A pair of divas topped the Billboard Hot 100 the week of May 24, 1986: Whitney Houston with ‘Greatest Love of All‘ and Madonna with ‘Live to Tell.’ Alas, I’ve already written about both.
That brings us to #3, where we find another diva teaming up with one of the great soul singers. Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald’s ‘On My Own’ eventually spent three weeks at #1 and became the biggest hit for either artist.
Written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager, the song was initially intended to be a solo track for LaBelle. But she thought it would work better as a duet, so she reached out to her first choice of partners in McDonald.
The two singers recorded their parts in separate cities, appropriate for a song about the end of a relationship. They weren’t able to shoot the video together either, so it uses a split-screen to dramatize the breakup.
I did find at least one clip of LaBelle and McDonald performing ‘On My Own’ in the same room, at a 2001 tribute concert introduced by none other than Jeff Bridges.
So many times
Said it was forever
Said our love would always be true
Something in my heart always knew
I’d be lying here beside you
On my own
On my own
On my own
[Verse 2: Michael McDonald]
So many promises never should be spoken
Now I know what loving you cost
Now we’re up to talking divorce
And we weren’t even married
[Patti LaBelle]
On my own
Once again now
One more time
By myself
No one said it was easy
No
[Bridge: Michael McDonald]
But it once was so easy
[Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald]
Well, I believed in love (I believe)
Now here I stand
I wonder why
Ooh
[Chorus: Patti LaBelle]
I’m on my own
Why did it end this way
(On my own)
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be
On my own
I wish that we could do it all again
[Verse 3: Michael McDonald]
So many times
I know I could have told you
Losing you
It cut like a knife
Hey
You walked out and there went my life
I don’t want to live without you
[Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald]
On my own
This wasn’t how it was supposed to end
On my own
I wish that we could do it all again
On my own
I never dreamed I’d spend one night alone
By myself
On my own
I’ve got to find out where I belong again
I’ve got to learn to be strong again
I never dreamed I’d spend one night alone
By myself, by myself, by myself
I’ve got to find out what was mine again
My heart is saying that it’s time again
And I have faith that I will shine again
By myself
I have faith in me
Oh
I know I’ll make it
By myself, by myself
Meet Me In Montauk 