日本でもたまにある大物歌手同士のデュエット。時にFeaturingとして、ジョイントすることがある。コブクロと絢香、谷村新司と小川知子、桑田佳祐と桜井和寿などがあった。しかし、欧米のそれはまさにビッグネーム同士が、何らかの意図（チャリティなど）で一曲限りのユニットを結成してメッセージソングをファンに提供する。その最たるものは言うまでもなく、USA for Africaの「We Are The World」だった。そうそうたる面々が一度に介し、一夜限りのセッションを行った。歴史に残るイベントとなった。数百億円の売上金は、大部分がアフリカで飢餓やエイズで苦しんでいる方々へと送られた。今回は、世界があっと驚いたビッグネーム同士のデュエット＆ベストハーモニー曲をお送りしたい。
Ebony & Ivory ｂｙ Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder
Ebony and Ivory
Live together in perfect harmony
Side by side on my
piano keyboard
Oh Lord, why don't we
We
all know that people are the same
Where ever you go
There is good and
bad in everyone
And we learn to live
We learn to give each other
what we need to survive
Together alive
Ebony,
Ivory
Living in perfect harmony
Ebony, Ivory, ooh
We all know that people are the
same
Where ever you go
There is good and bad
In everyone
We
learn to live
When we learn to give each other
What we need to survive
Together alive
Endless Love ｂｙ Diana Ross & Lionel Richie
貴重なデュエット映像はコチラ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewf0TnM4eKo
My love
There's only you in my life
The only thing that's right
My first love
You're every breath that I take
You're every step I make
And I
I want to share
All my love with you
No one else will do
And your eyes
They tell me how much you care
Oh, yes you will always be
My endless love
Two hearts
Two hearts that beat as one
Our lives had just begun
Forever
I'll hold you close in my arms
I can't resist your charms
And love
I'll be a fool for you
I'm sure
You know I don't mind
Whoooooa, you know I don't mind
'Cos you
You mean the world to me
Oh, I know
I know I found in you
My endless love
Up Where We Belong ｂｙ Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DugKdsMrBNg
Who knows what tomorrow brings
In a world, few hearts survive
All I know is the way i feel
When it's real, I keep it alive
The road is long,
there are mountains in our way
But we
climb a step every day
Love lift us up where
we belong,
where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us
up where we belong,
far from the world
We know, up where the clear wind
blow
Some
hang on to used to be
Live their lives, looking behind
All we have is here and now
All our life, out there to find
The road is long,
there
are mountains in our way,
But we climb them a step ev'ry day
Love lift us up where
we belong,
where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love lift us up
where we belong,
far from the world
We know, up where the clear winds
blow
Time goes by,
no time to cry,
life's you and I
A live
today
Love lift us
up where we belong,
where the eagles cry
On a mountain high
Love
lift us up where we belong,
far from the wolrd
We know, where the clear
winds blow
日本名「愛と青春の旅立ち」は「王子様が迎えに来て、友達や仲間が拍手で送りだしてくれる」といった、女の子なら誰もが憧れ、夢見るシチュエーションを随所にちりばめた名作だった。
Almost Paradise ｂｙ Mike Reno & Ann Wilson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AgnhnbesAk
I thought that dreams belonged to other men
'Cause each time I got close
They'd fall apart again
I feared my heart would beat in secrecy
I faced the nights alone
Oh, how could I have known
That all my life I only needed you?
Oh almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door
Almost paradise
How could we ask for more?
I swear that I can see forever in your eyes
Paradise
It seems like perfect love's so hard to find
I'd almost given up
You must have read my mind
And all these dreams I saved for a rainy day
They're finally coming true
I'll share them all with you
'Cause now we hold the future in our hand
Oh Almost paradise
We're knockin' on heaven's door
Almost paradise
We Are The World ｂｙ USA for Africa
There comes a time when we hear a certain call
When the world must come together as one
There are people dying and it's time to lend a hand
To life the greatest gift of all.
We can't go on pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change
We are all part of God's great big family
And the truth, you know, love is all we need
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me
Well, send them your heart so they'll know that someone cares
And their lives will be stronger and free
As God has shown us by turning stones to bread
And so we all must lend a helping hand
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me
When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all
But if you just believe, there's no way we can fall
Well, well, well, well let us realize that a change can only come
When we stand together as one
We are the world, we are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving
There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives
It's true we'll make a better day just you and me
今ではとても信じられないような組み合わせだ。１９８０年代は、みんなの心が同じベクトルを向いて、恵まれない人々へ手を差し伸べる奉仕の精神が宿っていた。今は亡き歌手も大勢いる。レイチャールズ、マイケルジャクソンもこの世を去った。古き佳き時代と呼ぶにはあまりにも最近の出来事だが、それでももう３０年も前の出来事となった。１９８４年は私が大学１年生の頃。一番知的欲求が高く、好奇心旺盛だった時期だ。英語に目覚めたのも洋楽をきっかけにしたところが大きい。この年に英語検定２級を取得し、外国文化に目が向いていた。その先には英語を自由に使いこなす憧れのトップアーティストたちが君臨していた。その歌声に元気をもらい、時には癒され、時には涙した。邦楽にはないメロディアスな曲調と、なかなか聞き取れない本場の英語。オシャレでリズミカル、しかもソウルフルで琴線に触れる。このような美しくも逞しい楽曲をくれた８０年代をひとつの糧としてこれからも折に触れて耳にしながら生きていきたいと思う。
記事作成：１月３１日（金）