Saturday, May 30, 2015

Late Night Music NBA Finals/Stanley Cup Edition Part 187......"More Odd Couples"

It's been a while since I celebrated my love of odd duos performing duets. Plus, it's summer time- you know what that means right? Anyway, enjoy the list. I think this was a good one.

In order to be considered for this list, it had to be a duo that usually wouldn't perform together with bonus points added for really off genre. The song did not have to be recorded on an album, but it had to be at least performed live on television or a recorded concert. In another rare occurrence, all songs receiving votes were included on this list.

"Cryin'"- Aerosmith and Christina Milian (as Linda Moon) from the movie "Be Cool". In this memorable scene from the 2005 comedy "Be Cool", John Travolta is the mastermind behind getting his new diva Linda Moon (played by Christina Milian who looks unbelievably sexy here!) to perform with Aerosmith. What happens is this hidden gem duet that was filmed at an Aerosmith concert as an actual live performance. For some odd reason, this unreal duet was left off of the motion picture soundtrack. A smash hit on Aerosmith's 1993 smash album Get A Grip and went to #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 fueled by a extremely popular video featuring Alicia Silverstone and Stephen Dorff which fueled the Aerosmith fire as big as it's ever been in their illustrious career."Be Cool" is one of the biggest sleeper hits ever made in my opinion. Despite modest box office success, an ensemble cast, a hilarious plot, and unreal music, it never caught on like I hoped it would. This clip is a perfect example of why I think this. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVqi1n7wX-U

"I Want It That Way"- Elton John and The Backstreet Boys. Now this one shows how cool Elton John really is. If anyone on this list was at a risk to really embarass themself, it was definitely Elton John here with the boy band phenoms fresh off of their performance of "Philadelphia Freedom" earlier that year at the Grammys. BSB enjoyed it so much, they invited him to perform a few songs on stage with them at their live set seen here from 2000's UK concert festival Party in the Park. Elton had a solo set later in the night, but you have to admit it's cool to see him pay homage to a young up and coming band here. I'll admit that this isn't BSB's best performance here, but this song catapulted them into the superstar stratosphere when it peaked at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999 off of their highly anticipated album Millenium. BSB has recently gotten back to performing with this song always being a fan favorite. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLMgUIFiGnc

"Midnight Train to Georgia"- Gladys Knight, Martina McBride, and Estelle. I kinda cheated on this one, but it's too good to not include. This great performance from the debut of skyville TV in Nashville features a R&B legend, a county superstar, and a British Soul future phenom all paying homage to the first lady's smash hit that changed Motown for years to come. Easily Gladys Knight's most recognizable song, it was featured as the lead single from her 1973 album Imagination where it went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has become one of the most recognizable soul songs ever recorded. This modernized version here is truly goosebump inducing. I think it shows yet again the diversity of Martina McBride that few people realize she truly possesses. I was also personally impressed with the ability of the band in this set to virtually copy the original orchestra score almost perfectly. I also like the slight change to the background vocal track here.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDtAuLwa0ZE

"California King Bed"- Rihanna and Jennifer Nettles. I know I've featured this one before, but this has always been one of my favorites for a few reasons. For one, it shows the diversity of Sugarland which has been evident several times over the years, as Jennifer Nettles continues to be a capable performance partner of several artists of all genres. The other reason I love this clip so much is because Rihanna performed HER song at the ACM Awards, and actually had a lot to risk here performing in front of a ton of Country fans in Las Vegas on live television. What a spectacular debut of an upcoming single! This also shows how Rihanna can simply perform with any musician no matter style or genre. Despite the awesomeness of this song, it only cracked the top 40 peaking at #37 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Rihanna's Loud album.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtmZe1zvCQE

"Photograph"- Taylor Swift and Def Leppard. CMT's live performance show "Crossroads" kinda made this list easy. The first of several performances featured on the show, this rock star persona change from Taylor Swift shows a side of her that we knew always there, but only recently was widely released. You would think that after watching this, Taylor Swift could front a rock band if she wasn't such a talented songwriter. This rock anthem was Def Leppard's lead single from their 1983 mega album Pyromania which saw this single peak at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. I also like how Joe Elliott almost makes this song about Taylor Swift as Leppard has obviously lost a few steps in their golden years, eventhough Phil Collem can still bring it on guitar!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-9V4mfWAWk

"Don't Stop Believin'"- Journey and Rascal Flatts. In another "Crossroads" performance here from Super Bowl 47 in New Orleans, Larry Vox and Rascal Flatts joined Journey for their ultimate white people anthem from Journey's 1981 album Escape. Originally released and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, this song has become one of the most downloaded songs in internet history with over 6 million legal downloads. New Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda gives a solid performance here, as does Vox from Rascal Flatts, but even both of these super tenors struggle singing in Perry's original atmospheric key, making this easily one of the hardest songs to ever perform live. Despite that, this turns out to be a great performance by two great bands. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxdI72X8CA8

"Keep It To Yourself"- Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves. Here is one of the most underrated performances of all. I've always been guilty of being a closet Katy Perry fan, but I think she did a great job of showing her true musicianship here with this great duet with country star Kacey Musgraves in another "Crossroads" connection. This song from Musgraves 2014 album Same Trailer, Different Park peaked on the Billboard Country Charts at #40, but still remains one of her favorites of her fans. This song I think shows that if she wanted to, Katy Perry could be a country singer. It also shows the true emotion Musgraves has in her writing. I also might add that this is two pretty freaking gorgeous women sharing the stage, even though I'm not a huge fan of Katy Perry's green hair.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdCY5FC9bUA

"Say Something"- A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. In what might the most powerful song on this list, Christina Aguilera lent her talents to A Great Big World for this song from their album Is There Anybody Out There?. After a memorable performance on "The Voice" and this critically acclaimed music video, the single shot to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100. Maybe it's just me, but this just doesn't seem like the kind of guys that Christina Aguilera would be crying over if they left. Anyone disagree? Anyway, this turned out to be a great track and a duo that really works on film and record. I have to admit also I've never been that big of a Christina Aguilera fan, but here deliver in this video is other worldly. I have a feeling that A Great Big World won't be heard from in a while on the Billboard Hot 100, but if you were ever gonna make a splash, this would be a great one to make!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2U0Ivkn2Ds

"Need You Now"- Adele and Darius Rucker. I love this combo right here! In a powerful performance from CMT's "Artists of the Year" show, former Hootie frontman and Brit superstar Adele tackle one of my favorite country songs of all time here in a memorable performance. I love this because we all remember how Darius Rucker was the lead singer of a rock band, released an R&B album, and then became a country star. In a just as interesting twist, this song seems to fit Adele perfectly. The natural blend and chemistry had was something I could have never predicted, but something I really hope we get to see again. The purpose of this show and performance was to pay homage to Lady Antebellum, who was on top of the country world in 2010 (I'm still upset that I had to miss them at Austin Peay.....but oh well). This song not only topped all country charts on their album of the same name, but it won the Grammy for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Need You Now also was nominated for Album of the Year at the same ceremony. I also love the shots of Lady Antebellum admiring the cover of their song. I love when artists show so much mutual respect for each other.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uq8fPc96E0

"The King of Pain"- Lady Gaga and Sting. Here is another one that just floored me! I know she's super crazy and super weird, but Lady Gaga is an underrated musician if there ever was one. This memorable performance from Sting's 60th birthday pays homage to one of the greatest Police songs they recorded and added a new twist that blew the original out of the water while still honoring the original composition. Sting has always been a favorite of other artists, as he usually shows up on my lists I have of this nature with his duets with artists from all over the musical spectrum. This song was written by Sting fresh off of his divorce from his first wife in 1983. It was featured on The Police super album Synchronicity and it became one of their biggest hits when it peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, establishing The Police in the American mainstream. It was actually their last studio album as a group, as a Sting would embark on a very successful solo career very soon afterwards.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6EbB8Stse8

"Airplanes"- B.o.B. and Hayley Williams. This one I always liked because not only of Paramore's lead singer and Mississippi native Hayley Williams adding her vocals on a hip hop track, but the mere fact that B.o.B. and Hayley Williams had never even met until they performed the song together for the first time at the VMAs in 2010 several months after its release (bonus video coming up). At the time, Paramore was at the height of its popularity with its recent release of their smash album Brand New Eyes. With Williams adding to the mix, B.o.B. shot to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with this single from his 2010 debut album B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray. B.o.B. hasn't really gained the mainstream hype since this single, but it kinda helps when you have the lead singer of one of the biggest bands in the world on the track with you.......just ask Rockwell. This performance from Seattle's 107.9 The End's Jingle Ball is probably the best performance that this song saw in its run. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c02NrjIWtek

"She Will Be Loved"- Maroon 5 and Sara Evans. In another "Crossroads" performance, Adam Levine sits down with country superstar for a fantastic stripped down version of "She Will Be Loved". In listening to this song, I wonder if Adam Levine wrote this song intending it for it to be a country song. I've heard this song done by a few local artists, and it always sounds good in this format. Their voices blend just so angelically on this chorus, and Evans shows her edginess that sets her apart from other country artists. I have to also admit that it took a minute for me to warm up to Maroon 5, but I'm really glad I did. This single from their debut album Songs About Jane peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2004, and remains a live performance staple for Adam Levine and Maroon 5. I kinda got lost in Sara Evans' eyes on this video. She is one stunningly beautiful woman! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlddkmnBUqw

"Don't Go Breaking My Heart"- Elton John and KiKi Dee. I always thought Kiki Dee owed Elton John a lot on this one. She was always a decent singer who was a one hit wonder peaking at #12 with her 1974 song "I've Got the Music In Me". But this duet and standalone single by Elton John released in the summer of 1976 proved to be her one and only splash in the mainstream as this became yet another #1 single for Elton John. What a great live performance here of this song that is very rarely performed for obvious reasons, that Elton states here. On a side note, as much as I love Elton John, it's crazy to see who obviously aged better since 1976. Kiki Dee looks fantastic! This is still a great song to get your day started with.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T2Dxgn-lls

"The Weight"- The Band and The Staples Singers (from "The Last Waltz"). In 1978, Canadian band The Band had grown weary of touring, and had decided to give one last mega concert in San Francisco that eventually would turn in to the Martin Scorsese documentary "The Last Waltz". This band's signature song is shown here with a memorable performance by co Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Staples Singers who had covered the song on their 1971 self-titled studio album. Despite the awesomeness, someone would never put these two groups together even though this combo really worked on several levels. Despite only peaking at only #63 on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its original release in 1968 from the band's album Music From The Big Pink, the song has been ranked as one of the top 50 singles ever on several all time lists in multiple publications. To commemorate the passing of drummer Levon Helm in 2012, Mavis Staples again joined a tribute band to perform this song at that year's Grammys. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCSzL5-SPHM

"Why Georgia"- Brad Paisley and John Mayer. Of all songs on this list, this one has to be favorite. Brad Paisley makes his home in the country genre, but his prowess as a guitar player is rarely talked about or shown. It's evident here as he performs with one of the greatest guitar players of any generation. In yet another "Crossroads" performance these two play off each other and make Mayer's single from his debut album Room for Squares into a duet you won't soon forget. Despite only peaking at #102 on the Billboard chart, this song remains an absolute favorite of Mayer fans worldwide. This deeply personal song was about Mayer's decision to move to Atlanta after dropping out of Berkley College of Music in California and he was questioning the intelligence of the decision that was haunting him daily.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHh-ewuhDOc

BONUS VIDEOS- "Airplanes/"The Only Exception"- Hayley Williams and B.o.B. live from the 2010 VMAS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9sB2pXr-hM

"Somebody's Watching Me"- Rockwell with Michael Jackson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YvAYIJSSZY

"Part Time Lover"- Stevie Wonder with Luther Vandross.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2skKtK4_SLI

"House Of Love"- Amy Grant with Vince Gill. (serious foreshadowing here).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXxXj7rzZy4

"Easy Lover"- Phil Collins with Phillip Bailey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkRKT6T0QLg
Elton John and KiKi DeeElton John and KiKi Dee
Gladys Knight, Estelle, and Martina McBride on Skyville LiveGladys Knight, Estelle, and Martina McBride on Skyville Live
Adele and Darius Rucker at the 2010 CMT Artists of the Year AwardsAdele and Darius Rucker at the 2010 CMT Artists of the Year Awards
Rihanna and Jennifer Nettles together at the 2011 ACM AwardsRihanna and Jennifer Nettles together at the 2011 ACM Awards
B.o.B. and Hayley Williams performing together for the first time at the 2010 VMAsB.o.B. and Hayley Williams performing together for the first time at the 2010 VMAs

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