Chart Article
One big name on a red-hot hit is great, but sometimes two superstar voices come together in an inspired pairing that is truly special. With Valentine's Day's celebration of couples in mind, our experts dove into over 50 years of Hot 100 hits to single out the biggest songs by two singers to ever hit the chart. So grab a box of chocolates, dim the lights, cozy up to that special someone and turn up the speakers as we count down the hottest duets of all time.
This chart is comprised only of songs where two singers share equal vocal duties on the track. Ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 since the chart launched in August 1958. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least. (For all of the details on how this chart was compiled, scroll to the bottom of this page.)
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40
The Closer I Get To You
Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway
1978
Just months before Donny Hathaway's untimely death, this tender tune for Hathaway and Roberta Flack was a No. 2 hit on the Hot 100 in 1978, but it wasn't the first star turn for a song by the pair. Their 1973 duet "Where Is The Love" won them a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo Or Group. "The Closer I Get," meanwhile, has gone on to be covered by no less than Beyonce dueting with Luther Vandross in 2003.
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39
I Just Can't Stop Loving You
Michael Jackson With Siedah Garrett
1987
Michael Jackson is that rare artist that can score on the charts alone, in a group, duetting with another male superstar (for example with Paul McCartney on "Say Say Say" and "The Girl Is Mine"), and, as was the case with this love ballad, pairing his lilting tones with a female singer. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You," which found the King Of Pop trading emotional verses with Siedah Garrett, rose to the top of the Hot 100 in Sept. 1987.
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38
I'm Your Angel
R. Kelly & Celine Dion
1998
And the award for oddest pairing goes to… R. Kelly and Celine Dion, who came together for the duet "I'm Your Angel," written by Kelly and featured in Dion's "These Are Special Times" album. Released in 1998, the single reached No. 1 on the Billboard 100 chart and remained there for six weeks.
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37
Wild Night
John Mellencamp With Me'Shell Ndegeocello
1994
The "Wild Night" in question seems to have been entirely platonic in this case. There's clearly no chemistry between Mellencamp and Ndegeocello in the video, but the two sure have a jammin' ol' time on the track. This version of the song, originally by Van Morrison, spent two weeks at No. 3 on the Hot 100 chart the fall of 1994.
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36
The Next Time I Fall
Peter Cetera with Amy Grant
1986
Is it possible to fall in love with the same person twice? Peter Cetera and Amy Grant (oh, and songwriter Bobby Caldwell) seem to think so. On the popular song "The Next Time I Fall," which appears on Cetera's 1986 album "Solitude/Solitaire," Cetera and Grant harmonize about falling in love all over again with the same lover. Sweet!
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35
I Got You Babe
Sonny & Cher
1965
Iconic '60-'70s husband and wife duo Sonny & Cher had several hits during their career, but none came to define the pair quite like "I Got You Babe." The track spent three weeks atop of Hot 100 in 1965. In addition to wooing couples across the globe, the hit grew to become an easy going love ballad for the hippie generation.
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34
All I Have
Jennifer Lopez & LL Cool J
2003
Based on a sample from Debra Laws' 1981 song "Very Special," "All I Have," finds J. Lo and LL Cool J talking about a couple that's on the verge of calling it quits. Still, while the tune is about splitsville, Jenny from the block and Mr. James manage to separate in style and grace (See Jennifer's Louis Vuittons and Gucci bags?).
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33
No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)
Barbra Streisand / Donna Summer
1979
For those weathering a breakup, two of the biggest divas of all-time are here to declare that "enough is enough." Donna Summer commiserates with Barbra Streisand over the sad state of dealing with relationships before musically saying "Screw it! Let's dance!" to a thumping disco beat. It is a truly glorious moment to listen to the singers bust out of their slumps -- and apparently all of America thought so as well, as the song stayed at No. 1 on the Hot 100 for two weeks in 1979.
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32
The Girl Is Mine
Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
1982
Many things are unlikely about the MJ-Macca pairing: that "The Girl Is Mine" was actually the lead single off "Thriller," that Jackson would later buy the rights to Beatles songs behind McCartney's back, but most of all, that the two mega-stars would ever fight over a woman. But after having a ball recording McCartney's "Say Say Say" together in 1981, Jackson and his Beatle friend gave it another go with the cheesy, soft-rock duet. "The Girl Is Mine" peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100, and stayed there for three weeks -- probably because we were all surprised to see the two superstars singing together.
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31
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
Aretha Franklin & George Michael
1987
Considering what we know now, the pairing of Aretha Franklin and George Michael on the uptempo duet "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" seems a little less strange. After all, every sassy diva needs her gay BFF. But regardless of the head-scratching over its duo of performers, "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" spent two weeks atop the Hot 100 chart in 1987 as well as 17 weeks total.
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Text by Keith Caulfield, M. Tye Comer, Mariel Concepcion, Jessica Letkemann, Jason Lipshutz, Jillian Mapes and Chart Beat Columnist Gary Trust
How This Chart Was Created
The 40 Biggest Duets of All-Time list includes songs that feature two singers sharing equal vocal duties on the track. Ranking is based on actual performance on the weekly Billboard Hot 100 since the chart launched in August 1958. Songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at No. 100 earning the least.
Prior to the Hot 100's implementation in 1991 of enhanced radio and sales information from Nielsen BDS and Nielsen SoundScan, songs had shorter reigns at No. 1 and shorter chart lives. To ensure equitable representation of the biggest hits from the past 52 years, earlier time frames were each weighted to account for the difference between turnover rates from those decades and the turnover rates that have occurred since the advent of Nielsen Music data.
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