Daryl Hall & John Oates are an American musical duo. Known as one of the mo… Read Full Bio ↴Daryl Hall & John Oates are an American musical duo. Known as one of the most popular duos in modern musical history, they achieved their greatest fame from the late 70s to the mid-80s, having a fusion of rock and roll with rhythm and blues that they dubbed "rock and soul". They are best known for their six #1 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100: "Rich Girl", "Kiss on My List", "Private Eyes", "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", "Maneater", and "Out of Touch", as well as many other songs which charted in the Top 40.

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.

Going Thru the Motions
Hall & Oates Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Automatic action
Follow my reflection
I see myself in watching you
Lock into a vision, rising through the rhythm

Trance until the dance is through
Don't let emotion go the flow is all we know
And baby, we're doing it all the way

A step into the night or move into the light

Lately, we're going through the motions

How can we improve it
Ooh, you match my movement
Cryptic choreography
Jump up come down together, no one does it better

Electric eccentricity
No, I don't wanna know how far we're gonna go

But baby, we're doing it all the way
A step into the light a move into the night

Overall Meaning

The song "Going Through the Motions" by Hall & Oates depicts a performance in a club or disco setting, where everyone is moving to the groove and the beat. The opening lines of the song, "Automatic action, follow my reflection," suggest that the dance moves are almost subconscious or habitual. The next line, "I see myself in watching you," is a nod to the communal aspect of dancing and how it can feel like everyone is connected in the same rhythm or experience. The line "lock into a vision, rising through the rhythm" suggests that the dancers are in a trance-like state, lost in the moment and absorbed in the music.

The chorus, "Lately, we're going through the motions," implies that the dancers are going through the routine without really being fully present or engaged. They are going through the motions of dancing, but it's not necessarily an authentic or fulfilling experience. The verses then turn to the mechanics of the dance, with the lines "ooh, you match my movement, cryptic choreography," suggesting that the dance is more about synchronicity and sensation than any particular meaning or expression. The final lines, "A step into the night, a move into the light," suggest that the dance and club scene is a way to escape or transcend everyday life, and that this particular dance is a way to experience this transcendence.

Line by Line Meaning

Automatic action
Performing the steps out of habit without thinking too much

Follow my reflection
Imitating each other's movements

I see myself in watching you
Feeling a sense of connection and unity

Lock into a vision, rising through the rhythm
Getting absorbed into the music and the movements

Trance until the dance is through
Being in a state of hypnotic concentration until the end of the song

Don't let emotion go the flow is all we know
Letting the music guide the moves instead of emotions

And baby, we're doing it all the way
Enjoying the experience to the fullest

A step into the night or move into the light
Moving to the beats without thinking about the surroundings

Lately, we're going through the motions
Feeling like the dance moves are becoming routine and repetitive

How can we improve it
Wishing to add variety and spontaneity to the dance

Ooh, you match my movement
Taking cues from each other to stay in sync