Jan 20, 2016

Ranking the 6 Billboard No 1 songs from the great Hall & Oates





















6 Out of touch


This is the band's "out of the woods" moment, and I will never understand why people like songs that are lyrically the same thought over and over and over and over again

"You're out of touch
I'm out of time
But I'm out of my head when you're not around"

5 Kiss on my List



Endlessly catchy, classic '80s jam. Give it a listen, why dontcha?


4 Private Eyes




Unforgettable guitar riffs from John Oates in this classic, and you gotta love a song with a well placed 'clap clap' refrain. This jam tops out at 4 because the lyrics are kinda paranoid but you could do a lot worse on a spotify playlist!

3 I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)



I've always wondered what it is that bands like Hall & Oates or Meatloaf are talking about when they say they won't do some thing in a relationship with a lady. Is it a wholesome thing like 'I don't want a casual relationship where we're free to see other people' or is it something more outdated like an aversion to oral? I don't know or care really; all i know is this chart-topping number one hit jam inspired an excellent t-shirt i just got in the mail yesterday:


2 Maneater




All-time Hall & Oates heater; you've got to love Maneater, I don't care who you are. Another hall-of-fame worthy guitar riff from the legendary John Oates leads off this classic song about ladies who can really rip your world apart. Some classic lines:

"The woman is wild, a she-cat tamed by the purr of a Jaguar"
"Ooh, the beauty is there but a beast is in the heart"
"(Oh-oh, here she comes) Here she comes, Watch out boy she'll chew you up 
(Whoa-oh, here she comes. Watch out) She's a maneater"

"Money's the matter

If you're in it for love, you ain't gonna get too far"


1 Rich Girl


One of my personal favorites. We can get along if you try to be strong, but you'll never be strong. There's probably never been a better a-ha moment in pop music history than when Daryl Hall and John Oates realized "rich girl" rhymed with "it's a bitch, girl". I really hope both Hall & Oates found love; it seems like a large portion of this list is directly related to lady troubles. 


How did these classic H&O jams never make Billboard #1?


Sara Smile


Peak: #4

She's gone




Peak: #7

You Make My Dreams



Peak: #5

1981's Private Eyes release

Not a single & not a non-number one, the wikipedia for this is still pretty interesting:

"The title track and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" were nearly consecutive Number 1 hits, separated only by the ten-week stay at Number 1 by the monster hit "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" was one of the few songs ever recorded by a white act to reach Number One on both the R&B and the pop charts. "Did It in a Minute" reached Number 9 in the spring of 1982, and "Your Imagination" peaked at No. 33. This album is now considered among the duo's best albums, mixing soul, new wave and power pop."


I just learned about Olivia Newton-John two days ago. 1980's pop is a small world after all..

Family Man


Peak: #6. Song is so 80's...

One on One




Peak: #7

""One On One," with its clever mixed-metaphorical references to romance and basketball, was used in NBA commercials of the period.[14] The commercial featured numerous players, including Hall of Famer James Worthy performing a 360-degree slow-motion lay-up during the saxophone solo."


LOL, this 1987 commercial for the NBA is FANtastic!!



Say it isn't so 



Peak: #2

"The first single released from this album "Say It Isn't So" battled six weeks for the Number 1 spot with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson's "Say Say Say" at the peak of Thrillermania. "Say It Isn't So" remained at Number 2 for an impressive four weeks from December 1983 to January 1984. The battle with the McCartney/Jackson single led disc jockey Peter Bush of New York's WPLJ Radio, which had just switched from rock to Top 40 the previous June, to intro the Hall & Oates entry "Say, Say, Say It Isn't, Isn't, Isn't So, So, So"."

Cruel world..

Adult Education



Peak #8

Oates to VH1 "video resembles the TV show 'Survivor' on acid"

Method of Modern Love


Peak #5

Possession Obsession


Peak #30 - finally, an Oates song. John Oates remains criminally underrated...














Fall in Philadelphia



Peak: Unknown, this one's kind of a H&O deep track. Just a personal Davey D fave, I can think of few things worse than having to spend an entire fall living in Philadelphia, PA. Happy that Daryl Hall & John Oates were able to escape :)

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