After more than 50 years of dazzling fans with their vocals, Hall & Oates are officially ‘Out of Touch.’
Courts report that on November 16, Daryl Hall filed a restraining order against his long-time bandmate John Oates, with whom he experienced massive success in the 1980s with hits like ‘Private Eyes’ and ‘Maneater.‘
Keep reading to learn why Hall & Oates are no longer in harmony!
Lighting up the airwaves of radio and TV stations with their chilling harmonies, Hall & Oates, the best-selling duo of all time, were a touchstone band for the generation that grew up in the 1970s and 1980s.
Known for their chart-topping hits like ‘Kiss on My List,’ ‘Private Eyes,’ and ‘Method of Modern Love,’ Daryl Hall, 77, and John Oates, 75, had 29 hits (of 33 singles released) on Billboard’s Hot 100 between 1979 and 1991.
Since then, between major hiatuses from Hall & Oates and solo work, the two have toured, most recently performing as bandmates in 2022.
The same year, Hall spoke with LA Times and shared why being part of a duo is “very annoying.”
He stated: “John and I call our touring company Two-Headed Monster, because it is that. It’s very annoying to be a duo, because people always say, ‘Oh, you’re the tall one, you’re the short one. You’re the one that sings, you’re the one that doesn’t sing. You’re always compared to the other person.
“Everything you do is juxtaposed against another person…I don’t want to use the word ‘emasculating,’ because that’s male, but it takes away your individuality,” he continued.
In addition to the comparisons, Hall added that gossip swirled when him and Oates weren’t collaborating, with people saying, “‘If they’re not working, they must be fighting.’” He adds, “It’s quite annoying.”
In the same interview, he’s asked if Hall & Oates plan on releasing more music.
“Well, that’s inappropriate to this conversation. But I have no idea. I don’t have any plans to work with John. I mean, whatever. Time will tell,” Hall said coyly. “I’m more interested in pursuing my own world. And so is John.”
Hall adds, “That takes me back to what I was saying about duos. I had to say, ‘And so is John.’ I couldn’t just say what I think, I had to add what he thinks. That’s the f—– up part of being a duo.”
In September 2022, during an appearance on the Club Random with Bill Maher, Hall echoed his earlier sentiments on being half of a duo. “You think John Oates is my partner?…He’s my business partner. He’s not my creative partner,” Hall asserted. “John and I are brothers, but we are not creative brothers. We are business partners…We made records called Hall & Oates together, but we’ve always been very separate, and that’s a really important thing for me.”
Oates and new vibes
Meanwhile, Oates was giving new life to ‘Maneater,’ one of their hit songs from 1982.
The vocalist and guitarist recorded and released a reggae version of the Hall & Oates song, which was inspired by his original vision.
“I tried to approach the reggae version of ‘Maneater’ as if I was a new artist, as if I was not associated with Hall & Oates in any way,” Oates said of the song, produced by Native Wayne Jobson and a lineup of legendary reggae musicians. “I wanted to see if I could reimagine it in a way that would make it fresh again and really work with the vibe of the players who were in that were in the studio in Jamaica.”
When speaking with People in September 2023, Oates revealed he didn’t know if Hall heard the new version of the song, which was released in May. “Nope, I haven’t heard from him…I’m not even sure if he has or hasn’t heard it,” he said.
The mysterious lawsuit
In November 2023, Hall and his trust, The Daryl Hall Revocable Trust, filed a puzzling lawsuit – a sealed complaint – against his old pal and two co-trustees of The John W. Oates TISA.
According to People, after a $50,000 restraining bond was obtained, Hall was awarded a temporary restraining order against Oates on November 17 (filed one day earlier), through the Nashville Chancery Court.
The summons was then issued to Oates, his wife Aimee Oates and reported business manager, Richard Flynn.
Reports reveal that one of the parties “requested an out-of-state attorney to join the case.”
Whatever is happening between these two iconic bandmates, we hope there’s a quick resolution!
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