Jeffrey Osborne "Stay With Me Tonight"

Clapping made its way into a handful of popular '80s songs. Think: "Centerfield" from John Fogarty and  "Private Eyes" from Hall & Oates. Let's not forget about Jeffrey Osborne's steamy "Stay With Me Tonight". Aside from the fireworks between the sheets, there's multiple opportunities for a double hand-clap before the refrain in his 1983 R&B/pop hit.

Simply Red "Sunrise"

One of my newest favorite Pandora radio stations is the Simply Red station. Its songs are ideal for dinner or perhaps late night as it features smooth tunes such as "Sunrise". This 2003 soft rock hit from Simply Red samples "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" from Hall & Oates (say what?). I can't think of a better song that I haven't already covered for this anniversary of my birth...

Hall & Oates "Kiss on My List"

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry I kissed your wife.""It's OK. I kinda enjoyed it."

After getting cast in a Second City show, I played a collection of bizarre characters including a former Hootie & the Blowfish roadie, a hapless motivational speaker, and a man who got turned on by things that should turn normal people off. When paging through the scripts during our first rehearsal, I noticed that my character (who got turned on by weird stuff) had to kiss the female character. Wait. What? As much as I liked Jackie, the girl who co-starred with me in that scene, I felt awkward even thinking of kissing her. She was nearly ten years older than me, married with twin boys and the only other actor in the show with whom I clicked. At the time, I had a live-in girlfriend who pushed me to take improv classes at Second City and, thus, audition for this part. Awkward!

Jackie and I approached our director and asked if we could not kiss. His response was something along the lines of: "We're all actors here who are acting--you'll be fine". Actors? I was bored with my job and used Second City as a way to scratch my creative itch--I didn't consider myself an actor, but that wasn't the issue. During rehearsals and for 5 weeks worth of shows, I'd have to kiss someone who wasn't my girlfriend. Eventually, we both got over trepidation and just went with it. I realized it was the first time I kissed someone other than my girlfriend in, well, years. It was weird yet kind of cool, but still weird.

After the final show, the entire cast got together for a wrap party where I finally met Jackie's husband. That's when the exchange at the top of this post happened. For weeks I built up how our meeting would go and never once did I think I would apologize for having to kiss his wife and be told "It's OK. I kinda enjoyed it." Allllrighty, then. Early on during rehearsals, I do recall Jackie mentioning that her husband jokingly told her that he was somewhat turned on at the thought of her kissing me during the show, but I dismissed it. To each his own, right? The entire experience at Second City remains one of my favorite achievements in life (and the kiss wasn't bad, either)...

UB40 "The Way You Do the Things You Do"

Just two songs placed on the Billboard Top 40 during the 1960s, '70s, '80s, and '90s in the United States. One of those songs is "The Way You Do the Things You Do" which came via The Temptations ('60s), Rita Coolidge ('70s), Hall & Oates ('80s), and UB40 ('90s).

Hall & Oates "Say It Isn't So"

Hall & Oates announced their 2018 summer tour includes the pop group Train. Some might find the bill to be an odd pairing (especially after they paired up last year with Tears for Fears). Apparently, Train's lead singer Pat Monahan bonded with Daryl Hall during a taping of  Live From Daryl's House and the rest is history. Their tour begins May 1st in Sacramento.

Hall & Oates "She's Gone"

What happens when your girlfriend stands you up on New Year's Eve? You arrive at the lyrics to "She's Gone". It happened to John Oates, and the New Year's Eve-that-never-was turned heartache into one of the duo's favorite songs. Originally released in 1973, the ballad received next to no attention outside the duo's hometown of Philadelphia. Upon re-release in 1976 (after the success of "Sara Smile"), the song went to #7 on the Hot 100 and #6 on the Adult Contemporary Charts.

Hall & Oates "Maneater"

STORY BEHIND THE SONG:

With lyrics that warn: "Watch out boy she'll chew you up", you're left wondering who Hall & Oates had in mind when they penned their 1982 hit song "Maneater". The reality is the "Maneater" that Hall & Oates depicts isn't actually a woman. In fact, the song is not about a person at all. Instead, the thing that will chew you up is the greed in New York City during the early-'80s. That's what the boys were singing about in "Maneater".

Hall & Oates "Promise Ain't Enough"

Hall & Oates is best known for their music from the '70s and '80s, but the band didn't slow down in the 1990s.  Their fifteenth album, Marigold Sky, produced the ballad "Promise Ain't Enough" in 1997.  While the song may have made English teachers cringe, Adult Contemporary radio stations rushed to add the tune.  The song peaked at #6.

Earth, Wind & Fire - "After the Love Has Gone"

Hall & Oates didn't want to sing a song they didn't write themselves, so they gave a hard pass to "After the Love Has Gone".  Enter Earth, Wind & Fire who took the song, but struggled to perform it.  The group tried several different takes over multiple days before achieving one they all agreed was best.  The song topped out at #2 on the Hot 100 and #3 on the Adult Contemporary Charts in 1979.

Dan Hartman - "I Can Dream About You"

Could you hear Hall & Oates singing Dan Hartman's "I Can Dream About You"?  Well, Hartman could.  He wrote the song and presented it to the duo only to be told "thanks, but no thanks."  Hall & Oates had just put the finishing touches on an album and didn't have use for it.  So, Hartman recorded and released the song himself.  The result: a Top 10 song in 1984.

Teddy Pendergrass - "Love T.K.O."

While Teddy Pendergrass is best known for the 1980 soulful ballad "Love T.K.O.", David Oliver actually recorded and released it the same year.  Numerous Adult Contemporary artists have also covered the tune including Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Boz Scaggs, and Bette Midler.

Hall & Oates - "Starting All Over Again"

Hall & Oates' "Starting All Over Again" sounds like it could easily have been pulled from an old Chi-Lites album.  This Blue-Eyed Soul came courtesy of the duo's Change of Season album.

Hall & Oates - "One on One"

Should we assume that John Oates listened to Pablo Cruise's "What'cha Gonna Do?" and the result was his trademark mustache?

Hall & Oates - "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)"

Does it surprise you that Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" has over 1,000,000 plays on the radio?  Does it also surprise you that Darryl Hall claims that Michael Jackson told him that he lifted the bass line from "I Can't Go For That" for "Billie Jean"?  It shouldn't because Hall & Oates is one bad-ass duo that gets no respect.

Hall & Oates - "Don't Hold Back Your Love"

A tragic event in our lives usually opens our ears and hearts to really listen to song lyrics.  A forgotten single from Hall & Oates' Change of Season album produced the minor hit "Don't Hold Back Your Love." While the song peaked at #4 on the Adult Contemporary Chart (and #41 on the Hot 100), lyrics from this song somehow found their way into my heart after a particularly painful breakup in 2005.  The song is another statement that Hall & Oates were so much more than "Private Eyes" or any other kitschy song that non-fans only associate with H&O.  

Hall & Oates - "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"

Hall & Oates discovered the Adult Contemporary Secret Hit Formula in 1979 when they covered the Righteous Brothers classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling."  The result: the duo scored their biggest hit since "Rich Girl".

Hall & Oates - "Do It For Love"

Despite their music being played for the better part of three decades, Hall & Oates first topped the Adult Contemporary chart in 2002(!).  Their Susan Lucci-like drought ended thanks to "Do It For Love" and it was about damn time.

Rod Stewart - "The Motown Song"

So many songs on Adult Contemporary radio stations take their cues from Motown.  Some artists simply covered Motown standards while artists such as Hall & Oates, Paul Young, and Michael McDonald all dipped their toes in the Motown sound with a genre known as "Blue-Eyed Soul".  In the case of Rod Stewart, he actually borrowed a couple of The Temptations for song properly entitled "The Motown Song".  The result: soccer moms across America rejoiced and proudly sang along while driving their kids to school in their Ford Tauruses.

Hall & Oates - "So Close"

Hall & Oates kicked off the 1990s after a successful decade of producing numerous radio-friendly songs.  Some hits were very good ("Maneater") while others were fodder for the band's haters to ridicule ("Method of Modern Love").  Their 1990 Change of Season album was a turning point for the duo as their ability to churn out hit after hit began to lose steam.  Change of Season was the group's final commercially successful album of new material.  Written by Bon Jovi, "So Close" was the first single from that album.  The album contained an acoustic version of the song as well as a fully-produced (and radio-friendly) version.  The lyrics fully encompass the level of respect that Hall & Oates has faced over the decades.  Despite dozens of hit songs in multiple genres, people are quick to write off the group as merely an '80s band.  So close, yet so far away from the respect Hall & Oates deserves.  

Paul Young - "Everytime You Go Away"

Today's Adult Contemporary song comes from the request line and is for a shower curtain ring salesman named Dell Griffin.  What Thanksgiving would be complete without the John Hughes classic Planes, Trains & Automobiles?  This 1987 flick featured the song "Everytime You Go Away" as the credits rolled.  The movie used a version from a group named Blue Room whereas Paul Young made the song a hit in 1985.  To add further confusion, Hall & Oates actually first recorded the song for their Voices album in 1980.  Happy Thanksgiving!