John Oates says he’ll never reunite with Daryl Hall ahead of solo album

Last Updated on April 25, 2024

It’s hard to imagine iconic duos with their other half. What’s Abbott without Costello? Mac without cheese? Hall without Oates? Well, John Oates is looking to show you just what that might be, announcing a new album titled “Reunion” – quite ironic considering there will never be another one between him and Daryl Hall, the pop duo behind “Private Eyes” and “Maneater”, with Oates now saying the only person he’s going to reunite with is himself.

As John Oates told Rolling Stone, “I’ve been trying to rediscover who I am as an individual, both personally and on the professional and creative side. I realized there was a deeper and more nuanced meaning to ‘reunion.’” This rediscovery comes not long after news broke that Daryl Hall was seeking to sue John Oates over the latter attempting to sell his share in their collaborations, putting a nail in a rather storied partnership and career.

While the album isn’t due out until next month, it seems like some of the songs can be interpreted as John Oates, now 76, tackling the drama head on. One of the tracks, “Dance Hall Girls”, is a cover that John Oates came upon more than 50 years ago before Hall & Oates joined. And while the discovery came prior to forming one of the biggest pop acts of their time, there is definitely a link to what he has gone through lately. “I thought, ‘My trip’s over, I’ve got to go home.’ Daryl and I hadn’t been working together at that point. We were friends and we hung out, whatever, but something told me it was time to go home. That record has stuck with me forever, since 1971.”

Removing one half of a team can be rather jarring, something John Oates himself went through on a recent season of The Masked Singer. “I thought, ‘I wonder what’s going to happen if people maybe don’t recognize my voice due to the fact that Daryl’s voice is such a signature of the Hall & Oates big hits?” While Oates does seem quite confident about the new album and tour, fans may wonder if he might have some uneasiness about whether or not people will turn up if he’s without his former buddy.

As sad as it may be for those that grew up with Hall & Oates, the latter half confirmed late last year that he is ready to move on.

Do you think Oates can maintain a fanbase in a post-Hall & Oates world? What is your favorite song of theirs?