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1966 song

"It Takes Two" is a hit single recorded in late 1965 by American singer-songwriter Marvin Gaye and American soul singer Kim Weston, released in 1966 on Motown`s Tamla label.

Background

Produced by Weston`s then-husband, longtime Gaye collaborator William "Mickey" Stevenson, and co-written by Stevenson and Sylvia Moy, "It Takes Two" centered on a romantic lyric that depicted many things in life (dreams, love, wishes, etc.) being better with two people instead of one. The single became Gaye`s most successful duet single to date, later outperformed by Gaye`s duets with Tammi Terrell.[citation needed]

Cash Box said the single is a "rhythmic, infectious romancer that superbly matches the two fine voices."[2]

Gaye and Weston`s duet peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Pop charts and No. 4 on Billboard′s Soul Singles chart in January 1967. "It Takes Two" was also Gaye`s first major hit in the UK, where it peaked at No. 16 on the British singles charts in the spring of that same year.[3][4]

Personnel

• All vocals by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston
• Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers and The Detroit Symphony Orchestra
• Produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson

Charts

Certifications

Rod Stewart and Tina Turner version

British singer Rod Stewart and American singer Tina Turner recorded a cover of "It Takes Two" released in November 1990 by Warner Bros., which was also featured in a television advertising campaign for Pepsi. It was the lead single from Stewart`s sixteenth album, Vagabond Heart (1991), produced by Bernard Edwards. The duet was a European hit, peaking at No. 1 in Denmark. It also reached No. 5 in the UK and was a Top 10 single in several European countries. The song later appeared on both artists` greatest hits albums: Turner`s Simply the Best (1991), and Stewart`s The Very Best of Rod Stewart (2001).

Charts

Other cover versions

• In 1967 Otis Redding and Carla Thomas released a cover version on their album of duets titled King & Queen on the Stax label, which was heavily influenced by Marvin Gaye`s duets and was Otis Redding`s final studio album before his death in December that same year.

• In 1989 a Children In Need charity single was released (retitled "It Takes Two, Baby") featuring BBC Radio 1 DJs Liz Kershaw and Bruno Brookes with Jive Bunny and Londonbeat. It charted at #53 in the UK Singles chart.[35][36]

• The song charted on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts in 1982 on a single by Susan Jacks.[37][failed verification]

Popular culture

• The song was played over the closing credits of the 1995 film It Takes Two and 2002 TV adaptation of Jacqueline Wilson`s novel Double Act.