It takes two to tango

1. Certain activities cannot be performed alone — such as quarreling, making love, and dancing the tango .

Idioms and Phrases

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.