Top 10 Duets You Can't Karaoke Solo (But We All Try Anyway)
#10: “The Boy Is Mine” (1998) Brandy & Monica
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You couldn’t escape “The Boy Is Mine” back in 1998 - not that you would’ve wanted to. This massive hit is super catchy and we obviously aren’t the only ones who think so given that it spent 13 weeks topping the Billboard Hot 100. It’s a great karaoke duet choice given how it goes back and forth between the two singers. But doing this one solo? Not so much. Now, there are some of you who might be saying - wasn’t the song originally written as a solo number for Brandy? And the answer is yes. But after recording it, even Brandy herself felt that it would be better with two singers. So, if Brandy couldn’t make it work solo, it’s unlikely that you can.
#9: “Promiscuous” (2006) Nelly Furtado feat. Timbaland
While Timbaland only gets a “featuring” credit on Nelly Furtado’s 2006 “Promiscuous”, this number one track is definitely a full-on duet given how the song is a flirty conversation between the two artists. And as conversations tend to do, this song goes back and forth between the two, often multiple times within the same verse. Thus making it ideal for a double karaoke performance - and making it rather difficult to do all by oneself. Furtado has called it a “verbal Ping-Pong game” - and as we all know, you can’t play ping-pong by yourself.
#8: “Shallow” (2018) Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Go ahead and try to sing “Shallow” all by yourself. Sure, it can technically be done, but does it make any sense? Does the conversation between the two characters work if sung by one person? The answer is no. Yes, Bradley Cooper could’ve sung the entire song had Lady Gaga not worked up the courage to join him on stage in “A Star is Born”, but it wouldn’t have been as good as it was. So, before you jump up on that karaoke stage to belt out “Shallow,” make sure you have your own Lady Gaga - or Bradley Cooper -to get up there with you.
#7: “Endless Love” (1981) Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
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As the theme tune for the 1981 movie of the same name, “Endless Love” was originally performed by music legends Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. The track was a huge hit and is considered by many - including Billboard magazine - to be the greatest duet of all time. The song (as you might’ve guessed) has the singers expressing their endless love for each other. So, not only is this a great duet to karaoke with another person, it’s an ideal couples duet to perform with the one you have endless love for - assuming they can carry a tune, of course.
#6: “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” (1978) Meat Loaf & Ellen Foley
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Given that the album version of this song runs over 8 minutes, the first thing to decide before getting up on that karaoke stage is if you want to be up there that long. Next, it’s deciding who's coming up with you to perform this awesome rock duet. The whole song is told from the perspective of an older couple looking back on a hot n’ heavy date they had back in high school. So, unless you want to awkwardly go back and forth between the two parts, don’t try to solo this one. Also, if the karaoke version you use has the Phil Rizzuto baseball announcer stuff included, you might even need a third person to join you for that spoken-word section!
#5: “Love Shack” (1989) The B-52's
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The ‘Love Shack’ is a “little old place where we can get together” and so is the karaoke stage whenever this song is next in line. One of the things that makes this song so awesome is the counterbalance back and forth between the two lead singers. And while the person singing the male vocals probably shouldn’t try to do a Fred Schneider impression, you know that we all do it. Not only should this one be a no-go for solo karaoke, but if you can convince a third person to join you, then you can really do this one justice on the “glitter” verse and the harmonies. But if it’s only two of you, that can work also.
#4: “Summer Nights” (1978) John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John
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Who doesn’t love “Grease”? Okay, well besides those people, the rest of us would surely have “Summer Nights” as one of our go to karaoke duets. Whether you're singing the Danny Zuko or Sandy Olsson part, this song provides the perfect back-and-forth for an awesome karaoke experience. There will be those that think it’s funny to do both parts - maybe even switching up their singing voice for the different roles - but trust us on this one and just get another singer. And if you wanna bring a whole background crew up on stage with you, then they can do the “tell me more” questions.
#3: “Islands in the Stream” (1983) Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton
In 2005, what did CMT rank as the greatest country duet of all time? That’s right, none other than Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton singing “Islands in the Stream”. That definitely puts a lot of pressure on anyone taking it on on Karaoke Night. But with the right duo, this one could get you and your stage partner a standing ovation from the crowd. Just don’t go it alone. As the lyrics say, “Islands in the stream/That is what we are” - so make sure you’re a “WE” up there, not an “I” if you really want to nail this performance.
#2: “A Whole New World” (1992) Brad Kane & Lea Salonga
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Do you trust us? We don’t have a magic carpet or a wish-granting genie, but what we do have is the knowledge that “A Whole New World” is one of the best karaoke duets, and also one you likely don’t wanna try solo. This is Aladdin and Jasmine and you need both parts up there on the stage to truly tell this grand romantic story. Remember, this is the part of the movie where they fall in love and all that emotional weight can’t really be carried by just one person. Unless… you’re Nick Pitera. Pitera, a Pixar employee, released a video of him soloing the song in 2007. But his freaky ability to sing both parts isn’t something most of us share. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. “I Got You Babe” (1965), Sonny & Cher You Can’t Sing This Without Having Said “Babe” on Stage Singing with You “The Monster” (2013), Eminem feat. Rihanna Trying to Rap Like Marshall Mathers or Sing Like RiRi Is Hard Enough. Don’t Try Doing Both! “Like I'm Gonna Lose You” (2015), Meghan Trainor feat. John Legend A Song About Appreciating Time with Loved Ones Needs a “Loved One” to Sing It With
#1: “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” (1976) Elton John & Kiki Dee
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If you want to perform on your own at your next karaoke night, there are plenty of awesome Elton John songs to choose from. But “Don't Go Breaking My Heart” isn’t one of them. This one is basically written as a call and response between the two singers, with each going back and forth one line at a time. Trying to do this one alone would have you calling and responding to yourself - which is just awkward. It’s the playful romance that makes this song so much fun and ideal for any karaoke night duet performance.