Daryl Hall’s five favourite Hall and Oates songs
There was a time when Hall and Oates made each other’s dreams come true, but now their association is edging closer to a nightmare. These days, Daryl Hall has a restraining order lodged against his old buddy John Oates and is attempting to sue him after Oates apparently attempted to sell his stake in their joint company, Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC without prior consent.
However, fans remain hopeful that the ‘Maneater’ duo might one day reconcile their differences and get back to making their sweet, simple yacht rock/pop hybrid that dominated AM airwaves from their 1972 debut pretty much until they began powering down after 1990s Change of Season. The dashing duo spent a whopping 246 weeks in the US chart in the 1980s, have sold well over 40 million records, and with 18 seminal studio albums under their belt, they were entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
That’s quite a repertoire already, but the seamless nature of their upbeat music has ensured that they have endured. There’s no secret to it, though. Oates says, “Good songs are good songs. They stand on their own.” As evidence for this, the moustachioed musician cites that unlike a few of their peers, you could strip away the production on their records, and the melodies would still sustain the hits.
However, not every good song is made equal; some reach new heights, and these are the singles that Hall was tasked with picking out when he sat down to champion five tracks as their finest work. You can check out the results below, and we’ve wrapped them up in a playlist, too, if you’re in the mood for a bit of light reverie.
Daryl Hall’s five favourite Hall and Oates songs:
‘She’s Gone’ (1974)
As you might be able to tell from the dates, Hall opines that there was a golden period for the duo that spanned from the mid-1970s to the early ’80s. This saw the young men drift towards the Steely Dan end of the spectrum, taking a more sedate approach to the aforementioned sound but getting a bit jazzy with their waltzing arrangements.
Reflecting on the song that typified this period, ‘She’s Gone’, Hall opined: “It’s very autobiographical. What we wrote about was real, even though it was two different situations. And it’s very thematic with us: this soaring melody and uplifting chord progression, but about a very sad thing.”
‘Sara Smile’ (1976)
‘Sara Smile’ was the band’s first big hit in the US. It peaked at number seven in the charts seven weeks after it was released, which is indicative of the slow build to fame that the band endured. With a slide guitar and a sultry sound, it’s easy to understand why this hit resulted in their commercial breakthrough.
Speaking about the ballad, Hall told Entertainment Weekly, ”That was a postcard to Sara Allen, who was my partner for many, many years, a ‘having a great time, wish you were here’ kind of thing. I cannot tell you how many girls have told me they were named for it!”
‘Every Time You Go Away’ (1980)
By the time the band got around to their 1980 album, Voices, they had enough cache to get a bit experimental, and they decided not to even release ‘Every Time You Go Away’ as a single. Nevertheless, as Hall explains, “Paul Young had a pop hit with it a few years after we released it.” Young’s version went on to reach number one in the US and fourth in the UK.
The Hall-written opts for a sparse arrangement over a simple click-track, but this only serves to highlight his knack for a topline melody hook. As he reflected himself, “It’s just one of those songs. I feel very proud of its craftsmanship.” Young’s bank account is more than thankful for it, too.
‘You Make My Dreams’ (1980)
Since its release in 1980, ‘You Make My Dreams’ has become their signature single. However, the joyous single typifies the oddity of the band. For all the world, the song seems like the sort of euphoric track that would’ve been instantly earmarked as a commercial barnstorm, but its performance in the UK, where it has somehow sold a million copies and yet never charted, encapsulates the peculiar legacy of the duo.
Reflecting on this, Hall explained: “It’s funny — it’s ubiquitous, especially now. I think because it’s such a happy song, just a pure expression of joy. And it’s set to a really old-time-gospel kind of groove. The fact that they use it in a pivotal scene in (500) Days of Summer…I’m very flattered.”
‘One on One’ (1982)
“I was on the road for so many years, living this very transient life,” Hall recalls. “You’re everywhere and you’re nowhere, and your domestic life, your concept of home, becomes very special to an artist. This song sort of describes that.” When the band grew weary, this effort served as a touchstone for them, helping, in part, to extend their impressive longevity.
Minimalist and stark, Oates’ harmonies seem almost symbolic of the support that the duo did, indeed, once give each other. Amid quite an oblique mix, they provide a bold melody themselves, showcasing how they skillfully evaded the crowding of 1980s production techniques to offer something a little more timeless.
