In total, the duo had 34 singles chart hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, seven RIAA platinum albums, and six RIAA gold albums. Because of that chart success, Billboard Magazine named them the most successful duo of the rock era, surpassing even The Everly Brothers. In 2003, they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. They were also placed #15 on the Billboard Magazine list of the 100 greatest artists of all time and the #1 duo, while VH1 placed the duo as #99 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
From their first hit in 1974 onwards, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them commercial success— including six number one singles and six platinum albums as referred to before. Hall & Oates' music was well-constructed and produced; at their best, their songs were filled with strong hooks and melodies that adhered to soul traditions without being a slave to them by incorporating elements of arena rock and new wave.
Daryl Hall, born on October 11, 1946, began performing professionally while he was a student at Temple University. In 1966, he recorded a single with Kenny Gamble and the Romeos; the group featured Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, who would all become the architects of Philly soul. During this time, Hall frequently appeared on sessions for Gamble and Huff. In 1967, Hall met John Oates, a fellow Temple University student. Oates was leading his own soul band at the time. The two students realized they had similar tastes and began performing together in an array of R&B and doo wop groups. By 1968, the duo had parted ways, as Oates transferred schools and Hall formed the soft rock band Gulliver; the group released one album on Elektra in the late '60s before disbanding.
After Gulliver's breakup, Hall concentrated on session work again, appearing as a backup vocalist for The Stylistics, The Delfonics, and The Intruders, among others. Oates returned to Philadelphia in 1969, and he and Hall began writing folk-oriented songs and performing together. Eventually they came to the attention of Tommy Mottola, who quickly became their manager, securing the duo a contract with Atlantic Records. On their first records — Whole Oates (1972), Abandoned Luncheonette (1973), War Babies (1974) — the duo were establishing their sound, working with producers like Arif Mardin and Todd Rundgren and removing much of their folk influences. At the beginning of 1974, the duo relocated from Philadelphia to New York. During this period, they only managed one hit — the number 60 "She's Gone" in the spring of 1974.
After they moved to RCA in 1975, the duo landed on its successful mixture of soul, pop, and rock, scoring a Top Ten single with "Sara Smile." The success of "Sara Smile" prompted the re-release of "She's Gone," which rocketed into the Top Ten as well. Released in the summer of 1976, Bigger than the Both of Us was only moderately successful upon its release. The record took off in early 1977, when "Rich Girl" became the duo's first number one single.
Although they had several minor hits between 1977 and 1980, the albums Hall & Oates released at the end of the decade were not as successful as their mid-'70s records. Nevertheless, they were more adventurous, incorporating more rock elements into their blue-eyed soul. The combination would finally pay off in late 1980, when the duo released the self-produced Voices, the album that marked the beginning of Hall & Oates' greatest commercial and artistic success. The first single from Voices, a cover of Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," reached number 12, yet it was the second single, "Kiss on My List" that confirmed their commercial potential by becoming the duo's second number one single; its follow-up, "You Make My Dreams" hit number five. They quickly released Private Eyes in the summer of 1981; the record featured two number one hits, "Private Eyes" and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," as well as the Top Ten hit "Did It in a Minute." "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" also spent a week at the top of the R&B charts — a rare accomplishment for a white act. H20 followed in 1982 and it proved more successful than their two previous albums, selling over two million copies and launching their biggest hit single, "Maneater," as well as the Top Ten hits "One on One" and "Family Man." The following year, the duo released a greatest-hits compilation, Rock 'N Soul, Pt. 1, that featured two new Top Ten hits — the number two "Say It Isn't So" and "Adult Education."
In April of 1984, the Recording Industry Association of America announced that Hall & Oates had surpassed Everly Brothers as the most successful duo in rock history, earning a total of 19 gold and platinum awards. Released in October of 1984, Big Bam Boom expanded their number of gold and platinum awards, selling over two million copies and launching four Top 40 singles, including the number one "Out of Touch." Following their contract-fulfilling gold album Live at the Apollo with David Ruffin & Eddie Kendrick, Hall & Oates went on hiatus. After the lukewarm reception for Daryl Hall's 1986 solo album, Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, the duo regrouped to release 1988's Ooh Yeah!, their first record for Arista. The first single, "Everything Your Heart Desires," went to number three and helped propel the album to platinum status.
However, none of the album's other singles broke the Top 20, indicating that the era of chart dominance had ended. Change of Season, released in 1990, confirmed that fact. Although the record went gold, it only featured one Top 40 hit — the number 11 single, "So Close." The duo mounted a comeback in 1997 with Marigold Sky, but it was only partially successful; far better was 2003's Do It for Love and the following year soul covers record Our Kind of Soul.
CAMELLIA
Hall & Oates Lyrics
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Into the spotlight, one more time
Just in time to play
To one man and an empty table
He was drinking down the pain
All he could say was this lady's name...
Oh Camellia won't you take me away
After the show, when the room was empty
No, he wouldn't go
So I asked him why he called her name
It seems she was some magic one night
With something for his pain
But all she left was a pretty name...
Oh Camellia won't you take me away
To paradise tropical moon
Don't you leave me sitting here in Atlanta
The lyrics to Hall & Oates's song Camellia speak to the pain of unrequited love and the power of memory. The singer of the song is performing on opening night in Atlanta, but the audience is sparse, with only one man in attendance. This man is drowning his sorrows in alcohol and can only utter the name of a woman he loves as he drinks.
The woman's name is Camellia. She is the object of the man's obsession, and he longs for her to "take me away." What is unclear is whether Camellia is a real person or a figment of the man's imagination. After the concert, the man refuses to leave the venue and continues to call out Camellia's name. When the singer asks the man about the object of his obsession, he reveals that Camellia was "some magic one night" who provided him with "something for his pain." However, all that remains is Camellia's "pretty name."
The lyrics of Camellia are poignant in their portrayal of loss and the power of memory. The man's fixation on Camellia suggests a desire for escape and a search for meaning in a life that may be unfulfilled. The refrain of "Oh Camellia won't you take me away" reinforces this idea, emphasizing the singer's longing for an escape from reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Opening night, nothing new Atlanta
Another city, another show for Hall & Oates on opening night. This time in Atlanta, as always a new beginning.
Into the spotlight, one more time
H&O took the stage to perform their music, shining in the spotlight once again.
Just in time to play
They arrived on stage, just in time to start their performance.
To one man and an empty table
As they started performing, they noticed just one man at an empty table, maybe lonely and sad.
He was drinking down the pain
The man at the table was coping with his pain by drinking alcohol.
All he could say was this lady's name...
The man could only speak about a lady named Camellia, indicating that he was still not out of love for her.
Oh Camellia won't you take me away
The man calls out for Camellia, hoping she would take him away from the pain he was enduring.
After the show, when the room was empty
Once the show ended and the audience had left, the room was empty.
No, he wouldn't go
The man at the empty table refused to leave, maybe still brooding over Camellia.
So I asked him why he called her name
Hall & Oates approached the man and asked him why he was obsessively calling out Camellia's name.
It seems she was some magic one night
The man responded to Hall & Oates, telling them that Camellia was a magical woman who had made him happy on one occasion.
With something for his pain
Camellia had made him forget his pain with her presence.
But all she left was a pretty name...
However, all that remains of Camellia's memory is her name, charming but not enough to wipe out his pain or fill the void in the man's life.
Oh Camellia won't you take me away
Again, the man called out to Camellia, hoping she'd rescue him from the loneliness and pain.
To paradise tropical moon
The man visualized a paradise with a tropical moon where he could escape his misery with Camellia by his side.
Don't you leave me sitting here in Atlanta
The man begged Camellia not to forsake him in Atlanta, where he had nothing and nobody to hold on to except thoughts of her.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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