"(It Takes) Two to Tango" from The President Plays with the Oscar Peterson Trio features a half-chorus tenor saxophone solo by Lester Young over Al Hoffman and Dick Manning's popular novelty song. The tune is performed at a moderate swing tempo of approximately 105 beats per minute, using a 32-bar AABA form in F. Written in 1952, the same year as this recording, the song was a contemporary pop hit rather than a jazz standard, reflecting the common practice of the era in which jazz musicians would interpret the popular songs of the day. Young's half-chorus solo brings jazz sophistication to the lighthearted material, his cool tone and melodic invention elevating the simple changes beyond their novelty origins. His ability to find creative possibilities in any harmonic setting, regardless of the source material's pedigree, was one of the hallmarks of his artistry. The brief solo format suits the song's character, keeping the performance buoyant and unpretentious. Peterson, Kessel, and Brown swing with effortless grace beneath Young's saxophone, the rhythm section's polish providing a contrast to the song's casual, lighthearted spirit. The inclusion of this pop tune alongside jazz standards on the album reflects the fluid boundary between jazz and popular music that characterized the early 1950s, a time when jazz musicians routinely drew from the hit parade for their improvisational material.
