Daryl Hall reveals “real truth” of John Oates feud
During John Oates and Daryl Hall’s very public rift and subsequent ongoing legal battle, which began in 2023, Hall has confirmed he isn’t losing sleep over the feud with his Hall and Oates collaborator. Instead, hopes to use it the opportunity to develop his solo work, but he’s now lifted the lid on the origins of their messy split.
For the singer-songwriter, the opportunity to work away from his longtime partner has given him a chance to take flight on a new chapter of his professional career. News of the ongoing feud between the duo broke last November, when it was made public that Hall was filing a lawsuit and obtained a restraining order against Oates in a bid to try and block him from selling his share in their joint venture to Primary Wave Music.
After the fallout became public information, Hall claimed it would violate the business agreement between the two if Oates were to sell. He also said that he felt “blindsided” by his former colleague’s actions.
“John and I did not have a creative relationship for decades; the last song I wrote with John was in 2000, and that was with somebody else,” Hall revealed in a new interview with Billboard, “We toured and we toured and we toured, and it was very restrictive to me, and to John.”
Hall then went on to say that “the real truth of it all is John just said one day he didn’t want to do it anymore. I said, ‘OK’, but the problem is [Oates] didn’t make the parting and breakup easy, and that’s where the difficulties lay and still lay, and that’s all it is.”
Oates has previously refuted Hall’s claims about him when filing the lawsuit, saying that they were “inflammatory, outlandish, and inaccurate statements.”
During an appearance on David Yontef’s podcast Behind the Velvet Rope, Oates shed more light on the situation, providing his attitude towards Hall & Oates as a songwriting duo. “You can’t ignore the fact that Hall & Oates catalogue of hits and the 50-year career will always trump almost anything that Daryl does on his own or I do on my own, which is okay because I’m very proud of that music.”
The musician continued, “I’m really proud of what Daryl and I created together. I think we made music that will stand the test of time. I don’t like to live in the past.”
He described their relationship and his time in Hall & Oates as being in a museum. “You’re really excited to see all the beautiful paintings or the exhibits or what it might be,” he said, “And then near the end, your feet start to hurt, and you say, ‘You know what? I can’t wait to get out of here’.”
Both songwriters seem to be on the same page now, as they have publicly stated that Hall & Oates are done for good but will be working on their respective solo projects. Daryl Hall has just released his first solo album in 13 years, D.
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