John Oates Opens Up About George Harrison, Michael Jackson and Hall & Oates History

John Oates of Hall & Oats Fame is the featured guest on the latest episode of the Rock & Roll High School podcast. We were sent the following details and some highlights from the appearance.

In this episode of Rock & Roll High School, John takes us inside the making of a catalog that includes era-defining hits like "She's Gone," "Sara Smile," "Rich Girl," and "Maneater," and breaks down the unique musical chemistry he shared with Daryl Hall that helped shape a generation of songwriting and production.
But this conversation goes deeper than the hits.

John traces his roots from Philadelphia's R&B and folk scenes to the global stages of the 1980s, offering a firsthand look at how groove, songwriting craft, and production instincts came together to create one of the most enduring songbooks in pop music history. He also opens up about his evolution as a solo artist, his passion for American roots music, and how he continues to write, record, and perform with purpose today.

It's a conversation about partnership, identity, reinvention - and what it really takes to build music that lasts.

On George Harrison playing guitar on Hall & Oates' 'The Last Time'...
George was so cool. He said, "yea I'll play but I don't want to do anything special, I just want to be in the band."

On the success of 'I Can't Go for That' & how it inspired Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean:' [Michael] came to one of our shows in LA and he said he liked to dance to it in front of his mirror in his bedroom. You can hear, he obviously wanted to do something like that for Billie Jean and he did his own version of that groove.

On consistently touring and releasing music: I think it's hard for a lot of people to process. We made an album and more than one sometimes every year from '72 and '87 and toured in between, where there was absolutely no rest. And quite frankly after doing We Are The World, Live Aid and then the Apollo (with David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks). After those three very important moments, I personally felt that there was nowhere to go but down. I couldn't envision sustaining that type of success... I needed to absolutely change my life.

On the 50 year collaboration and resolution of the litigation with Daryl Hall:
It's always bitter sweet when a relationship falls by the wayside, of course. But look at the legacy that Daryl and I leave behind. We left a musical legacy that very few people could match. You know what, that's pretty good in a lifetime I would say.

Check out the episode here

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