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The Man vs Get It

What is the best duet?

  • The Man

    Votes: 9 52.9%

  • Get It

    Votes: 8 47.1%
  • Total voters
    17

Hot_Street

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everyone knows Say Say Say, The Girl Is Mine and last but not least Just Good Friends
so let's give the hidden duets some attention
this is Paul McCartney vs Stevie Wonder
The Man vs Get It
[…] if you say ‘The Man’, it can mean God, it can mean ‘Women, listen to your man’, it can mean so many things. Later I did a song with Michael Jackson called ‘The Man’ and again, it’s quite nice leaving things ambiguous: I’m sure for Michael, probably ‘The Man’ meant God.
Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich N°47/48, Spring 1988, commenting about the song “Listen To What The Man Said” https://www.the-paulmccartney-project.com/song/the-man/
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"Get It" was R&B chart hit (number 4). On the US Billboard Hot 100 it peaked at number 80. Overseas, the single became a moderate hit. In the UK, the single reached number 37 on the official UK Singles Chart.
en.wikipedia.org

Get It (Stevie Wonder song) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
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‘the man’.

the message. the melody. the vocals. the uplifting, catchy playful nature of it all. I honestly like it better than ‘say say say’. both of which were co-written by michael.
 
The man is my pick too, wonderfully crafted pop tune. Should have been the 3rd Paul/Michael smash hit really. Back in the 90s I occasionally heard it on the radio which was cool. I don’t know how else I could have known the song at the time because I had no other knowledge exposure to it.

Get it on the other hand was relatively successful in my country reaching nr 15 and yet I did not know this song when I was young, strange innit?
 
filmandmusic said:
The man is my pick too, wonderfully crafted pop tune. Should have been the 3rd Paul/Michael smash hit really. Back in the 90s I occasionally heard it on the radio which was cool. I don’t know how else I could have known the song at the time because I had no other knowledge exposure to it.

Get it on the other hand was relatively successful in my country reaching nr 15 and yet I did not know this song when I was young, strange innit?
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apparently ‘the man’ was scheduled for release in ‘84. there was even a promo vinyl for it. one of the record companies decided against it though. perhaps they thought that three collaborations within the space of a year (and a half) would be too much? I know some reviewers at the time felt that way.. I think they could have done a one-off ep together.🤔

I also remember hearing it on the radio, but only once. I actually bought the ‘pipes of peace’ album on cassette just to hear michael’s features. this was before I went digital of course lol😆

the message is literally eternal, and much deeper than the song lets on. it’s how I choose to remember michael. effortless, light, and free💜 it’s quite folksy, which I believe is Paul’s doing, however, michael imprints his trademark punctuated syllables, harmonies, and long double choruses💜

I think Paul was michael’s best duet partner. the yin to his yang. they were so different, but they didn’t clash. they instead complimented each other. I don’t think I would like any of their songs as much if they were sung by anybody else.
 
Completely agree @83magic You get 2 people together who are extraordinary talented, they knew how to write a good pop song and they both gave each other enough freedom to do their thing. It is only natural that this song ended up on Paul’s album as it does not sound like a trademark Michael song. It is pretty much a beatles song. I love all 3 songs dearly.

I’m going extreme here but an entire album with these 2 would have been pure gold. They could have eclipsed Simon & Garfunkel, not that they needed or wanted that but they were that complementary, a natural duo.

This chemistry was missing with Freddy Mercury and I think deep down they both knew it as they left their recordings unfinished.
 
filmandmusic said:
Completely agree @83magic You get 2 people together who are extraordinary talented, they knew how to write a good pop song and they both gave each other enough freedom to do their thing. It is only natural that this song ended up on Paul’s album as it does not sound like a trademark Michael song. It is pretty much a beatles song. I love all 3 songs dearly.

I’m going extreme here but an entire album with these 2 would have been pure gold. They could have eclipsed Simon & Garfunkel, not that they needed or wanted that but they were that complementary, a natural duo.

This chemistry was missing with Freddy Mercury and I think deep down they both knew it as they left their recordings unfinished.
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definitely agree with you regarding the freddie mercury collaborations. the mick jagger duet was even more lacking in my opinion..

I think that ‘thriller’ was so huge at the time, that it would have overshadowed everything else.

‘say say say’ has more of a groove, and blues influence. it reminds me a little of ‘off the wall’ material. I can imagine that one on michael’s solo albums🤔
 
Get It is a great song, and tbh, probably the best Duet. It's basically the better "Just Good Friends" and "The Girl Is Mine". Highly underrated. Stevie's great end of his prime in my mind as well.

But the Man is actually transcendent. It feels like it defines MJ.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
The 90s wasn't what Stevie was interested in, that much is for sure.
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But, on the other hand, A Time to Love (2005) is pure gold!

I love 1990’s Stevie, too, by the way.

And what’s more, Live Stevie is always Prime Stevie (regardless of decade).
 
Agonum said:
But, on the other hand, A Time to Love (2005) is pure gold!

I love 1990’s Stevie, too, by the way.

And what’s more, Live Stevie is always Prime Stevie (regardless of decade).
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It's a solid album. And a return to form. But it's not quite the 70s greats.
 
I like 'The Man' more as a song, but I like Michaels vocals better on 'Get It'
I'm just a sucker for Michaels aggressive vcoals during the BAD-Era
 
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