Diva Duets...
Dec 22, 2004 19:55:07 GMT -5
Post by sirkaliber on Dec 22, 2004 19:55:07 GMT -5
With J.Lo allegedly nixing plans of a duet with former Sony rival Mariah, to her dissapointment, for her upcoming album I was reminded of something. Curiously, there have been only a handful of star power chantuese duets that have been helmed in pop history. Could it be a clash of egos? On behalf of the singers themselves or warring labels? Anyway, here are the top 4 great duets that were released...
1. Brandy & Monica--The Boy is Mine(This track stands as the most divaliscious duet in the annals of pop. Despite(or because of) rumors of boiling tantrums against the R&B Teen Queens, 'Boy' spent a record 13 weeks atop of the Billboard Hot 100, wound up as the most successful single of 1998, and even netted the two their first and sole Grammy to date. However, years later Brandy expressed a hint of regret that the media prevented the two from milking 'Boy's' success with a planned tour, dolls and merchandising.)
2. Barbara Streisand & Donna Summer--No More Tears(Enough is Enough) (Take the Queen of Disco and The Queen of Classy Pop, put them together and what do you get? A number one Billboard smash! Sources say the two got along smoothly although both insisted on title billing. To pacify both egos, the switched billing on 45 and LP formats. Donna, however, was crying the loudest because it kept her Dim The Lights(which she wrote) from going to number one by being released a week early).
3. Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey--When You Believe(The theme of 1998's The Prince of Egypt orchestrated the unthinkable--the first and only gathering of the two vocal powerhouses and Queens of Pop Whitney and Mariah. At the time there was resentment shared between the two, especially on Whitney's behalf, since she believed Mariah, also given the massive marketing campaign for her debut, was a "white" knock-off of the Bodyguard diva. Whitney allegedly would not sign on unless she was given top billing and both tried to one-up the other in the vocal department. Much credit goes to Babyface for serving as a liontamer with this one. Despite only managing a Top 20 slot on the Hot 100, the twosome helped the song win an Oscar, a Grammy nomination, and Whitney's powerful cresendo served as the perfect compliment to Mariah's sweet multi-octive display. What more could a fan ask for?)
4. Celine Dion & Barbara Striesand--Tell Him(The perfect predecessor and protegee match-up. Pop Worlds collided again when these two recroded the syrupy hit Tell Him, also nominated for Grammy. No fireworks on the set, this was actually a rare diva pairing that went well. Diana and Whitney, next?)
Diva Duets that should have been...and would have been hit potential:
Diana & Whitney(Whitney shouldn't whine too much about Tommy Motolla "ripping-off her style." Clive Davis arguably did the same thing, to the dismay of Diana, with Whitney in 1984. In fact, the latter was rumored to star in the film version of the quasi-Supremes docu-play Dreamgirls which painted the older star in an unflattering light.)
Britney & Christina(And you think Brandy & Monica hit it big...)
Madonna & Janet(These two still can't stand each other. Madonna has always accused Janet of copying her every move and using her career(dance moves, sexually charges songs, and state-of-the-art videos) as the template for Janet's crucial reinvention in 1986 with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, taking Madonna's pop appeal, building upon it and propelling it into urban radio. Truth or sour grapes? You be the judge. Janet, on the other hand, being the ever-so-loyal-Jackson allegedly told The Big M to "f--- off" after dissing Michael and the Jackson clan. I wonder what Madonna thought of Janet's Superbowl fiasco and what janet thought of the former's MTV kiss with Miss Spears? Hmmm.... )
Sorry to ramble on LOL...any thoughts?
1. Brandy & Monica--The Boy is Mine(This track stands as the most divaliscious duet in the annals of pop. Despite(or because of) rumors of boiling tantrums against the R&B Teen Queens, 'Boy' spent a record 13 weeks atop of the Billboard Hot 100, wound up as the most successful single of 1998, and even netted the two their first and sole Grammy to date. However, years later Brandy expressed a hint of regret that the media prevented the two from milking 'Boy's' success with a planned tour, dolls and merchandising.)
2. Barbara Streisand & Donna Summer--No More Tears(Enough is Enough) (Take the Queen of Disco and The Queen of Classy Pop, put them together and what do you get? A number one Billboard smash! Sources say the two got along smoothly although both insisted on title billing. To pacify both egos, the switched billing on 45 and LP formats. Donna, however, was crying the loudest because it kept her Dim The Lights(which she wrote) from going to number one by being released a week early).
3. Whitney Houston & Mariah Carey--When You Believe(The theme of 1998's The Prince of Egypt orchestrated the unthinkable--the first and only gathering of the two vocal powerhouses and Queens of Pop Whitney and Mariah. At the time there was resentment shared between the two, especially on Whitney's behalf, since she believed Mariah, also given the massive marketing campaign for her debut, was a "white" knock-off of the Bodyguard diva. Whitney allegedly would not sign on unless she was given top billing and both tried to one-up the other in the vocal department. Much credit goes to Babyface for serving as a liontamer with this one. Despite only managing a Top 20 slot on the Hot 100, the twosome helped the song win an Oscar, a Grammy nomination, and Whitney's powerful cresendo served as the perfect compliment to Mariah's sweet multi-octive display. What more could a fan ask for?)
4. Celine Dion & Barbara Striesand--Tell Him(The perfect predecessor and protegee match-up. Pop Worlds collided again when these two recroded the syrupy hit Tell Him, also nominated for Grammy. No fireworks on the set, this was actually a rare diva pairing that went well. Diana and Whitney, next?)
Diva Duets that should have been...and would have been hit potential:
Diana & Whitney(Whitney shouldn't whine too much about Tommy Motolla "ripping-off her style." Clive Davis arguably did the same thing, to the dismay of Diana, with Whitney in 1984. In fact, the latter was rumored to star in the film version of the quasi-Supremes docu-play Dreamgirls which painted the older star in an unflattering light.)
Britney & Christina(And you think Brandy & Monica hit it big...)
Madonna & Janet(These two still can't stand each other. Madonna has always accused Janet of copying her every move and using her career(dance moves, sexually charges songs, and state-of-the-art videos) as the template for Janet's crucial reinvention in 1986 with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, taking Madonna's pop appeal, building upon it and propelling it into urban radio. Truth or sour grapes? You be the judge. Janet, on the other hand, being the ever-so-loyal-Jackson allegedly told The Big M to "f--- off" after dissing Michael and the Jackson clan. I wonder what Madonna thought of Janet's Superbowl fiasco and what janet thought of the former's MTV kiss with Miss Spears? Hmmm.... )
Sorry to ramble on LOL...any thoughts?
