Simon & Garfunkel. Sam & Dave. Sonny & Cher. You can also save Hall & Oates two seats at the table of all-time musical duos.
With a string of ’70s and ’80s hits such as “Sara Smile,” “Private Eyes” and “Out of Touch,” these blue-eyed-soul men rightfully earned their place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. And 53 years after they first met while attending Temple University in Philadelphia, they’re still making our dreams come true: They’ll be at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Here, Daryl Hall, 73, and John Oates, 71 — the latter interviewed last week the morning after having his gallbladder removed — reveal the strangest place they heard “Rich Girl,” the secret to their ’80s hair, the real stories behind their hits and why they’re not called Oates & Hall.
What are your memories of your first show together in New York?
Oates: Believe it or not, it goes way back before Hall & Oates. Daryl had a group called the Temptones, I had a group called the Masters. The guitar player of his group dropped out, and they had a showcase at the Gaslight in the Village. Daryl asked me to sub for them, and so I went up to New York. It was an early evening show and then Daryl said, “Hey, I got a surprise for you. We’re gonna go to the Apollo and see the Temptations.” So we went and not only did we sit in the front row, but we went backstage and hung out with the group.
And you lived in New York as a little kid, too.
Oates: On 23rd Street between First and Second Avenue. In the ’70s, when I moved [back] to New York, I went down to that street to see if I could find my old house and it wasn’t there. When I was 4 years old, my father got a job in North Wales, Pa., and so we moved. But every weekend we drove to New York . . . spending the weekend with the family, having the big Italian family dinners. We still thought of ourselves as New Yorkers.
If you had to pick one Hall & Oates song to sum up your life, what would it be?
Hall: I don’t think there’s any one song, ’cause my life is pretty f–king complicated!
Oates: I’d say “Is It a Star” from the “War Babies” album. It represents something that I was going through as a person in their 20s . . . wondering why all this was happening to me and whether people liked me for who I really was.
What’s the strangest place you’ve ever heard a Hall & Oates song?
Oates: Other than the bathroom? [Laughs.]
Hall: A bordello in Amsterdam back in the ’70s. It was “Rich Girl.”
Is there any song that you two fought over?
Hall: No. John and I never fight. We’ve never had a real fight since we’ve known each other — and that’s since we were kids, teenagers. We just know to deal with each other. That’s why we’re still together.
Oates: The fact that Daryl and I are still friends, that he and I still get along — it’s a miracle. But we do.
What’s the best cover of a Hall & Oates song that you’ve ever heard?
Hall: I always had a soft spot for Paul Young’s version of “Everytime You Go Away.” I think he did a great job with that song.
Oates: Considering how many hits we’ve had . . . we’ve hardly had any covers. It’s kinda crazy. Tavares did “She’s Gone” in 1974, and they had a No. 1 R&B hit with it. Lou Rawls did a version of “She’s Gone.” But honestly, that’s about it.
Which is your favorite of your solo songs?
Hall: I’m partial to “I’m in a Philly Mood.” I’m very proud of that song.
Oates: The title song of the last album I made, called “Arkansas.” It took me back to the music I was making before I met Daryl . . . old [blues] music that came from the ’20s and ’30s.
You guys were the poster boys for blue-eyed soul. What do you think of that term?
Hall: I’m not that nuts about that term. I’m a soul singer. John’s got brown eyes, I got blue eyes. That s–t don’t matter to me.
What was the secret to your ’80s hair?
Oates: A lot of pomade! All I had to do is take one look at Little Richard and know where I wanted to go.
Hall: It depends. Which part of the ’80s are you referring to? [Laughs.] In the early ’80s, I used that stuff Nu Nile on my hair. I had that ’50s Elvis-y thing going on in the beginning [of the ’80s], and then it all grew out and got extravagant.
You two made good use of the sax in your songs, but it doesn’t get much love in today’s music.
Hall: I’m sorry that the saxophone solo went away, but everything comes back. I really like the sound of the saxophone; it’s a very expressive instrument. It’s as close to a voice as any instrument I can think of.
You met as Temple University undergrads. So who was the better student?
Hall: Probably me . . . because I was a bad influence on him. I think I messed with his classes.
And why did you name yourselves Hall & Oates instead of Oates & Hall?
Oates: He’s taller and older than me, so there you go!
On “Rich Girl”:
Hall: Sara [Allen], my girlfriend at that time, had an old boyfriend who was a rich guy and he came over to the house and was acting pretty strange. And after he left, I sat there and went, “He’s a rich guy, and he’s gone too far . . . ” Blah, blah, blah. Then I said, “No, rich guy sounds terrible. I’ll change it to rich girl!”
On “Maneater”:
Oates: I got the idea from a beautiful girl who swore like a sailor. The juxtaposition of this beautiful girl with this filthy mouth was just too good to resist. I thought, ‘Man, she would chew you up and spit you out.’ But it’s really a metaphor for New York City in the ’80s. The ‘Maneater’ is the city itself. New York City is what’s gonna chew you up.