"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.
Cash Box said the single is a "rhythmic, infectious romancer that superbly matches the two fine voices."
Gaye and Weston's duet peaked at 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
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"| Chart (1966–1967)
!scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row" | UK R&B (Record Mirror)
| align="center"| 1
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row" |US Cash Box Top 100
|align="center"|43
|}
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
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for Turner and Stewart's cover
!scope="col"| Chart (1990–1991)
!scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Denmark (IFPI)
| 1
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)
| 7
|-
!scope="row"|Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)
| 12
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Italy (Musica e dischi)
| 4
|-
!scope="row"|Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)
| 3
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Spain Radio (AFYVE)
| 36
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Annual chart rankings for Turner and Stewart's cover
!scope="col"| Chart (1990)
!scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)
| 50
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (Topplistan)
| 63
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"| Chart (1991)
!scope="col"| Position
|-
!scope="row"|Europe (European Hit Radio)
| 55
|-
!scope="row"|Italy (Musica e dischi)
|46
|}
Release history
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Street dates for Turner and Stewart's cover
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format(s)
!scope="col"|Label(s)
!scope="col"|
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|November 12, 1990
|
|rowspan="2"|Warner Bros.
|
|-
!scope="row"|Australia
|January 21, 1991
|
|
|}
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.
- The song charted on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts in 1982 on a single by Susan Jacks.
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.
- It was featured in the ending scene of the film Hot Shots! Part Deux.