Line #88 Main/LetsDuet


1	[[quoteright:294:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/duet_959.jpg]]
2
3	A duet is any piece of music made for two singers or instruments. They show up mainly in music-oriented media, like songs, musicals, and opera.
4
5	Due to the intimacy that comes with sharing a song, by far the most common form of duet is the SillyLoveSongs type, where the two participants are meant to be lovers. Some composers play on this intimacy to give the duet a humourous or unsettling feel-- for example, having two HeterosexualLifePartners sing about their bromance, or giving the hero and the villain a duet to show they’re actually pretty similar.
6
7	Of course, that's only the thematic reason for duets; there are many other reasons for having them, including boosting a song by having two star performers lend their voices to it. Compositionally, duets are nice because the performers can harmonize, adding an extra layer to the song that would otherwise have to be achieved with backup singers.
8
9	The AwardBaitSong is often a duet. Compare SerenadeYourLover.
10
11	----
12	!!Sub-tropes:
13	[[index]]
14	* CallAndResponseSong
15	* CounterpointDuet
16	* DistantDuet
17	* DuetBonding
18	* DuetOfDifferences
19	* FinalLoveDuet
20	* HeroVsVillainDuet
21	* QuarrelingSong
22	* SoloDuet
23	* SopranoAndGravel
24	* UnDuet
25	[[/index]]
26	----
27	!!Examples:
28
29	[[foldercontrol]]
30
31	%% Please only include parodies, lampshades, and particularly interesting examples, since there are so very many straight examples.
32
33	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
34	* ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'': Sayaka and Kyoko's joint ImageSong ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH6NB2F-Jcw And I'm Home,]]'' which is actually sang by [[Creator/EriKitamura their respective]] [[Creator/AiNonaka voice actresses]]. Made all the more poignant by the fact that [[spoiler:it plays over the credits of the episode where [[HeroicSacrifice Kyoko sacrifices herself]] to be TogetherInDeath with Sayaka]].
35	* ''Music/{{Tsukiuta}}'' has each of the six pairs sing two duet songs together, one by each of their composers. Some are heavy on sexual tension/ShipTease (e.g. "Koiwasuregusa"), some are more purely friendship songs (e.g. "Dakai"), and some seem to be romantic with a third party, the listener (e.g. "Tsuki to, Hoshi to, Maboroshi to").
36	[[/folder]]
37
38	[[folder:Fan Works]]
39	* ''Fanfic/TheBoltChronicles'': Near the end of "The Wedding Reception," Bolt and Rhino teasingly serenade Mittens, who is suffering from severe HangoverSensitivity, in tandem with a humorous SongParody of Music/RichardWagner's bridal chorus from ''Theatre/{{Lohengrin}}''.
40	* Used at the climax of [[http://www.fimfiction.net/story/124263/1/songs-uncle-sings/sineva Songs Uncle Sings.]]
41	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}'' has an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hlp8XD0R5qo official Mandarin theme]] that is clearly based on Vi and Powder but was sung by one (male) singer; however, there is a popular [[https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV15F411Y7D1?spm_id_from=333.905.b_72656c61746564.2 Cantonese fan dub]] of the theme that is explicitly sung as a duet between Vi and Powder by two female singers.
42	[[/folder]]
43
44	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
45	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' has a duet between Creator/BradKane and Creator/LeaSalonga as Aladdin and Jasmine, respectively, in "A Whole New World."
46	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Frozen\|2013}}'' franchise:
47	** "Love is an Open Door", sung by Anna and Hans (voiced by Creator/KristenBell and Creator/SantinoFontana, respectively), is something of an AffectionateParody of when a duet is used to make characters instantly fall in love. [[spoiler:It's retroactively quite dark when you discover one half of the duet, Hans, was evil.]]
48	** The sisters Anna and Elsa (voiced by Creator/IdinaMenzel) also share a couple of DistantDuet and CounterpointDuet lines in "For The First Time In Forever" and its reprise, but it is not until ''WesternAnimation/OlafsFrozenAdventure'' do the sisters truly sing together in "When we're Together".
49	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}'' has "I See The Light" between Music/MandyMoore and Creator/ZacharyLevi as Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, respectively. In context, it doesn't become a love song until Flynn starts singing though one wouldn't assume it listening to it straight.
50	[[/folder]]
51
52	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
53	* The movie ''Film/{{Duets}}'' is [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin about people singing duets]].
54	* ''Film/WalkHard'' has a song about duets actually called "Let's Duet," with more than a few {{Double Entendre}}s.
55	-->Let's duet, in ways that make us feel good.\
56	Lets duet, and make that sacred sound\
57	Put two and two together, perfect harmony we found.
58	-->We know it's only natural, lets duet!
59	* In ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'', Giselle and Prince Edward sing "True Love's Kiss" together when they meet and fall in love in their fairy-tale world:
60	-->'''Edward:''' You're the fairest maid I've ever met.
61	-->You were made
62	-->'''Giselle:''' ... To finish your duet!
63	** It's a sign of her CharacterDevelopment when, after spending time with Robert in RealLife, she doesn't come in when Edward sings the line.
64	* In the film ''Film/ItShouldHappenToYou'', Pete and Gladys sing "Let's Fall in Love''.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/StrangeMagic'': [[ActionGirl Marianne]] and [[EvilOverLord The Bog King]] sing a duet of the song [[JukeBoxMusical 'Straight On']] while dueling each other.
66	* The ''Film/HighSchoolMusical'' movies have tons, mostly between Troy and Gabriella. "Breaking Free", "Can I Have This Dance?", and "Right Here, Right Now" are just some of them.
67	* One of the first indications that Emma may have feelings for Mr. Knightley in Film/Emma2020 is Emma's confusion when Mr. Knightley and Jane Fairfax perform a duet (Jane on piano and vocal melody, Knightley on violin and vocal harmony) immediately after Mrs. Weston tells Emma that Mr. Knightley may have feelings for Jane.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Music]]
71	* Music/JohannSebastianBach's two duets (the duet from ''[[http://youtu.be/o73shN739YU?t=17m57s Bei Jesu Leben freudig sein]]'' and ''[[http://youtu.be/o73shN739YU?t=20m42s Ich furchte zwar/nicht des Grabes Finsternissen]]'') from the {{cantata}} ''Erfreut euch, ihr Herzen'' (BWV 66) are unique examples, for the two singers in each duet sing lyrics that have opposite meanings to each other. To illustrate this, here are a few lines from the duet in ''Bei Jesu Leben freudig sein'', a dialogue between Hope and Fear:
72	-->'''Hope:''' Mein Auge sieht den Heiland auferweckt, (My eye beholds the Savior reawakened,)\
73	Es hält ihn nicht der Tod in Banden. (Death does not hold Him in its bonds.)
74	-->'''Fear:''' Kein Auge sieht den Heiland auferweckt (No eye beholds the Savior reawakened,)\
75	Es hält ihn noch der Tod in Banden. (Death still holds Him in its bonds.)
76	** The "Hope" and "Fear" parts are sung together. One must listen to the music in order to fully understand how the duets work.
77	* ''Music/OutToLunch'' by Music/EricDolphy has a track called "Something Sweet, Something Tender", which is a duet between Richard Davis on bass and Dolphy on bass clarinet.
78	* Music/JohnLennon and Music/YokoOno did this on all three of John's solo albums, ''Music/UnfinishedMusicNo1TwoVirgins'', ''Music/UnfinishedMusicNo2LifeWithTheLions'' and ''Music/WeddingAlbum''. On the latter album, we find the most famous example: "John & Yoko", where they have a CallAndResponseSong where they call each other's names to a HeartbeatSoundtrack.
79	* The ''Walk Hard'' example above is probably inspired by Cole Porter's equally DoubleEntendre-filled duet, "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)".
80	* Music/TearsForFears:
81	** On the [[Music/TheHurting album]] version of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL-CnhbNvYU The Hurting]]", Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith sing all the non-chorus lyrics in unison to impart to their listeners that they both suffer from the same psychological pain. However, when [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7yh9uk performed]] [[https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7xppc9 live,]] Orzabal sings the final 8-verse stanza on his own.
82	** "[[Music/TheSeedsOfLove Woman in Chains]]" is a duet with Orzabal and Oleta Adams, and they take turns singing different verses.
83	** Orzabal and Smith sing "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUp-ujO979U The Tipping Point]]" in its entirety together. The song is a tribute to Orzabal's late wife Caroline, who died of [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/oct/08/tears-for-fears-reunion-interview liver cirrhosis,]] and since Caroline was Smith's ChildhoodFriend, he would also be affected by her passing to some degree. Both men share the lead vocals to express their mutual sadness at the loss of a person who was very dear to them and whom they've known since they were young teenagers.
84	* "Dueling Banjoes", of all things, is itself a duet.
85	* "Electric Energy" from the soundtrack of ''Film/{{Argylle}}'', with [[Music/CultureClub Boy George]] and Creator/ArianaDeBose at the singing and [[Music/{{Chic}} Nile Rodgers]] at the instrumentals.
86	[[/folder]]
87
88	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
89	* ''Series/{{Glee}}'', of course. They even had an entire episode featuring duets that played with the concept. Most of the duets were with romantic couples, but a few were fairly unique-- like Kurt's duet, [[SoloDuet which he sang by himself]], and the Mercedes/Satanna duet (they're usually enemies).
90	* ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'' got some comedy out of Bertie getting Jeeves to sing with him while he played a duet on the piano.
91	* ''{{Series/Legion\|2017}}'': In "Chapter 27", David Haller and Gabrielle Xavier sing Music/PinkFloyd's "Mother".
92	* Episode 2 of ''Series/{{Mongrels}}'' has a wonderful duet about the JailbaitWait [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4p3IQS3pKI here]].
93	* ''Series/OddSquad'':
94	** In "Disorder in the Court", Olive and Danny T sing Soundcheck's latest song, "The Work of Heart", in order to drive the final nail in the coffin of the former not stealing the town museum. The song, which lasts exactly a minute, manages to be a driving factor in Oprah's verdict, and she soon announces Olive is innocent and free of all charges.
95	** "A Likely Story", from the Season 2 episode "The Cherry-on-Top-inator", is a duet between Olympia and Otis as they explain to Oona how the eponymous gadget aided them in stopping the Puppy Master's evil plan. About halfway through the song, it turns into a GratuitousRap before shifting back to a Broadway-style musical piece.
96	** In "Agent Orchid's Almost Half Hour Talent Show", Olympia develops PerformanceAnxiety when she gets onstage since she has nothing to perform. Upon Otis realizing this, he grabs two headsets and breaks out into a duet with her in order to help her save herself from the embarrassment of being humiliated in front of every single Odd Squad precinct in the world. The beat eventually drops mid-song, creating a {{Dubstep}} vibe and allowing the partner pair to show off their dance moves.
97	** In "Slow Your Roll", Opal and Orla perform a yodeling duet together in order to calm down a Madmelodia on the hunt for them. They get so into it that when Omar manages to unlock the door leading to the Mobile Unit van's Main Control Room, they stick around to perform a big finish before leaving.
98	* ''Series/SchittsCreek'' has David volunteering to do The Number with his mother Moira, even as it mortifies him because it is the middle of summer. It's a Christmas duet/medley, complete with awkward banter with the audience, they used to perform at the family's lavish Christmas parties. Later, we see a flashback of The Number, in the ChristmasEpisode.
99	* The musical episode of ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' has J.D. and Turk sing "Guy Love," a duet about their bond as HeterosexualLifePartners.
100	* ''Series/{{Smash}}'''s episode 'Tech' opens with a montage of the main characters packing up and traveling to Boston for their out of town previews. We see Tom and Sam at Tom's apartment around his piano, playing around and singing 'Another Opnin', Another Show' which is the BackgroundMusic for the montage.
101	* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''. In "Lessons", the normally reserved Captain Picard finds himself opening up to a female officer though their shared love of music. In a notable scene, they find a Jeffries tube with good acoustics and, with her playing a portable piano keyboard and Picard on the flute, play a duet based on the tune he learned in "The Inner Light". The scene ends in their first kiss.
102	* Lampshaded in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'':
103	-->'''Kim:''' Susan Nicoletti and I have been working on a new orchestral programme for the holodeck.\
104	'''Paris:''' Lieutenant Nicoletti? The one I've been chasing for six months? [[IceQueen Cold hands, cold heart?]]\
105	'''Kim:''' ''(smirk)'' Not when she plays the oboe.
106	* ''Series/StarTrekStrangeNewWorlds'': In "[[Recap/StarTrekStrangeNewWorldsS1E02ChildrenOfTheComet Children of the Comet]]", Uhura and Spock sing together with their respective soprano and bass vocals in order to open the "egg" on the comet.
107	[[/folder]]
108
109	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
110	* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' had "Love Song of Night and Day", a duet poem, read by two lovers. The full piece is [[http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/145 here]]; snippets of the poem can be found in the flavortext of several cards across the ''Mirage'' and ''Visions'' expansions.
111	[[/folder]]
112
113	[[folder:Theater]]
114	* [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in "The Song That Goes Like This" from ''Theatre/{{Spamalot}}''.
115	* Mixing this with TheVillainSucksSong, "Pore Jud is Daid" in ''Theatre/{{Oklahoma}}'' is a duet sung by the hero and the villain, containing a bunch of thinly-veiled jabs the villain, who doesn't catch the insults.
116	* ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'' has "It's Been A Long Day", much of which is Smitty (Frump in the reprise) narrating the complementary thoughts going on inside Finch and Rosemary's heads (Frump is the go-between for [[MsFanservice Hedy LaRue]] and Biggsley). Part of the song almost has the feel of this trope, but it's [[PlayedForLaughs played with and twisted around for laughs]].
117	* In ''Theatre/{{Wicked}}'', the song "What Is This Feeling?" is a duet, initially built up as love-song...except the feeling is ''loathing''.
118	** There's also a PlayedStraight example in Act Two with "As Long as You're Mine", sung by Elphaba and Fiyero in a moment of passion.
119	* ''Theatre/{{Anastasia}}'' has "In a Crowd of Thousands", which for various reasons doesn't qualify as a FinalLoveDuet but which nevertheless serves as Anya and Dmitri's sweeping, dramatic love song in which [[spoiler:Anya remembers a detail of their first meeting that she could't ''possibly'' have known if she wasn't Anastasia]].
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:Video Games]]
123	* This happens quite a bit in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' franchise, given the series' love of MagicMusic.
124	** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaLinksAwakening Link's Awakening]]'', Marin teaches Link the Ballad of the Wind Fish by singing while he plays along on his ocarina.
125	** Sheik teaches Link the various warp songs in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Ocarina of Time]]'' by the two of them playing a harp and ocarina duet.
126	** While Link himself doesn't play, ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker The Wind Waker]]'' has him conduct the new sages alongside the spirits of their predecessors twice each (once when awakening them and once at the end of their respective dungeons).
127	** In ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess Twilight Princess]]'', Link can unlock the ability to learn new sword moves by howling duets with the spirit of his ancestor [[spoiler:the Hero of Time]] in wolf form.
128	** Link has to perform a duet with each of the Lokomo in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSpiritTracks Spirit Tracks]]'' in order to open up a path to the game's dungeons. [[spoiler:He also does one with Zelda at the very end of the game so they can weaken the final boss enough to defeat them.]]
129	* ''VideoGame/{{Miitopia}}'':
130	** In one of the inn events, a Mii is singing, and there's a chance the other Mii in the room will join in singing with them, raising their relationship. There's also a chance they will sing an astounding duet which raises their relationship more than normal.
131	** In one of the karaoke outings on the Nintendo Switch port, one of the Miis is about to sing onstage and gets PerformanceAnxiety. The other Mii decides to join in with them, cheering them up, and the two Miis sing together.
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	[[folder:Webcomics]]
135	* Lamp shaded and parodied in one strip of ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent''. When Marten specifically requests that their band not devolve into sappy love songs, his two bandmates (who are dating) break into spontaneous song about how they met at a mosh pit when she knocked out his tooth.
136	* ''Webcomic/KevinAndKell'' sing a song together in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPXG56RB3DM song]] written for Bill (the strip's creator) by Music/TomSmith. The song retells the story of how they met each other in a chat room and then agreed to see each other in person. More information is available [[http://www.kevinandkell.com/links/animation.html here]], and lyrics can be found [[http://www.tomsmithonline.com/lyrics/underneath_the_fur.htm here]].
137	** And The Heat of the Blood from his [[AttentionDeficitCreatorDisorder unfinished]] musical "Skullrose and Tourmaline", a seduction duet wherein the villain tries to seduce the heroine with MagicMusic, and she [[TheVillainSucksSong tries to resist.]]
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Web Original]]
141	* Lampshaded in ''WebVideo/CommentaryTheMusical'' at the end of "Ten Dollar Solo", which ends up... not being one.
142	** Don't forget ''My Eyes'' from the regular WebVideo/{{Doctor Horrible\|sSingAlongBlog}}.
143	-->Joss pays his debt / with this cheesy duet...
144	[[/folder]]
145
146	[[folder:Western Animation]]
147	* The ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aB1AAn23VOs "This Grill Is Not A Home"]] is a duet between the titular character (played by Creator/TomKenny) and Mr. Krabs (played by Creator/ClancyBrown).
148	* ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'':
149	** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyRescueAtMidnightCastle'': "Dancing on Air", the first in-universe song, is a duet between Megan and Firefly. Up until the end Megan isn't buying Firefly's assurances that she will be of help to the talking ponies.
150	** ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
151	*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin May the Best Pet Win]]": Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash start off the songs of Season 2 with [[MundaneMadeAwesome an epic duet about picking out the best pet]].
152	*** "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E26ACanterlotWeddingPart2 A Canterlot Wedding]]": Cadence and Chrysalis wrap up the season with a legitimately epic VillainSong duet about the latter's plan to imitate the former and use Shining Armor for her own nefarious purposes.
153	* ''WesternAnimation/GetAce'': The finale of "Comeback Mr. Walker" has Mr. Walker and Ned Krinkle ([[MasterOfDisguise disguised as Mr. Walker]]) both show up on stage. Neither really notices the presence of the other and the in-universe audience believes it's just the real Walker singing by himself.
154	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Grojband}}'': In the episode, "All You Need is Cake", Corey and Laney perform a duet for a wedding gig. Their heartwarming song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ssHtBB8-SU "Please Come Back"]] isn't for the bride and groom however, but rather to bandmates Kin and Kon as an apology for letting Grojband break up.
155	* Some in ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'':
156	** "Let's Fly Our Little Saucer to the Moon", essentially a silly love song, performed by Jet's parents, Carrot and Celery in "How Come the Moon Changes Shape?"
157	** "Enceladus vs. Europa", another Carrot and Celery duet, sung in "Which Moon is Best?". This time it's about them arguing about which moon is better - Enceladus or Europa.
158	** "I'm Not Afraid of New Ideas", sung by Jet and Sydney in "Lone Star". It's about, well, not being afraid of new ideas.
159	** "There's No Planet Like My Planet", sung by Jet and Sean in "Back to Bortron 7". A HoYay-laden song that involves Sean singing about how he might like Jet's planet, Bortron 7.
160	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
161	** "Strong in the Real Way" from "Giant Woman". A DistantDuet sung by Pearl and Steven about what being strong means.
162	** "On the Run" from the episode of the same name, sung by Steven and Amethyst. It is sung as they journey away from Beach City and to the Prime Kindergarten on a train.
163	** "The Jam Song" from "Sworn to the Sword", sung by Connie and Steven as they have a picnic.
164	*** From the same episode, there's "Do It for Her", sung by Pearl and Connie as Pearl trains her to be a sword-fighter.
165	** "What Can I Do (For You)" from "We Need to Talk", sung by Greg and Rose.
166	** "Something Entirely New" from "The Answer", sung by Ruby and Sapphire about their feelings about fusing for the first time.
167	** "Don't Cost Nothing / Empire City", sung by Steven and Greg in "Mr. Greg" about how to spend Greg's money, and then about the city of Empire City.
168	** "Here Comes a Thought", sung by Garnet and Stevonnie in "Mindful Education" about how to deal with inner demons.
169	* ''WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriends'': From ''[[WesternAnimation/ThomasAndFriendsTheGreatRace The Great Race]]'', there's "You Can Only Be You", a song sung by Ashima and Thomas about her trying to get him to be himself, and him self-deprecating.
170	* ''WesternAnimation/TheCasagrandes'': The theme song is a duet by Izabella Alvarez (Sung in Ronnie Anne's voice) and Ally Brooke. Bonus points because in real life they are also friends with one another.
171	* Weaponized in ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'' episode "Eda's Requiem", where Raine and Ea perform an violin and bell cittern duet to take advantage of the DangerousPhlebotinumInteraction that the latter's curse has with bard magic in an attempt to kill two of the coven heads to stop Belos' Day of Unity plot.
172	[[/folder]]
173

Context Main / LetsDuet