-tall propellers are powered by water converted into vapor pressure by diesel fuel. She consumes 600 liters an hour at cruising speeds. When you consider that many modern motor yachts of a similar size use more than 1,000 liters of fuel an hour,  Delphine  could almost be considered environmentally friendly. Full steam ahead.

The iconic Haida has sailed through a succession of adventures / ©Edmiston Yachts

Builder:  Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft Refit yard:  Pendennis Built:  1929 Refit:  2018 LOA:  233 ft Number of guests:  12 Crew:  18

At the time of her launch in 1929, this clipper-bow yacht was christened  Haida , after the native people of Alaska and British Columbia. It is the name for which she is best known, and to which she has recently reverted following a comprehensive refit. However, the iconic  Haida  has sailed through a succession of adventures and has had many different names during her storied life.

Haida’s  original commissioning owner spent over a decade cruising the west coast of America, pursuing his interests in marine science and fishing. In 1940, the oceangoing yacht was commandeered for service in World War II by the US Navy. She had a heroic naval career, saving many lives and protecting key installations while patrolling San Francisco Bay.

Haida’s recent, award-winning refit by Pendennis has combined the grandeur of 1930s yachting with state-of-the-art superyacht luxuries / ©Edmiston Yachts

She has resided in the Mediterranean ever since, under various ownerships of dedicated, high-profile owners, including Löel Guinness, becoming one of the world’s most famous superyachts.

Haida’s  recent, award-winning refit by the renowned  Pendennis Shipyard  has combined the grandeur and elegance of 1930s yachting with state-of-the-art superyacht luxuries. Despite replacing over 100 tons of steel within her hull structure,  Haida 1929  (as she is now known) retains the sophisticated and timeless exterior lines originally designed by Cox & Stevens.

Even the original Krupp engines remain, thought to be the oldest working engines of their type. Deck spaces are generous, especially on the recently extended sun deck, which has been split around her iconic funnel. Period furniture and artworks re-create the charm and ambience of her heritage, while a light color palette and modern amenities have been integrated.

Her notable features include a barber shop, spa, hammam, biofuel fireplace, indoor and outdoor cinemas, and stepped pool. Elegant and refined, Haida 1929 is a truly original classic. Refit project management by Edmiston Yachts.

La Sultana has led many lives during her 50-plus years afloat / ©Camper & Nicholsons

Builder:  Georgi Dimitrov Built:  1962 Refit:  2018 LOA:  213ft Number of guests:  12 Crew:  17

She may not hail from the golden era of yachting like other classic yachts her size, but this former Soviet spy ship is certainly not short on history. A true gentleman’s yacht,  La Sultana  has led many lives during her 50-plus years afloat. Originally built in 1962 in Bulgaria for use as a passenger ferry,  Aji-Petri  (as she was then known) was the fifth of a series of 12 ships that carried passengers and cargo through the Black Sea between the ports of Istanbul and Yalta.

La Sultana’s striking interior features Art Deco touches that draw inspiration from the stylish vessels of the 1920s / ©Camper & Nicholsons

Some 50 years after her build, she was discovered by a French gentleman. It was during a colossal seven-year, multimillion-dollar restoration in Casablanca that the yard unearthed several espionage instruments, including a radioactivity detector and several electronic devices from the Cold War. With the addition of her raised bow, touch-and-go helipad, machinery, piping and wiring, commercial engine and a huge keel, the rechristened  La Sultana  emerged from the shipyard as a majestic cruising yacht.

Today, her striking interior features Art Deco touches that draw inspiration from the stylish vessels of the 1920s, while the Arabian Nights-inspired decor is both eccentric and exotic. The new layout features an indoor 16-ft counter-current swimming pool and hammam, and seven luxurious staterooms, including a vast master suite on the upper deck, two VIP staterooms on the main deck, and four staterooms on the lower deck, all with en suites — quite a difference from the original build with its 102 cabins.

Her large deck areas include lots of relaxation and entertainment areas, as well as a classically styled spa pool on the foredeck, located forward of the new helipad. With more than a nod to the golden age of yachting, the rebuilt La Sultana is a classic motor yacht for modern times.

Malahne is one of just a handful of British-built, pre-war motor yachts to have survived into the 21st century / ©Edmiston

Builder:  Camper & Nicholsons Refit:  Pendennis Built:  1937 Refit:  2015 LOA:  164 ft Number of guests:  10 Crew:  11

Designed by Charles E Nicholson and built by Camper & Nicholsons in 1937,  Malahne  is one of just a handful of British-built, pre-war motor yachts to have survived into the 21st century. Originally commissioned by William Stephenson, head of the British arm of the Woolworth store chain and a passionate yachtsman, this classic 1930s gentleman’s yacht has led a glamorous and colorful life, with many ups and downs. Stephenson owned both the J-Class yacht  Velsheda  and  Malahne , and named them after his daughters Velma, Sheila and Daphne, with the first few letters of their names forming ‘Velsheda’ and the last few letters ‘ Malahne .’

She spent her first few years cruising the Mediterranean, and crossed the Atlantic a number of times before being handed over for military needs during World War II. During her time serving as a patrol cruiser in the English Channel,  Malahne  also participated in the evacuation of troops from Dunkirk.

A 2015 refit produced a design more faithful to the original / ©Edmiston

A decade later, she was sold to a Saudi sheikh who renamed her  Adel XII  and changed her beyond recognition, with an almost sacrilegious angular new superstructure and modern interior quite out of keeping with her classic past. Twenty years later, she passed into more sympathetic hands, and underwent a hugely ambitious restoration at the British shipyard Pendennis. The restoration experts there sought to bring her back to her original classic yacht form, but with the addition of a few 21st-century comforts.

While Pendennis worked on recreating her original hull form and undoing the damage wrought by the previous owner, classic yacht experts GL Watson & Co were drafted to rework her exterior lines; meanwhile, design experts from Oliver Laws — who designed the Art Deco interiors of the  Connaught hotel and Claridge’s  — set to work on her interior, producing a design more faithful to the original, including a number of original antique 1930s pieces but with a modern Art Deco twist.

Today, thanks to such a comprehensive and sympathetic refit by her devoted British owner,  Malahne  is a tribute to modern engineering and British craftsmanship. One of the finest classic yachts for  charter , she features state-of-the-art equipment and Art Deco interior styling. Were he still alive, there’s no doubt that Sinatra would be delighted to tap his dancing shoes once again on board her stunningly restored teak decks.

There couldn’t be a more classic-looking yacht reflecting the golden age of yachting than Talitha / ©Unkown

Builder:  Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft Refit:  Devonport Yachts Built:  1930 Refit:  1993, 2009 LOA:  262 ft Number of guests:  12 Crew:  20

With her flared clipper bow, impressive funnels and traditional counter stern, there couldn’t be a more classic-looking yacht reflecting the golden age of yachting than  Talitha . Originally commissioned by Russell Algar of the Packard Motor Car Company, the originally named  Reveler  was sadly not yet delivered by the German shipyard F. Krupp in Kiel when Algar died.

Sold to Charles McCann of the Woolworth family and renamed Chalena, she was later requisitioned by the US Maritime Commission in 1942, and entered service as a gunboat with new armaments mounted fore and aft. Operating under her new military name of USS Beaumont in the waters between Midway Island and Pearl Harbor, she survived the war without serious incident, and in 1946 was decommissioned and returned to private ownership.

Talitha features an all-new Art Deco interior with all of the trappings of a modern classic / ©Unkown

Described by The New York Times as a “floating fantasy,” she featured a re-design of the distinctive clipper bow and new teak decks but, sadly, it wasn’t to last and, following some engine problems, she was laid up once again in the late 1980s. In 1993 she was brought to the attention of her next and current owner Sir John Paul Getty Jr.

Under the guidance of legendary designer Jon Bannenberg, she was painstakingly restored to her former glory, with both exterior and interior redesign and brand new engines. The addition of a pair of funnels and an extended wheelhouse was at the time criticized by many, but Bannenberg’s vision proved them wrong when the renamed  Talitha G  (named after Getty’s second wife) was relaunched to great acclaim, with more than a nod to her 1930s design.

One of the most detailed, distinctive and beautiful classic motor yachts to be relaunched in recent times,  Talitha  is suitably reflective of an incredibly glamorous era of yachting. Featuring an all-new Art Deco interior with all of the trappings of a modern classic, she is a real head-turner, not only for the Hollywood celebrities spotted on board, but for her own stunning looks.

The classic sailing yacht Eros has led a colorful past, with lords, ladies and royalty all captivated by her charm / ©Classic Charters

Builder:  Brooke Marine Built:  1939 Refit:  1999, 2016, 2019 LOA : 115 ft Number of guests:  8 Crew:  5

Delivered in 1939 by British shipyard Brooks Motor Craft, the classic sailing yacht  Eros  has led a colorful past, with lords, ladies and royalty all captivated by her charm and beautiful lines over her eight decades afloat. Originally christened  Jeanry , she was commissioned for the daughter and son-in-law of a British lord who unfortunately spent very little time on board her before she was requisitioned by the Royal Navy to participate in the evacuation efforts at Dunkirk during World War II.

Following the end of her wartime service she went on to be owned by Greek shipping magnate Stavros Niarchos, second only to Aristotle Onassis in the shipping magnate stakes and also the first man to be called a billionaire. Niarchos rechristened her  Eros  in honor of the Greek god of love and passion, and under his ownership the wooden schooner became a fixture on the Mediterranean yachting circuit, hosting the cream of European society, including King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain.

Eros offers charter guests the chance to experience genuine sailing on a stunning classic yacht / ©Classic Charters

Eros  went on to change ownership just one more time before being rescued by her current owner in 1992. Meticulously restored to her original grandeur over the course of 18 years, she was relaunched in 2016 and now offers the refinement of a bygone era combined with the latest superyacht luxuries. Retaining many original details, including the Admiralty bronze fittings of the ship’s bell and restored Burmese teak planks, her complete overhaul involved repairs and replacements to her steel structure, and over 20,000 new bronze bolts, among many other things.

Today,  Eros  offers charter guests the chance to experience genuine sailing on a stunning classic yacht, either cruising in the Caribbean or Mediterranean or racing in classic regattas in the Caribbean and New England. Boasting state-of-the-art technology, 22 hydraulically assisted winches and 9,000 sq ft of sail,  Eros  can reach speeds of up to 10 knots under sail.

And for those looking to simply sit back and relax, her four guest cabins include a master stateroom with private en suite featuring a Jacuzzi bath, a double stateroom with en suite, and two twin cabins with shared bathroom. Out on deck, she boasts numerous seating and lounging areas for socializing, relaxing and alfresco dining.

Eros  also offers plenty of on-the-water entertainment, with a great selection of water toys for her more active guests to enjoy.

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By Tom Eames

If you're looking to add some gravitas to a pop banger, then you can't go wrong by making it a duet.

From '60s soul anthems to '80s power ballads, we've picked the very best duet songs of all time, for when you're searching for the ultimate karaoke playlist.

Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey - 'When You Believe'

Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey - When You Believe (Official HD Video)

Despite rumours that they hated each other for years, two of the biggest female artists in the world came together for the soundtrack of Disney's The Prince of Egypt .

• The 30 greatest Disney songs of all time, ranked

Whitney said of working with Mariah : "I enjoyed working with her very much. Mariah and I got along very great. We had never talked and never sang together before. We just had a chance for camaraderie, singer-to-singer, artist-to-artist, that kind of thing."

Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes - 'Up Where We Belong'

An Officer and a Gentleman • Up Where We Belong • Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

It's impossible to hear this song and not think of Richard Gere in his navy whites in An Officer and a Gentleman .

• Where are the cast of An Officer and a Gentleman now?

This Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes duet topped the US charts and won an Oscar, though producer Don Simpson was apparently convinced it would be a flop. Hindsight, eh?

Neil Diamond & Barbra Streisand - 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers'

Barbra Streisand Neil Diamond - You Don't Bring Me Flowers

This duet is about two lovers who have drifted apart over time, while they "go through the motions" and heartache of life together. It was intended as the theme tune for the short-lived TV show  All That Glitters , and was later recorded as two separate solo versions by Neil Diamond and Barbara Streisand .

After an early form of 'mashup' featuring the two versions gained popularity, an official duet was recorded by the pair, and it became a huge hit - helped a lot by their sexually-charged duet at the Oscars.

John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John - 'You're the One that I Want'

John Travolta And Olivia Newton John - You're The One That I Want

Along with 'Summer Nights', Olivia and John scored two of the biggest hits of all time, let alone the 1970s.

• Watch Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta dance one last time in adorable final interview

Both songs featured on the Grease soundtrack in 1978, and reached number one in the UK and sold 15 million copies worldwide.

Phil Collins & Philip Bailey - 'Easy Lover'

Philip Bailey, Phil Collins - Easy Lover

Phil Collins was producing American singer Philip Bailey’s new album in 1984 when Bailey approached him at the end of the sessions and asked him to write a song together.

Phil later said of the song: “The hip-hop brigade fell in love with me after ‘Easy Lover’. They were like, ‘Where’d that come from? That ain’t black music and that ain’t white music. That’s kind of an interesting colour of beige”.

Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield - 'What Have I Done to Deserve This?'

Pet Shop Boys - What Have I Done To Deserve This (Official Video) [HD REMASTERED]

Not the most obvious collaboration on paper, but it worked brilliantly. This song gave the Pet Shop Boys another number one in the UK, and a number two in the US. It also helped revive Dusty's career.

Neil Tennant had wanted to collaborate with Dusty , who had been one of his childhood heroes for many years, but her management only accepted after the worldwide success of their debut album Please.

Bryan Adams & Mel C - 'When You're Gone'

Bryan Adams - When You're Gone ft. Melanie C

Sheryl Crow was actually the first choice to sing this classic duet before Spice Girl Mel C got involved. "When I was first doing it, I asked Sheryl Crow to do it and never heard back from her!" Bryan Adams later said.

• Bryan Adams and Mel C release excellent new version of 'When You're Gone' duet

"I was in LA at the time and got in the lift at the hotel and in walked Mel and I said 'hey Mel!' and she said 'Hi'. I said: 'We should sing something together' and she said 'I'd love to!' Then I said: 'I've got one for you!'"

Weirdly, Bryan later released a new version with actress Pamela Anderson for his Anthology album.

Elton John & Kiki Dee - 'Don't Go Breaking My Heart'

Elton John - Don't Go Breaking My Heart (with Kiki Dee)

Elton John scored his first UK number one single with this classic track, which he and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin originally intended to be with Dusty Springfield .

However, Dusty withdrew the offer due to illness, and so relatively unknown singer Kiki Dee stepped in.

The song was intended as an affectionate parody of the Motown style, notably the duets recorded by Marvin Gaye with Tammi Terrell and Kim Weston. And it worked!

Michael Jackson & Siedah Garrett - 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You'

Michael Jackson - I Just Can't Stop Loving You (Feat. Siedah Garrett)

The first single taken from Michael's Bad album, Siedah's presence on the track was a last-minute decision by Michael and producer Quincy Jones , after their first two choices, Barbra Streisand and Whitney Houston, both declined.

Before then, Siedah was a protégé of Jones's who co-wrote 'Man in the Mirror' , and she didn't know that she would be singing the song until the day of the recording session.

Sonny & Cher - 'I Got You Babe'

I Got You Babe - Sonny and Cher Top of the Pops 1965

Technically we're only including duets between artists who don't normally sing together, but we're making an exception for this one.

• When Sonny & Cher reunited to perform 'I Got You Babe' for the very last time

Then-lovers Sonny & Cher recorded this iconic duet in 1965, giving them a massive number one hit around the world.

UB40 and Chrissie Hynde later teamed up for their own duet of the song 30 years later.

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell - 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough'

Ain't No Mountain High Enough (extra HQ) - Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Songwriters Ashford & Simpson described this song as their 'golden egg' which got them their first Motown gig.

Dusty Springfield wanted to record it first, but the duo turned her down so that they could secure Motown, and it landed with Marvin and Tammi Terrell, who scored a big hit with their original in 1967.

• Tammi Terrell - The tragic life story of a Motown singer and how Marvin Gaye never got over her death

Three years later, Diana Ross achieved her first solo US number one with a cover version using a different arrangement.

Patti Labelle & Michael McDonald - 'On My Own'

Patti LaBelle - On My Own (Official Music Video) ft. Michael McDonald

Written and produced by Burt Bacharach and his former wife Carole Bayer Sager, it was first recorded by Dionne Warwick but she decided not to release it.

A year later, Patti Labelle recorded it brilliantly as a duet with Michael McDonald , and it became a huge number one hit in the US.

Diana Ross & Lionel Richie - 'Endless Love'

Diana Ross & Lionel Richie Endless Love 1981

Recorded by two Motown legends, this song was written as the theme for the Franco Zeffirelli film of the same name.

It ended up becoming both of their biggest hits in America, and was named by Billboard as the greatest duet of all time, and helped elevate Lionel as a solo star.

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper - 'Shallow'

Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper - Shallow (From A Star Is Born/Live From The Oscars)

Barbra Streisand already had huge success with her '70s version of A Star is Born , including the song 'Evergreen'. But Gaga and Cooper had their own triumph with their 2018 remake.

• The Story of... 'Shallow'

'Shallow' was one of many hugely popular songs from the soundtrack, and the heartbreaking ballad reached number one in the UK, and also won the Oscar for Best Song.

Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue - 'Kids'

Robbie Williams, Kylie Minogue - Kids

Robbie decided to turn this song into a duet, and was written when Kylie approached him to write her some songs for what would be her album Light Years .

It was then that Robbie noticed their chemistry and decided to include it on his album too.

It remains one of the greatest pop duets of all time, and is always a winner at karaoke, especially if you can remember Robbie's rap at the end.

Queen & David Bowie - 'Under Pressure'

Queen - Under Pressure (Official Video)

A duet like no other, this anthem saw rock legends Queen team up with the one and only David Bowie .

Brian May said of the song's tricky process: "It was hard, because you had four very precocious boys and David, who was precocious enough for all of us."

The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - 'Fairytale of New York'

The Pogues - Fairytale Of New York (Official Video)

This song just missed out on being the Christmas number one back in 1987, but has gone on to become one of the nation's favourite Christmas songs ever .

• The Story of... 'Fairytale of New York' by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

That's all thanks to the tale of an on-off couple's bickering conversation between Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl .

The song was written as the result of a wager made by Pogues producer Elvis Costello , who said that the band would not be able to write a Christmas hit single. How wrong he was!

Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes - '(I've Had the) Time of My Life'

Bill Medley, Jennifer Warnes - (I've Had) The Time Of My Life (Official HD Video)

Proving that Jennifer Warnes was the undisputed queen of 1980s movie soundtracks, this time she teamed up with Righteous Brothers singer Bill for the main song from Dirty Dancing in 1987.

The 100 greatest movie songs of all time, ranked

• The Story of... '(I've Had) The Time of My Life' from Dirty Dancing

People have been attempting (usually unsuccessfully) to do the Patrick Swayze 'lift' to the song ever since.

George Michael & Aretha Franklin - 'I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)'

George Michael, Aretha Franklin - I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) (Official Video)

This one-off project between two giants allowed George Michael to perform with one of his all-time favourite artists, Aretha Franklin .

• The Story of... 'I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)' by George and Aretha

Co-written by Simon Climie of Climie Fisher fame, it was a number one hit in both the UK and the US.

It was also Aretha's first top 10 in the UK since 'I Say a Little Prayer' two decades earlier.

Dolly Parton & Kenny Rogers - 'Islands in the Stream'

KENNY ROGERS & DOLLY PARTON - ISLANDS IN THE STREAM - HQ Audio

The Bee Gees originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye in an R&B style, but later changed it to fit Kenny Rogers ’ album. Recently speaking about how he wasn't a fan of the song, Kenny explained: “I finally said, ‘Barry [Gibb], I don’t even like this song anymore’ and he said, ‘You know what we need? We need Dolly Parton'.

• The Story of... 'Islands in the Stream' by Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers

“I had a recording studio at the time and she was downstairs and my manager Ken Kragen said, ‘I just saw her!’ and I said, ‘Well, go get her!’ He went downstairs and she came marching into the room, and once she came in and started singing the song was never the same. It took on a personality of its own.”

Dolly Parton interview: 40 years of Islands in the Stream and writing 'Jolene'

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7 stunning classical duets that are guaranteed to lift your spirits

13 February 2019, 13:40 | Updated: 14 February 2019, 10:56

By Helena Asprou

Feeling blue? Here are seven sweet-sounding classical duets that prove the world can be a lovely place…

1. ‘Flower Duet’ ( Lakmé ), Delibes

First performed in Paris in 1883, this beautiful duet written for soprano and mezzo-soprano is taken from Act One of Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé – and its mesmerising harmonies make it the perfect pick-me-up song. In this version, sung by Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca, the pair sing lyrics that translate to ‘Come, let us drift down together’ as the opera’s main character Lakmé and her servant Mallika gather flowers by a river.

Flower duet - Anna Netrebko & Elina Garanca (Lakmé de Delibes)

2. ‘Time to Say Goodbye’, Andrea Bocelli

As if we needed another reason to love Andrea Bocelli, this moving track is enough to warm even the coldest of hearts. It was originally released as a single in 1995 under the title ‘ Con te partirò ’, which means ‘I’ll leave with you’. His elegant duet with soprano Sarah Brightman became an instant hit with music fans after it was performed at boxer Henry Maske’s final fight in 1996.

Sarah Brightman & Andrea Bocelli - Time to Say Goodbye (1997) [720p]

3. Petite Suite for piano, Debussy

Unlike many of Debussy’s modernist works, this absolute showstopper of a piece written for one piano and four hands is far more simplistic in its nature. Debuting in 1889, it was originally performed by the composer himself and pianist-publisher Jacques Durand, so it certainly stands the test of time. Lang Lang and Eschenbach’s impressive rendition of Petite Suite is a fine example of true camaraderie and is guaranteed to give anyone a boost.

Lang Lang & Eschenbach —— Debussy：Petite Suite

4. Five Pieces for Two Violins , Shostakovich

A far cry from some of Shostakovich’s darker works, this enchanting series of pieces for two violins is defined by warm harmonies and Slavic charm. Performed by Dana Johnson and Giancarlo Latta, the delightful pieces include ‘Prelude’ (from The Gadfly ), ‘Gavotte’ and ‘Elegy’ (from the 3rd Ballet Suite ), ‘Waltz’ (from The Tale of the Priest and His Servant Balada) and ‘Polka’, from the 1st Ballet Suite.

Shostakovich: Five Pieces for Two Violins - Dana Johnson, Giancarlo Latta

5. ‘Là Ci Darem La Mano’, Mozart

Italian for ‘There we will give each other our hands’, the title of this charismatic song features in Act One of Mozart’s 1787 opera Don Giovanni . It’s sung by the characters Don Giovanni (baritone) and Zerlina (soprano) as he attempts to seduce her and take her to his castle. The lyrics can be translated as: ‘Do you suppose an honourable man, a noble cavalier, as I believe myself to be, could permit such a lovely little face?’

Mozart - La Ci Darem La Mano (English Subtitles)

6. Six Duets for Two Flutes , Mozart

It might be smaller than other instruments, but the flute is full of surprises , and in Mozart’s Six Duets for Two Flutes you can truly appreciate its gorgeous timbre. In this video, musicians Alyssa Schwartz and Mirim Lee show off the iconic composer’s interweaving melodies perfectly, giving equal importance to each part. Mozart was also a fan of playing duets himself and often performed with his sister Marianne.

Six Duets for Two Flutes, No 1, K156 by Mozart, Alyssa Schwartz and Mirim Lee

7. ‘Final Duet’, ( L’incoronazione di Poppea ) Monteverdi

One of the first operas to use historical events and people, Monteverdi ’s epic work L’incoronazione di Poppea debuted in 1643 at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice – and there’s no doubt about its charm. It tells the story of Poppea, mistress of the Roman emperor Nero, who succeeds in being crowned empress. The duet portrays the love between the main characters and as the opera draws to a close, they sing the words: “I gaze at you, I possess you”.

Monteverdi - L’incoronazione di Poppea, Final Duet

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