It Takes Two Lyrics – Hairspray

Song Overview

It Takes Two is Link Larkin’s silky doo-wop ballad from Hairspray, crooned here by Zac Efron on the 2007 motion picture soundtrack. The film album dropped July 10, 2007 on New Line, with an official WaterTower upload later anchoring the track’s online footprint.

Review and Highlights

Efron leans into a teen-idol croon - brushed kit, bass walking on the one, and background “oohs” tight as a tux lapel. The lyric is pure pop courtship: chivalric name-drops, dance-floor invitations, and a chorus that snaps to the hook on “it takes two.” In the show, Link sings it to the TV audience; on film, it also telegraphs his tug-of-war between fame and actual feeling.

Creation History

The number debuted in the 2002 Broadway score (Matthew Morrison’s Link on the cast album) and was re-recorded for the 2007 film by Zac Efron. The soundtrack arrived July 10, 2007 via New Line Records; a digital reissue followed under WaterTower Music in 2010.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

Link Larkin - Baltimore’s coiffed heartthrob - serenades the home audience on the Corny Collins Show. The lyric is candy, but it also frames Link’s arc: he’s fluent in fantasy romance, less practiced at real courage. Tracy will test that gap.

Song Meaning

It’s a 1960-style valentine built from idioms. Menken-and-Wittman style? Not this time: the film retains Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s original pastiche - a doo-wop beacon that says partnership beats pedestal.

Annotations

“They say it’s a man’s world”

A nod to a 1960s trope - think James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World” - flipped here into a duet manifesto.

“A king ain’t a king without the power behind the throne”

Pop-history shorthand: royal “power behind the throne” figures from Theodora to Eleanor of Aquitaine make his point that partnership rules.

“A prince is a pauper”

Title-drop of Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper, repurposed as a lonely-king joke.

“Liz, well, she has her Dick”

Tabloid-era wink at Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton - the joke lands because the movie is set in ’62, when celebrity couples were already pop scripture.

“They say it takes two to tango”

The idiom traces to the 1952 hit “Takes Two to Tango,” but Link upgrades the dance to a twist-era promise.

“Just like Frankie Avalon had his favorite Mouseketeer”

Frankie & Annette - teen-culture shorthand for squeaky-clean romance that still sells tickets.

Style and instrumentation

Doo-wop chassis, ballroom polish: tremolo guitar, brushed drums, bass in gentle two-feel, and a male backing trio that frames Link as the era’s TV crush.

Emotional arc

From smooth boast to earnest plea. The bridge’s name-dropping comedy buys time for the final promise - “I’ll be the groom if you’ll be my bride.”

Key Facts

• Artist: Zac Efron (as Link Larkin), Motion Picture Cast of Hairspray
• Composer: Marc Shaiman
• Lyricists: Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman
• Release Date (soundtrack): July 10, 2007 - New Line Records
• Digital reissue: April 1, 2010 - WaterTower Music
• YouTube official audio ID: 52EogbQSGIA
• Stage origin: 2002 Broadway production; originally sung by Matthew Morrison (Link) with Tracy’s tag
• Style: Doo-wop ballad with early-60s pop references
• Label(s): New Line Records; WaterTower Music (digital catalog)

Questions and Answers

Who wrote “It Takes Two”?

Music by Marc Shaiman; lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

Who performs it in the 2007 film?

Zac Efron as Link Larkin, with male Council Members on backing vocals.

Is there an official upload?

Yes - WaterTower hosts an official “It Takes Two” audio on YouTube.

Was the song a single?

No formal single push for “It Takes Two”; the Hairspray album was the focus of the campaign.

Did the soundtrack chart or earn certifications?

Yes. The album spent nine weeks in the Billboard 200 top 10, hit year-end lists, and earned RIAA Platinum after its release.

Awards and Chart Positions

Soundtrack milestones: The album debuted strong, logged nine consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200 top 10, and was later certified RIAA Platinum; it also topped Billboard’s 2007 Top Independent Albums year-end list.

How to Sing It Takes Two

Vocal color: Light lyric tenor with crooner ease. Keep vowels narrow and forward; save the vibrato bloom for phrase ends.

Time feel: Early-60s sway - think gentle two-feel under a slow twist. Don’t rush the pickups into “it takes two.”

Text shaping: Name-drops in the bridge should feel tossed-off, not winked; the charm is in how easily Link inhabits the references.

Ensemble blend: Backing trio needs tight, smile-in-the-sound unisons; consonants soft so they don’t outshine the lead.

Additional Info

The broader Hairspray campaign drove the chart story: Playbill tracked the album’s early Billboard jumps; Variety covered weekly sales spikes, while label notes and later catalog listings document the switch from New Line to WaterTower for the digital reissue.