It Takes Two (song)
Encyclopedia
"It Takes Two" was a hit single recorded in late 1965 by Marvin Gaye
and Kim Weston
for Motown's Tamla label.
Produced by Weston's then-husband, longtime Gaye collaborator William "Mickey" Stevenson, and co-written by Stevenson and Sylvia Moy
, "It Takes Two" centered around a romantic lyric which 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
.
Gaye and Weston's duet peaked at #14 on the Billboard Pop charts and #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 #16 on the British singles charts in the spring of that same year.
Also in 1967, soul singers Otis Redding
and Carla Thomas
covered the song for their duet album, King & Queen
.It Was Also used for the BBC Two Tribute Video On Youtube.
It was also recorded by Donny and Marie Osmond in 1974. It was from their gold album "I'm leaving it all up to you". The song also appeared on The Osmonds
album "Around the World Live" in late 1975. Though it was never released as a single, the song was performed live at concerts.
and Tina Turner
and featured in a television advertising camaign for Pepsi
. It was released as the lead single from Stewart's album Vagabond Heart
, produced by Bernard Edwards
and released in early 1991. The duet was a European hit, peaking at #5 in the UK, and becoming a Top 10 single in several European countries. It later appeared on both artists' greatest hits albums: Turner's Simply The Best (1991), and Stewart's The Very Best of Rod Stewart
(2001).
cars on British television.
Detroit television station WJBK-TV, which broadcasts on Channel 2, used a reworked version of the song with revised lyrics called "It Takes 2" as part of its on-air imaging in the early 1990s. The new version was sung again by Kim Weston and Marvin Gaye's brother Frankie
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNI9k5FFDW8
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Kim Weston
Kim Weston
Kim Weston is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and "Take Me in Your Arms ".-Career:...
for Motown's Tamla label.
Produced by Weston's then-husband, longtime Gaye collaborator William "Mickey" Stevenson, and co-written by Stevenson and Sylvia Moy
Sylvia Moy
Sylvia Moy is a songwriter and record producer, formerly associated with the Motown Records group. The first woman at the Detroit-based music label to write and produce for Motown acts, she is probably best known for her songs written for Stevie Wonder....
, "It Takes Two" centered around a romantic lyric which 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
Tammi Terrell
Thomasina Winifred Montgomery, known as Tammi Terrell was an American singer-songwriter most notable for her association with Motown and her duets with Marvin Gaye. As a teenager she recorded for the Scepter–Wand, Try Me and Checker record labels. She signed with Motown in April 1965 and enjoyed...
.
Gaye and Weston's duet peaked at #14 on the Billboard Pop charts and #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 #16 on the British singles charts in the spring of that same year.
Also in 1967, soul singers Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
and Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas
Carla Thomas is an American singer, who is often referred to as the Queen of Memphis Soul. She is the daughter of Rufus Thomas.-Childhood:...
covered the song for their duet album, King & Queen
King & Queen
-Personnel:*Joe Arnold – alto sax*Steve Cropper – guitar*Donald "Duck" Dunn – bass*Isaac Hayes – keyboards*Al Jackson, Jr. – drums*Wayne Jackson – trumpet*Booker T. Jones – keyboards*Andrew Love – tenor sax...
.It Was Also used for the BBC Two Tribute Video On Youtube.
It was also recorded by Donny and Marie Osmond in 1974. It was from their gold album "I'm leaving it all up to you". The song also appeared on The Osmonds
The Osmonds
The Osmonds are an American family music group with a long and varied career—a career that took them from singing barbershop music as children, to achieving success as teen-music idols, to producing a hit television show, and to continued success as solo and group performers...
album "Around the World Live" in late 1975. Though it was never released as a single, the song was performed live at concerts.
Personnel
- All vocals by Marvin GayeMarvin GayeMarvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Kim WestonKim WestonKim Weston is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and "Take Me in Your Arms ".-Career:... - Instrumentation by The Funk BrothersThe Funk BrothersThe Funk Brothers was the nickname of Detroit, Michigan, session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown Records recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972...
and The Detroit Symphony OrchestraDetroit Symphony OrchestraThe Detroit Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Detroit, Michigan. Its main performance center is Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit's Midtown neighborhood... - Produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson
Rod Stewart and Tina Turner version
In 1990 "It Takes Two" was covered by Rod StewartRod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
and featured in a television advertising camaign for Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
. It was released as the lead single from Stewart's album Vagabond Heart
Vagabond Heart
Vagabond Heart is the 16th studio album by the singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, released in 1991. The album reached #10 in the US, and reached #2 in the UK...
, produced by Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards
Bernard Edwards born in Greenville, North Carolina, was a bass player and record producer, both as a member of the Funk/Disco band Chic and on his own. He died of pneumonia while touring in Japan.-History:...
and released in early 1991. The duet was a European hit, peaking at #5 in the UK, and becoming a Top 10 single in several European countries. It later appeared on both artists' greatest hits albums: Turner's Simply The Best (1991), and Stewart's The Very Best of Rod Stewart
The Very Best of Rod Stewart
The Story So Far: The Very Best of Rod Stewart is a 2001 Rod Stewart career-retrospective compilation album, which summarizes his solo work beginning with material from his 1971 breakthrough album Every Picture Tells a Story until his 2000 album Human. For contractual reasons, only two songs from...
(2001).
Chart performance
| Peak Position |
Chart (1990–1991) |
|---|---|
| 5 | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
| 4 | Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
| 16 | Australian Singles Chart |
| 22 | German Singles Chart |
| 10 | Swiss Singles Chart |
| 3 | Dutch Singles Chart |
| 5 | Italian Singles Chart |
| 4 | Austrian Singles Chart |
| 14 | New Zealand Singles Chart |
Other cover versions
- Billie PiperBillie PiperBillie Paul Piper is an English singer and actress.She began her career in the late 1990s as a pop singer and then switched to acting. She started in acting and dancing and was talent spotted at the Sylvia Young stage school by Smash Hits magazine who wanted a "face" for their magazine...
also covered the song in late 1998 as B-Side to her third single "She Wants YouShe Wants You"She Wants You" is a song originally recorded by Slovak singer Dara Rolins. The composition written by Timothy Lawson and Pamela Sheyne was released on BMG-Ariola and issued on her studio album What You See is What You Get in 1996.-Billie version:...
".
Use in television and other media
The original version of the song was featured on a 1982 advert for TalbotTalbot
Talbot was an automobile marque that existed from 1903 to 1986, with a hiatus from 1960 to 1978, under a number of different owners, latterly under Peugeot...
cars on British television.
Detroit television station WJBK-TV, which broadcasts on Channel 2, used a reworked version of the song with revised lyrics called "It Takes 2" as part of its on-air imaging in the early 1990s. The new version was sung again by Kim Weston and Marvin Gaye's brother Frankie
Frankie Gaye
Frankie Gaye was a singer and the younger brother of the more famous singer Marvin Gaye. Born the son of minister Marvin Pentz Gay, Sr. and domestic Alberta Cooper in Washington, D.C., Frances watched as Marvin became a superstar...
. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNI9k5FFDW8