Well, the dog days of summer are officially here. Eggs are frying on the sidewalks, smog is being inhaled with great enthusiasm by the tourists atop Cadillac Mountain, and constant humidity has rendered our brains into a silly, putty-like substance. So cool off with the final entry of Duets Week:

1. “California Stars,” Billy Bragg and Wilco
Pared-down, wistful, yet chipper, this song is worth getting stuck in your head.

2. “Under Pressure” Queen and David Bowie
Recorded almost on a whim, Queen’s only collaboration before Freddie Mercury’s death hits all the right notes.
Vanilla Ice be damned.

3. “Baby It’s Cold Outside,” Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan
Just pretend we aren’t on the cusp of August. This standard has been done by many a duo – Ray Charles/Betty Carter’s 1962 collaboration comes to mind, as does, for some reason, a performance by David “Buster Poindexter” Johansen and Sigorney Weaver on Saturday Night Live in 1986. But no one does it like Ella.

4. “Homeless”/”Diamonds on the Souls of Her Shoes,” Paul Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo
Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album is perhaps the greatest ambassador of world music to a mainstream audience. These two songs, recorded with South African a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, are beautiful enough to give you goosebumps on even the hottest summer days.

5. “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough,” Patty Smyth & Don Henley
I can only assume that Henley was performing an act of contrition for his time with the Eagles when he joined Smyth for this tender, remorseful ballad.

Top 5 (More) Duets

Runners up: “You Don’t Know Me,” Ben Folds and Regina Spektor; “Have A Cigar,” Foo Fighters and Brian May; others too numerous to mention. What duets do-it for you?

Rules: We’re trying to avoid schmaltz, so you’ll forgive our lack of “Ebony And Ivory” or the Nate “King” Cole/Natalie Cole version of “Unforgettable.” For the sake of these lists, a band and another artist will be considered a duet, as long as they normally don’t produce together. IE: Queen and David Bowie are eligible; George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic are not. The duetting artists get a green light even if they collaborated for an entire album, but not if they made a career out of it. So you’ll see Alison Krauss and Robert Plant; but not Simon and Garfunkel. Which leaves Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in a weird gray area. Also, with Glen Miller and His Orchestra and Kool and His Gang — neither are considered duets. Offer void in Utah. May cause rare but serious side effects – consult your physician of leakage persists.

For today’s Top 5, we’re looking for pairings that are often surprising, producing songs that are poignant and memorable.

Top 5 Rootsy-ish Duets

1. “All The Roadrunning,” Mark Knopplher and Emmylou Harris
Knopplher has done well in stepping from the cool shadow of Dire Straits, when he teamed up with country legend Emmylou Harris for the album This Is Us, it produced this ought-to-be classic.

2. “Please Read The Letter,” Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
It was hard narrowing down choices from “Raising Sand,” the collaboration of Plant and Krauss. But “Please Read The Letter” only just edged out such other great tracks as “Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)” and “Let Your Loss Be Your Lesson.”

3. “Carpetbagger,” Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello
Fun and rowdy, this pairing between Jenny Lewis and Elvis Costello would make a great song to start a fight in your local dive bar.

4. “I See A Darkness,” Johnny Cash and Will Oldham
Cash’s “American” series produced a bevy excellent work at the end of his career. This was originally a song by Oldham (Bonnie “Prince” Billy), who provides backing vocals. To us, this song is a confession of trouble and turmoil, a desperate cry, and a love letter to a friend, all in one.

5. “Fireflies,” Rhett Miller and Rachel Yamagatta
Speaking of desperation, the conversation in this duet between Miller, who only wants his blinding love from Yamagata returned, is off Miller’s album “The Believer.” If you’re heart-broken and drinking, this is your song.

Runners up: “Girl From The North Country,” Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, “Love Hurts (cover),” Emmylous Harris & Elvis Costello. Whaddya think, sirs?