When asked to name his favorite song by Hall and Oates, John Oates admits it’s a struggle. Their career, after all, has been marked by as much diversity as it has longevity.
Luckily for Oates, Tavis Smiley is a more generous host. He asked John Oates not for one top Hall and Oates song, but for three — giving Daryl Hall’s long-time musical partner an opportunity to take a wide-angle look at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame career.
“I have to start with ‘She’s Gone,'” Oates says, after taking a moment to thank Smiley for expanding the scope of his question. “There’s no doubt about it. It’s a song that Daryl and I did together, it put us on the map. And, you know, with Arif Mardin and Atlantic studios — with that collection of musicians — it was that perfect storm of creativity, songwriting and performing, all at the same time. So, I’ll say that right off the bat.”
Next, Oates selects “Sara Smile” before taking a long pause — then making a third choice. First, however, “I have to give Daryl full credit on this,” Oates says of “Sara Smile.” “We collaborated on the lyrics, but really that’s a Daryl Hall song. And that’s him at his best, because it’s so pure and simple, but it’s beautiful.”
Rounding out Oates Top 3? “There’s so many — thank God,” he says, laughing. “I Can’t Go For That” finally gets the nod, Oates says, “because it’s so unique. It’s so simple, yet the groove is so cool.”
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