10 Greatest Musical Duos Of ALL TIME
6. Elton John And Bernie Taupin
When looking at the types of duos we get in music, not too many pairings go to the songwriter and lyricist most of the time. Though we have the likes of this on the Broadway stage, the idea of the charts being controlled by just two dudes hashing out the words and melody together feels almost neanderthalic today. There was a simple time in the '70s though...where Elton John hit upon an immaculate formula with Bernie Taupin.
While being from two distinctly different backgrounds, Elton and Bernie became virtually inseparable as a songwriting pair, with one hand washing the other as John turns Bernie's free verse into concise musical pieces. There's no real rhyme or reason for the partnership either, with Bernie just sending Elton the lyrics and coming out with songs like Rocket Man without having to think about it too much.
As much has been said about the partnership before, the real strength of Elton and Bernie's partnership is their sheer longevity. With only a few hiccups along the way, Elton has kept Bernie as his primary lyricist for most of his career, starting as far back as the early '70s. Whereas most musical relationships tend to fade out with the passage of time, this kind of musical monogamy is proof enough of how good it feels to have a partner to work off of.