Michael Bublé was fighting for his life keeping up with Rod Stewart in chaotic spontaneous live duet on “It’s a Heartache”
Michael Bublé crashed Sir Rod Stewart’s live radio session, and things got a bit chaotic! Stewart rocked the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show with a cover of Bonnie Tyler’s “It’s a Heartache,” and that husky voice sounded just as iconic as ever. The English star brought an acoustic band to add a folky touch to the classic hit, and the song was just made for his voice. Things got a bit spicy halfway through when Stewart spontaneously beckoned Bublé over from his seat in the studio to come up and sing.
Bublé looked slightly terrified at the prospect of an unrehearsed live jam with the famous rocker, but did his best to add a backing vocal. After a hug with Stewart, the King of Christmas settled into the vibe and added his golden voice in duet with the English rock legend. It won’t surprise The Music Man readers to hear Bublé’s smooth tenor was the perfect counterpoint to Stewart’s husky voice, making for a very special duet. Stewart also seemed to get a real kick out of roping Bublé in as a backing vocalist
Stewart and Bublé’s surprise duet went down a treat on the BBC Music YouTube channel, where viewers tuned in nearly seven million times. Fans enjoyed seeing the two hitmakers sing together and added comments such as “Michael looks so humble with the great Rod Stewart! Respect” and “Rod Stewart is the greatest of all time! Michael Bublé is absolutely amazing too. Love them both. If they were to ever tour together I’d definitely be there!”
Stewart is the real master of the live stage, and another memorable duet from the English rocker came when he sang “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” with Scottish singer Amy Belle. Her powerful voice really stole the show, and when Stewart uploaded the Royal Albert Hall duet, it blew up to one billion views on YouTube! The combination of the full orchestra and the crowd singalong in the bridge also made for a really magical performance.
Ronnie Scott and Steve Wolfe wrote “It’s a Heartache,” and the pair produced it with David Mackay. Bonnie Tyler subsequently released the song on November 4, 1977. The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that the Welsh singer recorded the song shortly after surgery to remove nodules from her vocal folds, resulting in a particularly husky vocal performance.
It seems that this vocal approach worked for Tyler, as “It’s a Heartache” went to number one across much of Europe, as well as in Australia and Canada. The husky vocals of the song also made it a natural fit for a cover from Sir Rod Stewart.
