Distant Duet: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

[[File:greasy spoon 1109.jpg|link=SpongeBob SquarePants|frame|It's just a greasy spoooooooo-♫ Just a greasy spooooooon...♫]]

 

Two singers sing the same song, but they are separated in space. Can be used to show the commonality of the two singers (such as two lovers sharing a love song while longing for each other) but another variation is the protagonists singing a happy song while the villain is plotting.

 

Naturally, a sub-trope of [[Let's Duet]].

{{examples}}

* A rare print version of this trope pops up in ''[[Chrono Crusade]]''. In New York state, Rosette flops down on the grass and begins to sing a musical version of [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s poem ''Israfel''. In the middle of the song, the scene switches to San Fransisco, where her brother Joshua is singing the same song. Since this is the first time Joshua shows up in the present day (his previous scenes had either been flashbacks or only shown him in silhouette), the song is a clue that it's the same Joshua as it's mentioned he and Rosette sang together as children.

 

* "Missing You" from ''[[A Very Potter Musical]]''.

 

* The song "Touch-a Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" from ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' has Janet singing as she's seducing Rocky in the lab as well as Columbia and Magenta singing as well... while mocking Janet from inside a bedroom.

* The song "Come Back To Me" from ''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]''. Daisy is avoiding the psychiatrist so he tries to reach her telepathically. She begins hearing the words of the song coming from the mouths of her cooking class teacher, police officers, and other random strangers. (Does not happen in the stage show.)

* The second verse of "At The Opera Tonight" from ''[[Repo! The Genetic Opera]]'' is a duet between the Repo Man and Blind Mag. The distance between them is not simply physical: while Mag sings about how she's made peace with her fate, Repo Man is raging and planning a bloodbath.

* Two in ''[[The Muppets (film)|The Muppets]]'': Piggy (in her dressing room) and Mary (at a restaurant) in "Me Party", and then Gary (on the street) and Walter (in the Muppet Studios basement) for "Muppet or Man" (there's an [[Imagine Spot]] where they're together in the middle, but as far as the reality of the film is concerned, they're not).

* "Savages" from Disney's ''[[Pocahontas]]''

* "Somewhere Out There" from ''[[An American Tail]]''. Two separated mice sing about their hopes of finding each other someday. [[Tear Jerker|* sniff*]]

* "Am I Feeling Love?", one of two blatant [[Award Bait Song]]s in the theatrical cuts of [[The Thief and the Cobbler]].

* "Shere Khan's Lost Song" from ''[[The Jungle Book (Disney film)|The Jungle Book]]'' was originally going to be one for Shere Khan, the film's [[Big Bad]].

 

* "Walk Through the Fire" from the ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer|Buffy]]'' [[Musical Episode|musical]] has a whole bunch of little subgroups.

 

* The Polish-Russian songstress' Anna German's song ''Echo of Love'' is kinda like that.

* [[Frank Sinatra]] recorded a new version of ''I've Got You Under My Skin'' with [[Bono]] in 1993. The music video depicts Sinatra singing his part of the song in New York, with Bono singing his lines in Dublin.

* [[Simple Plan]]'s "Jet Lag" is sung from the perspective of a couple who are separated by continents, to the point where he's waking up just as the sun is setting where she is. They have released four official versions of the song—the English version with Natasha Bedingfield, a French version with Marie-Mai, a mixed English/Chinese version with Kelly Cha, and a one with an Indonesian band. In all four music videos he is shown at the airport while she waits for him to come home.

 

* "Tonight Quintet" from ''[[West Side Story]]''.

* "What You Own" in both the musical and movie versions of ''[[Rent]]''. Mark's in New York, Roger's in Santa Fe, they meet for the final verse on the roof of their apartment building.

* "Lily's Eyes" from ''The Secret Garden''. Brothers who were in love with the same woman.

* "Summer Nights" from ''[[Grease]]''.

* Parodied in "West End Musical", by [[Mitch Benn]] and the Distractions (also a [[Counterpoint Duet]]):

{{quote|'''Kirsty''':I'm on the left side of the stage.

'''Kirsty''': It's probably something to do with being alone.

'''Mitch''': But I'm standing over here... }}

* ''[[Thirteen]]'' has a subversion. Evan and Patrice are standing right next to each other and are giving advice to Brett saying what they wish they would really say to each other

* ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (theatre)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' has a distant trio, with Sweeney in his barbershop, Anthony searching for Johanna, and Johanna in an insane asylum.

* "Christmas Makes Me Cry" from [[Brooklyn]] has Faith in Paris, singing to young Brooklyn, and Taylor in New York, singing to...anyone who'll listen, and both of them thinking of each other.

 

* "Girl in the Tower", from ''[[King's Quest VI]]''.

* The Opera from [[Final Fantasy VI]]. Unique in that the Duet is part of an opera, staged within the game.

 

* Another [[Joss Whedon]] example is "My Eyes" from ''[[Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog|Dr. Horrible]]''.

 

* An episode of ''[[The Critic]]'' gives ''Siskel and Ebert'' (playing themselves, no less) one of these when they temporarily end their partnership. Then a third verse is sung by Jay's boss, secretly upset that Jay has quit to pursue a partnership with one of them.

* The ''[[Adventure Time]]'' episode "Dream of Love" has a [[Break Up Song]] between Tree Trunks and Mr. Pig.

 

[[Category:Musical Number Index]]

[[Category:Music Tropes]]