It Takes Two (Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston song)

"It Takes Two"
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 (1966-12-04) [1]
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 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

Cash Box said the single is a "rhythmic, infectious romancer that superbly matches the two fine voices." ^[2]

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. ^{[3] [4]}

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
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) [5]	45
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [6]	14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [7]	15
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [8]	13
UK Singles (OCC) [9]	16
UK R&B ( Record Mirror ) [10]	1
US Billboard Hot 100 [11]	14
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [12]	4
US Cash Box Top 100 [13]	43

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [14]	Silver	200,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Rod Stewart and Tina Turner version

"It Takes Two"
Single by Rod Stewart and Tina Turner
from the album Vagabond Heart
B-side	"Hot Legs" (live)
Released	November 12, 1990 (1990-11-12)
Length	4:13
Label	Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s)	William "Mickey" Stevenson, Sylvia Moy
Producer(s)	Bernard Edwards
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"I Don't Want To Talk About It" (1990) "It Takes Two" (1990) "Rhythm of My Heart" (1991)
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Be Tender with Me Baby" (1990) ""It Takes Two" (Duet with Rod Stewart)" (1990) "Nutbush City Limits (The 90's Version)" (1991)

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

Chart (1990–1991)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA) [15]	16
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [16]	15
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [17]	6
Denmark (IFPI) [18]	1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles) [19]	7
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [20]	12
Germany (GfK) [21]	22
Ireland (IRMA) [22]	4
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [23]	4
Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg) [24]	3
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [25]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [26]	3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [27]	19
Spain Radio (AFYVE) [28]	36
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [29]	11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [30]	10
UK Singles (OCC) [31]	5

Year-end charts

Chart (1990)	Position
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [32]	50
Sweden (Topplistan) [33]	63

Chart (1991)	Position
Europe (European Hit Radio) [34]	55

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United Kingdom	November 12, 1990	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD cassette	Warner Bros.	[35]
Australia	January 21, 1991	7-inch vinyl CD cassette		[36]

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. ^{[37] [38]}

• The song charted on the Canadian Adult Contemporary charts in 1982 on a single by Susan Jacks. ^{[39] [ 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 .
• It was featured in the ending scene of the film Hot Shots! Part Deux.

References

1. "Listing of song titles". Don't Forget the Motor City.
2. "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 24, 1966. p. 84. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
3. The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 6: 1966 [CD liner notes]. New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records
4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 225.
5. "Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston – It Takes Two" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 10048." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. March 25, 1967.
7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kim Weston" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
8. "Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston – It Takes Two" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
9. "Marvin Gaye: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
10. "BRITAIN'S TOP R&B SINGLES" (PDF). Record Mirror . February 11, 1967. p. 11. Retrieved January 28, 2022– via worldradiohistory.com.
11. "Kim Weston Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
12. "Kim Weston Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
13. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles". Cashbox . March 25, 1967. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
14. "British single certifications – Marvin Gaye – It Takes Two". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved August 5, 2022.
15. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
16. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
17. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
18. Danish Singles Chart. November 30, 1990.
19. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. December 22, 1990. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
20. "Singlet 1990-12 joulukuu" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
21. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
22. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – It Takes Two". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
23. "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. January 12, 1991. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
24. Radio Luxembourg Singles. December 1, 1990.
25. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Rod Stewart & Tina Turner" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
26. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
27. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
28. Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
29. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
30. "Rod Stewart & Tina Turner – It Takes Two". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
31. "Rod Stewart: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1990" (in Dutch). MegaCharts . Retrieved October 2, 2015.
33. "Årstopplistan 1990, Singlar" (in Swedish). Grammotex. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
34. "EHR Year-End Top 100" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 20. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
35. "New Singles". Music Week . November 10, 1990. p. 45.
36. "New Release Summary: Singles". The ARIA Report . No. 52. January 20, 1991. p. 19.
37. "Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
38. "Cover versions of It Takes Two by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
39. It Takes Two by Marvin Gaye & Kim Weston , retrieved 2023-04-03