I Need a Good Duet!!!

Subject: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,SweetiePie
Date: 02 Jun 05 - 08:15 PM

Howdy all-
My sweetheart and I have been tapped to sing the ubiquitous love song duet at an upcoming show...

We're NOT doing "I've got you babe" or "Love Shack"...barf...

We're looking for something along the lines of "Kiss at the End of the Rainbow" from Mighty Wind, but we'd prefer not to do a parody.

Anyway, I've gotten some great suggestions here...so fire away....

[Many song titles in this thread have been converted to links by a Mudelf.]

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,Russ
Date: 02 Jun 05 - 09:17 PM

THE BRAMBLE AND THE ROSE

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 12:54 AM

Me and thee

A jug of wine - a loaf of bread

And Thou ----(who could make a more celestial duo?)

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,Allen
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 02:22 AM

CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP?

Subject: Lyr Add: I LOVE YOU BECAUSE (L Payne)
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 02:50 AM

Old country song:

I LOVE YOU BECAUSE

( L. Payne)


I love you because you understand dear
Every single thing I try to do.
You're always there to lend a helping hand, dear.
I love you most of all because you're you.

No matter what the world may say about me,
I know your love will always see me through.
I love you for the way you never doubt me.
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you.

No matter what may be the style or season,
I know your heart will always be true.
I love you for a hundred thousand reasons,
But most of all I love you 'cause you're you

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: muppitz
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 03:20 AM

If you can, look up some Jez Lowe stuff, he's done some great duets.
GREEK LIGHTNING is a favourite and more recently he's done one called FANCY GOODS.

muppitz

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: Little Robyn
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 03:33 AM

THE ROSEVILLE FAIR

Subject: Lyr Add: LET IT BE ME
From: PoppaGator
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 04:12 AM

Let It Be Me

(maybe not folk, but venerable country pop; first recorded in 1957 by one Jill Corey)

LET IT BE ME
English Words by Mann Curtis and Music by Gilbert Becaud

I bless the day I found you
I want to stay around you
And so I beg you, let it be me

Don't take this heaven from one
If you must cling to someone
Now and forever, let it be me

Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love what would life be?

So never leave me lonely
Tell me you love me only
And that you'll always let it be me

Each time we meet love
I find complete love
Without your sweet love what would life be

So never leave me lonely
Tell me you love me only
And that you'll always---let--it--be--me

Often done in 2-part harmony ~ Everly Brothers ('60), Jerry Butler and Betty Everett ('64), the Sweet Inspirations ('67), Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry ('69), and a solo recording by Willie Nelson in 1982. The Everlys and Jerry & Betty both had top-ten hits.

"English Words by Mann Curtis and Music by Gilbert Becaud" ~ I assume this means the song was originally written in another language (French?)

Four of us sang this last Saturday as part of the bilingual kareoke spectacle at a Vietnamese/American wedding. It woulda been better with just two well-rehearsed singers.

I'll take a stab at the chords, but I have to do it in my head. It's the middle of the night so I can't actually play 'em out loud:

VERSE:
C       G
So never leave me lonely
Am          Em
Tell me you love me only
F               C      F         C
And that you'll always let it be me

BRIDGE:
F            Em (or C)
Each time we meet love
F          Em
I find complete love
F            C          F(?)            E G
Without your sweet love what would life be

(I'm pretty sure about that E major chord near the end of the bridge; I think it resolves into a G or G7. Can't be sure, and I can't bust out my guitar to check right now.)

Well, here's hoping I just cured my insomnia ~ back to bed!

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,Whistle Stop
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 08:18 AM

You can't miss with the Everly Brothers (who did the best-known version of Let It Be Me). You might also consider their song Devoted To You.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 08:42 AM

Sorry I thought it sais duvet

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,Sidewinder.
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 12:15 PM

I heartily recommend "WEDDING BELLS" or "IN SPITE OF OURSELVES" by John Prine (the latter featuring Iris Dement).

Regards.

Sidewinder.

Subject: Lyr Add: CRYING IN THE RAIN (Everly Brothers)
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 12:34 PM

Since someone mentioned 'Let it Be me'.. how about one that is infinitely more poignant and a great opportunity for a well-matched pair of voices:
Dave Edmunds and Nick Loew have a live recording of this that will break your heart - it's that lovely.


CRYING IN THE RAIN
Written By Carole King, Howard Greenfield
As recorded by the Everly Brothers, 1962.
I'll never let you see
The way my broken heart is hurting me.
I've got my pride and I know how to hide
All my sorrow and pain.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain.

If I wait for cloudy skies,
You won't know the rain from the tears in my eyes.
You'll never know that I still love you so
Though the heartaches remain.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain.

Raindrops fallin' from heaven
Could never wash away my misery,
But since we're not together,
I look for stormy weather
To hide these tears I hope you'll never see.

Someday when my crying's done,
I'm gonna wear a smile and walk in the sun.
I may be a fool, but till then, darling, you'll
Never see me complaining.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain.
I'll do my cryin' in the rain.


Or.. in another thread, I recently mentioned a Waylon Jennings/Jesse Colter song called 'Storms Never Last'. This one is in a similar vein to 'A Kiss At The End Of The Rainbow' - it's wistful.

Storms Never Last
Bosse Andersson and Jesse Colter

Storms never last do they, baby?
Bad times will pass with the winds.
Your hand in mine steals the thunder.
You make the sun want to shine.

Oh, I followed you down so many roads, baby;
I picked wild flowers and sung you soft sad songs.
And every road we took, God knows, our search was for the truth.
And the storms brewing now won't be the last.

Female Singer:
Storms never last do they, fill-in-the -name of one-of-the-singers
Together:
Bad times will pass with the winds.
Your hand in mine steals the thunder.
You make the sun want to shine.

Male Singer:
Storms never last do they, fill-in-the-name-of-the-other-singer
Together:
Bad times will pass with the winds.
Your hand in mine steals the thunder.
You make the sun want to shine.

Repeat together:
Storms never last do they, baby?
Bad times will pass with the winds.
Your hand in mine steals the thunder.
You make the sun want to shine.

Written by Bosse Andersson and Jesse Colter.
(© Universal Songs Of Polygram.)
From "Music Man", © 1980, RCA.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: PoohBear
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 12:44 PM

The Little Things We Do Together by Stephen Sondheim

"It's not so hard to be married.
It's much the simplest of crimes.
It's not so hard to be married.
I've done it three or four times.

It's the little things you do together
Do together, do together,
That make perfect relationships.

Growing old and grey together,
Becoming a cliche together,
Withering away together,
That keeps marriage in tact."

PB

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: mg
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 12:48 PM

you are the call I am the answer you are the wish and I am the way???

[THE CALL AND THE ANSWER]

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,cromdubh
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 01:25 PM

Always thought Jim Croce`s "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" was a sweet love song which could easily be converted into a duet.

Subject: Lyr Add: MY BABY'S GONE (Louvin Brothers)
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 01:54 PM

and lest I foget to toss in my usual recommendation for a Louvin brothers song:


MY BABY'S GONE
Words and music by Hazel Houser
As recorded by the Louvin Brothers, 1958.

CHORUS: Hold back the rushing minutes; make the wind lie still.
Don't let the moonlight shine across the lonely hill.
Dry all the raindrops and hold back the sun.
My world has ended; my baby's gone.

1. The milkman whistles softly as he comes up to my door.
The mailman brings the letters by just like he did before.
They seem so busy all day long, as though there's nothing wrong.
Don't they know the world has ended? My baby's gone. CHORUS

2. I wake up sometimes in the night and realize you're gone,
And then I toss upon my bed and wait for day to come.
I try to tell my lonely heart it must go on alone,
But it cries: "The world has ended; my baby's gone." CHORUS

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: Matt_R
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 01:57 PM

Check out "LOVE AT THE FIVE AND DIME" by Nanci Griffith with Darius Rucker

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: open mike
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 02:40 PM

GULF COAST HIGHWAY by Nanci Griffith
is the ultimate duet, IMHO
http://www.coquet-shack.com/lyrics/Harris_Emmylou/Gulf_Coast_Highway_1844.php
http://www.chordie.com/chord.pere/www.roughstock.com/cowpie/cowpie-songs/g/griffith_nanci/gulf_coast_highway.crd
this has been done by Emmy Lou Harris and Willie Nelson.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: PoppaGator
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 02:48 PM

Then, there's always Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Aaron Neville & Linda Ronstadt, Richard Farina & Mimi Baez, Ian & Sylvia (real-life models for Mitch & Mickey in A Might Wind), Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes, and many many others ~ depends upon your interests/styles/capabilities, etc., and those of your audience.

You've had a bunch of nifty suggestions; when you decide what to do and start working it up, please come back and let us know!

Subject: Lyr Add: OH HAPPY WE (Richard Wilbur, L Bernstein)
From: GUEST,ClaireBear
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 03:07 PM

For a different take on love duets, take a look at the marriage duet ("Oh Happy We") from Bernstein's Candide, lyrics by Richard Wilbur. It's got a beautiful tune, and oh, the words!

I grabbed these lyrics from a blog, so not sure they're accurate or complete, but they will give you the general idea:

(CANDIDE) Soon, when we feel we can afford it,
We'll build a modest little farm.
(CUNEGONDE) We'll buy a yacht and live aboard it,
Rolling in luxury and stylish charm.
(CANDIDE) Cows and chickens.
(CUNEGONDE) Social whirls.
(CANDIDE) Peas and cabbage.
(GUNEGONDE) Ropes of pearls.

(CANDIDE) Soon there'll be little ones beside us;
We'll have a sweet Westphalian home.
(CUNEGONDE) Somehow we'll grow as rich as Midas;
We'll live in Paris when we're not in Rome.
(CANDIDE) Smiling babies.
(CUNEGONDE
Marble halls.
(CANDIDE) Sunday picnics.
(CUNEGONDE) Costume balls.

Oh, won't my robes of silk and satin
Be chic! I'll have all that I desire.
(CANDIDE) Pangloss will tutor us in Latin
And Greek, while we sit before the fire.
(CUNEGONDE) Glowing rubies.
(CANDIDE) Glowing logs.
(CUNEGONDE) Faithful servants.
(CANDIDE) Faithful dogs.

(CUNEGONDE) We'll round the world enjoying high life,
All bubbly pink champagne and gold.
(CANDIDE) We'll lead a rustic and a shy life,
Feeding the pigs and sweetly growing old.
(CUNEGONDE) Breast of peacock.
(CANDIDE) Apple pie.
(CUNEGONDE) I love marriage.
(CANDIDE) So do I.

(CUNEGONDE, CANDIDE) Oh, happy pair! Oh, happy we!
It's very rare how we agree.
Oh, happy pair! Oh, happy we!
It's very rare how we agree.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,SweetiePie
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 05:43 PM

Actually, we really like the Jim Croce "I'll Have to Say I Love You in a Song" so we are going to try that one as a duet...we'll let you know how it works out!

(We are not married yet, just old farts acting like teenagers in love)

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From:
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 06:41 PM

Billy Ed's "JACKSON"

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: Peace
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 06:58 PM

I saw the title of this thread. You will never guess what went through my mind?

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 07:36 PM

'(HOW MUCH IS) THAT DOGGIE IN THE WINDOW?'

(listen to the first verse)

Subject: Lyr Add: IF I NEEDED YOU (Van Zandt)
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 08:35 PM

One last recommendation and then I'll give up trying to convince you to sing something other than what you have planned!


IF I NEEDED YOU
(Townes van Zandt)

If I needed you
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain

Well the night's forlorn
And the morning's born
And the morning shines
With the lights of love
And you'll miss sunrise
If you close your eyes
And that would break
My heart in two

If I needed you
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain

Baby's with me now
Since I showed her how
To lay her little
Hand in mine
Who would ill agree
She's a sight to see
A treasure for
The poor to find

If I needed you
Would you come to me
Would you come to me
For to ease my pain
If you needed me
I would come to you
I would swim the seas
For to ease your pain


(a nice recording of this is on Emmylou Harris' album CIMMARON which has been released on CD in the past few years)




As a harmony singer (who currently has no partner), I collect good duets. I have so many of them that I'd love to make you a CD or tape of any that you might like to hear and learn. Please PM me if you'd care to have such a tape/CD or series of tapes.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 05 - 09:43 PM

Tom Russell and Iris Dement - LOVE ABIDES

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: GUEST,van lingle
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 04:37 AM

This may be too late but "MIDNIGHT ON THE WATER" makes a great duet piece. The lyrics as sung by Kate Wolf should be in the DT but if not they were posted on a thread about this song version of an old waltz. I second "IF I NEEDED YOU" Emmylou Harris and Don Williams did a beautiful job on it.vl

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: CStrong
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 07:43 AM

>>(We are not married yet, just old farts acting like teenagers in love)<<

Keep it up!

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: CStrong
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 07:45 AM

...and consider Kris Kristofferson's "LOVING ARMS," covered of late by the Dixie Chicks, but originally a duet with Rita Coolidge.

It's a break-up tune, though.

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: Janie
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 09:42 AM

"THE FIRST TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE"

"Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (Leonard Cohen)

"MISSISSIPPI MOON" (Jimmie Rodgers)

Subject: RE: I Need a Good Duet!!!
From: bbc
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 11:21 AM

Two that I really love are on Priscilla Herdman recordings. On her "Forever & Always" recording, she sings "MUSIC TO ME" w/ Bill Staines. On her "Darkness into Light" recording, she sings "I REMEMBER LOVING YOU" w/ Bruce (Utah) Phillips.

best,

bbc