It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)
"It Takes Two" | |
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Single by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston | |
from the album Take Two | |
B-side | "It's Got to Be a Miracle" |
Released | December 4, 1966 |
Recorded | November 27 and December 6, 1965, and March 2, 1966, Detroit, Michigan |
Length | 3:00 |
Label | Tamla |
Songwriter(s) | William "Mickey" Stevenson, Sylvia Moy |
Producer(s) | William "Mickey" Stevenson, Henry Cosby |
"It Takes Two" is a hit single recorded in late 1965 by Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston for 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."
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.
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
Chart (1966–1967) | Peak position |
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Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 45 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM) | 14 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 15 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 13 |
UK Singles (OCC) | 16 |
UK R&B (Record Mirror) | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 4 |
US Cashbox Top 100 | 43 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Rod Stewart and Tina Turner version
"It Takes Two" | ||||
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Single by Rod Stewart and Tina Turner | ||||
from the album Vagabond Heart | ||||
B-side | "Hot Legs" (live) | |||
Released | November 12, 1990 | |||
Length | 4:13 | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Songwriter(s) | William "Mickey" Stevenson, Sylvia Moy | |||
Producer(s) | Bernard Edwards | |||
Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
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Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
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British singer Rod Stewart and American singer Tina Turner released a cover of "It Takes Two" in 1990, which was also featured in a television advertising campaign for Pepsi. It was the lead single from Stewart's album Vagabond Heart, 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
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other cover versions
- 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.
- The single charted on the Canadian A/C charts in 1982 on an A/B Single hit by Susan Jacks.[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.
- 1966 songs
- 1966 singles
- 1967 singles
- Marvin Gaye songs
- Rod Stewart songs
- Tina Turner songs
- Songs written by Sylvia Moy
- Songs written by William "Mickey" Stevenson
- Tamla Records singles
- Warner Records singles
- Song recordings produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson
- Male–female vocal duets
- Number-one singles in Denmark