Hall and Oates//Maneater

Just because something’s cheesy doesn’t make it automatically bad. Most of the time, it is bad. But it’s not always bad. If it was, we would never have Duran Duran. We would never have LOST. We would never have The Indigo Girls (gulp). All our guilty pleasures would be immediately obliterated. Enter Hall and Oates.

Mentioning these rock and soul all-stars from Philly in yesterday’s post really got me thinking that it was high time to give them a little shout out. After all, I grew up dancing around to their wonderful hits like, “I Can’t Go For That,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” etc. Album after album contained hit after hit for this half-mustacheoed duo. How did they do it?!

Apparently, it all started with a gunfight and an accidental/ uncomfotably tight elevator ride. From El Wiko:

Daryl Hall and John Oates first met each other at the Adelphi Ballroom in Philadelphia in 1967. At the time they met, each was heading his own musical group, Hall with The Temptones and Oates with The Masters. They were there for a band competition when gunfire rang out between two rival gangs, and in trying to escape, they ran to the same service elevator. Because of their similar musical tastes and close proximity inside the elevator, they quickly became acquainted. On further finding out that they were both around the same age and that both were just starting at Philadelphia's Temple University, they started hanging out together on a regular basis and eventually ended up sharing a number of apartments in the city. It would take them another two years to form a musical duo, and three years after that, they signed to Atlantic Records and released their debut album.

Oh, to meet your musical soulmate (also SOULmate) in an elevator and then shortly thereafter be signed to Atlantic Records…. Those really were the good old days.

In December of 1982, this particular song about a ruthless lady chewing up men and spitting them out (inspired by model Kelly LeBrock) hit number one on the Billboard charts and stayed there for four consecutive weeks.

Before we go to the song, this is probably the best use of a Hall and Oates song I have ever seen.



Maneater.mp3

(Oh oh, here she comes)
Watch out boy, she’ll chew you up.
(Oh oh, here she comes)
She’s a maneater.

I wouldn't if I were you.
I know what she can do.
She's deadly, man,
She could really rip your world apart.
Mind over matter--
The beauty is there, but a beast is in the heart.