Definition of Duet?

[bestmusicexpert]

Since the one hit wonders thread caused a stir, I decided to start more trouble...

What do you consider a duet?

2 hit artists like Kiki Dee & Elton John combining on a song (Don't Go Breaking My Heart)

2 unrelated artists with or without other hits (Like Suzy Quatro and Chris Norman- Stumblin' In)

A group and a solo artist? (Like Stop Draggin My Heart Around, Under Pressure or What Have I Done To Deserve This)

Are a duo like Hall & Oates, Righteous Brothers or The Everly Brothers duetting?

I consider all but my last example to be duets, but that just me. What about everyone else?

[mkarns]

I'd agree, except I'd add that the "group and solo artist" definition should include two singers sharing the vocals. Thus, Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty or David Bowie and Freddie Mercury singing together on the hits you listed count as duets, but if those hits had just had the instrumentalists in the bands backing up Nicks and Bowie without their lead singers vocalizing, then they wouldn't be duets.

Also, a full duet should feature roughly equal parts singing by both acts. If one of them only sings backup or a couple of lines, that's not really a duet IMO.

[bestmusicexpert]

What about What Have I Done To Deserve This then? I think both of the Pet Shop Boys sing and the 2 pet shop boys vocals equal the amount of singing that Dusty Springfield does.

One example (like mkarns mentioned) of a non duet is Elton John's song Wrap Her Up. George Michael just (annoyingly) sings a few lines here and there.

[mkarns]

Jun 30, 2011 12:13:24 GMT -5 bestmusicexpert said:

What about What Have I Done To Deserve This then? I think both of the Pet Shop Boys sing and the 2 pet shop boys vocals equal the amount of singing that Dusty Springfield does.

One example (like mkarns mentioned) of a non duet is Elton John's song Wrap Her Up. George Michael just (annoyingly) sings a few lines here and there.

"What Have I Done To Deserve This" is very much a duet (well, technically three people singing, but that's beside the point.)

Also, I think you could call two members of the same act evenly sharing or trading lead vocals a duet, like both of the Righteous Brothers on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling".

[bestmusicexpert]

I don't know, The Righteous Brothers are the "usual" pairing while most duets are one offs.

[dukelightning]

Duets in my book are 2 artists and not necessarily solo artists i.e Mike Reno and Ann Wilson getting together for a song. Doesn't matter if the duo/duet is established as in Hall & Oates or not as in Streisand/Summer, Streisand/Diamond, Streisand/Gibb, Andy Gibb/ONJ etc. Dionne Warwick and the Spinners is not a duet however since it is a solo artist and a group. Just the Two of Us or many Quincy Jones songs are duets even though only one artist is on the label. JTTOU is Grover Washington and Bill Withers in my book.

bme, same with Under Pressure and What Have I Done... They are a solo artist and a group. If Under Pressure was billed as David Bowie and Freddie Mercury then it would be a duet.

[bestmusicexpert]

The Quincy Jones duets like Just Once were listed as Quincy Jones Featuring James Ingram.

So Under Pressure and What Have I Done To Deserve This don't count but Hall & Oates does? HUH?

[mstgator]

Yeah, I personally wouldn't count any of the Quincy Jones songs as "duets" (so far as I know, Quincy didn't sing or play any instruments, he was just the producer and arranger). The exception might be something like Quincy's 1989 version of "I'll Be Good To You", which I consider a duet between Ray Charles and Chaka Khan.

[bestmusicexpert]

I'll have to agree on Quincy. From everything I've seen, he just produced it. If that was counted as a duet, then EVERYTHING has to be a duet!

He does play the trumpet but not on those songs.