Dad Rock Hall of Fame: Hall & Oates

Although the inductees of the Dad Rock Hall of Fame to date have been rock bands (with the rock trending on the softer side, as Dad Rock tends to do), it's time to acknowledge an R&B band that was inoffensive enough for dads, yet awesome.  A band that featured two caucasian Philadelphians with a penchant for resplendent mustaches and smooth grooves.  A band that carried the torch for blue-eyed soul during the 1980s and may or may not have played a role in your conception.  That band is none other than Hall & Oates.

John Oates: My brother in mustache

1) "She's Gone" from Abandoned Luncheonette (1974)

"She's Gone" is Hall & Oates's first single, which only reached #70 when it was first released in 1974.  After the success of "Sara Smile" in 1976, the "She's Gone" was re-released and was a top 10 hit.  Thank God the masses came to their senses the second time around, as it's a total jam.



2) "Sara Smile" from Darryl Hall & John Oates (1976)

This was Hall & Oates's first top five single.  I maintain that it's their best song.  Fairly sparse in the lyrics department, but what's there is awfully heartfelt.  I would imagine this was the 1976 middle school dance equivalent of  "All My Life," but way better.



3) "Rich Girl" from Bigger Than The Both of Us (1976)

"Rich Girl," Hall & Oates's first #1 single, tends to affect people emotionally.  For most people, it elicits a smile or a tap of the toes.  For David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, it allegedly inspired him to go on a killing spree in the late 1970s.  Universal appeal, indeed.



4) "Kiss On My List" from Voices (1980)

This song makes the list for a variety of reasons, foremost among them being that it serves as the soundtrack to every sporting event Kiss Cam ever.  Also a #1 hit.



5) "You Make My Dreams" from Voices (1980)

One of the top feel good jams, as evidenced by its multiple placements in film.  It was a top five song for a reason.



6) "Private Eyes" from Private Eyes (1981)

This was Hall & Oates's third of six #1 songs (the other three being "I Can't Go For That," "Maneater," and "Out of Touch").  Although I think this might be their Jump the Shark moment, it's a guilty pleasure with a great sing-along chorus.



--J.J. Gittes