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4 Forgotten Duets From the 1970s That Still Sound Ethereal
Four 1970s duets are highlighted for combining emotionally heavy lyrics with light, airy musical arrangements and close vocal harmonies.
– Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris’s posthumously released “Love Hurts” is presented as particularly poignant because of Parsons’s death shortly before its release.– Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s “Where Is The Love” turns a story of unreturned love into an uplifting soul performance.– Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge’s “Loving Arms” is described as the original, wistful version of a song later made more famous by The Chicks.– Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited” remains familiar through popular culture, but is recommended as a nostalgic song about reconciliation after a break-up.
In short
- Four overlooked 1970s duets are recommended for their emotional warmth.
- “Love Hurts” carries added weight after Gram Parsons’s death.
- The selections span country, soul and pop.
Explained simply
Four romantic duets from the 1970s shared an unusual musical quality: they paired emotionally heavy lyrics about love and loss with light, airy arrangements and closely blended vocal harmonies. This combination created an ethereal sound that contrasted sharply with the serious themes being explored in the songs.
The duets featured prominent soul and country artists of the era: Roberta Flack with Donny Hathaway, Gram Parsons with Emmylou Harris, Kris Kristofferson with Rita Coolidge, and Peaches & Herb. Each song addressed themes such as unreturned love, heartbreak, and relationship reconciliation.
These recordings represent a particular approach to the romantic duet that was present in 1970s popular music. At a time when close vocal harmonies were a prominent feature of the musical landscape, producers and artists used ethereal arrangements to complement and contrast with emotionally heavy subject matter.