Prov. Some things cannot happen by one person acting alone. Alan: You're always arguing! Stop arguing all the time. Jane: I can't argue all by myself. It takes two to tango.Fred: Did you hear? Janice got herself pregnant. Jill: Well, she didn't do it all by herself. Takes two to tango, you know.
The active cooperation of both parties is needed for some enterprises, as in We'll never pass this bill unless both parties work out a compromise-it takes two to tango . This expression dates from the 1920s, when the Latin American tango became a very popular dance. It was popularized by the singer Pearl Bailey in her 1952 hit song of that name written by Al Hoffman and Dick Manning.