The duo Hall & Oates reunited and toured around the world a few years ago but their partnership officially came to an end in November 2023. That was when the feud between the duo was revealed, since Hall filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against Oates. It was an attempt to block Oates from selling his share in their joint venture. Hall said last year that they were not really creative partners for decades already and revealed that he always saw himself as a solo artist. In an interview with Broken Record Podcast, John Oates said he doesn’t believe in reconciling with Daryl Hall.
John Oates doesn’t believe in reconciling with Daryl Hall
“Hey, listen: people grow up. They grow up, they grow apart. Daryl and I, we made something very special. We made something that I’m very proud of – the music we made, the experiences we had. It’s a miracle that we stayed together for 50 years. I mean, come on, [for] most people that’s unheard of. I have a great, great memory, and I’m really, really proud and honored to have been part of this incredible collaboration, made some music I think will stand the test of time. But by the same token, I can’t stay… It’s like going to a great museum.”
“You’re all excited about going to the museum. You walk in there, but your feet also start getting tired. ‘Damn. How many of these masterpieces can I look at? I got to get out of here.’ As Daryl Hall so aptly said in an interview, that ship has sailed. In fact, he said, and I quote, ‘Not only has the ship sailed, it sunk to the bottom of the ocean’. Look it up. I didn’t say it. He did.”
“I’m free. I’m very optimistic. Look, anyone’s creative life has a timestamp. That’s the way I look at it. I see our contemporaries – my contemporaries – falling by the wayside, whether it’s through passing away or just not being able to do it anymore for any number of reasons: sickness, bad luck, misfortune, whatever. I can still play, I can still sing, I can travel, I’m still healthy.”
He continued:
“I don’t want to lose this opportunity to do as much as I can because, ‘There but for fortune go you and I,’ right? And it could change. It could change right now. I could walk out this door and fall down the elevator shaft and see you later, bye. I don’t have much time left. I want to make the most of it,” John Oates said (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar).
Hall & Oates got together in 1970 and by the late 80s they already were one of the most successful duos of all time. With many hits, they have sold an estimated amount of more than 80 million records worldwide.
They released 18 studio albums together, the most recent one being “Home For Christmas” in 2006. Some of their biggest hits are “Out Of Touch”, “Kiss On My List”, “Maneater” and “You Make My Dreams (Come True.)”