Hall & Oates -- Say It Isn't So

 

Welcome to the regular weekly Reminiscings of Youth segment on "Kayo Kyoku Plus" where I provide one of the songs that gladly adorned my childhood and adolescence in the 1970s and 1980s. And now...back to the countdown. Wait! That's not my line...that's Casey Kasem's line when he was hosting "America's Top 10". Whenever I could catch it on TV, I did so to see what was hot and cool on the charts and one group that was doing that a lot on the show was Hall & Oates. In fact, they're up above as well at No. 7 on the charts in this November 1983 episode.

In fact, I remember their October 1983 single "Say It Isn't So" taking up near permanent residency on those charts for months on end, and it didn't take long for the song to make it to local radio stations. And it soon became one of my favourite songs by them during their dance-pop days in the 1980s. I especially liked the extended version (great sax solo by Charles DeChant) that played through the official music video below (and yeah, that beat makes it a great walking song). For both versions, Hall really liked to take advantage of those vocal effects especially the one where he seems to yell from one speaker to another. 

                                            

In Canada, "Say It Isn't So" reached No. 18 while in the United States, it hit No. 2 on Billboard. Meanwhile, what was also hitting the record stores in October 1983?

Chiemi Hori -- Yuugure Kibun （夕暮れ気分）

Seiko Matsuda -- Hitomi wa Diamond （瞳はダイアモンド）

Just to finish, it IS a Thursday and this IS a Hall & Oates song, so...

Hall & Oates -- One on One

 

Welcome again to the regular weekly Reminiscings of Youth episode. The last time I wrote about Hall & Oates was almost a couple of years ago when I took care of their soulful ballad "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" from 1981. A friend of mine was driving me home a couple of weeks ago and we wondered whether Daryl and John had patched things up.

Here then is another ballad from the guys, "One on One" which was released as a single in January 1983. If anything, it's even dreamier-sounding than "No Can Do" and I think it would be another welcome entry on that fantasy all-night radio show that I'd waxed about several weeks ago. As Wikipedia put it, it does occupy that space between soul and AOR, and I have to say that it's quite the laidback midnight sort of ballad considering that there are a lot of sports expressions in there including the title. I doubt that it would ever be put on the speakers during a game at an arena, though. But that's OK. It sounds perfectly appropriate for those fans to chill out to while in bed, especially when that sax solo purrs in.

"One on One" reached No. 6 on Canada's RPM and No. 7 on US Billboard. There was no exact date on the release of the single during that January, so why don't we go with which three songs were up on the Oricon chart on January 10th 1983?

1. Hiroshi & Kibo -- San Nen-me no Uwaki （３年目の浮気）

2. Akina Nakamori -- Second Love （セカンド・ラブ）

3. Toshihiko Tahara -- Love Spoor（ラブ・シュプール）

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

 

Just in the last several days, I've been hearing about this feud between Daryl Hall and John Oates over a massive decoupling of their business partnerships. Every couple or partnership has their ups and downs but the fact that Hall & Oates are now going up against each other in court is rather sad considering all those wonderful songs that they've given us over the past half-century.

I can imagine that the late-night show hosts have already made darkly humorous hay over the battle, but I'm thinking that the two are basically attacking each other in the courtroom with their own hit song titles: "I can't go for that!", "No can do!", "Say it isn't so!", "You're out of touch!", and "Some things are better unsaid!". They're grooving each other into legal submission.

However, let's get back to happier decades with Hall & Oates. This week's Reminiscings of Youth article will be on their 1981 hit "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" which was released in November. Created by the duo and Sara Allen, I remember it for that sly smoky groove and the percussion, and then there was the music video which was as atmospheric as all get out with the gauzy lighting and just Daryl, John and saxophonist Charles DeChant grooving away in a darkened room. 

Considering the current frayed condition of the relationship between the two Pennsylvanians, the following which I got from "Something Else!" via Wikipedia is poignantly ironic concerning the meaning of the lyrics:

Speaking about the meaning of the lyrics, John Oates has stated that while many listeners may assume the lyrics are about a relationship, in reality, the song, "is about the music business. That song is really about not being pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively." 

"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" managed to reach as high as No. 2 on Canada's RPM ranking list while in the United States, it hit No. 1 on Billboard, going Gold in both countries. 

Now, which other three singles in Japan were being released in November 1981?

Hiroko Yakushimaru -- Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu （セーラー服と機関銃）

Junko Ohashi -- Silhouette Romance（シルエット・ロマンス）

Sugar -- Wedding Bell

Hall & Oates -- Jingle Bell Rock

 

And a Merry Christmas to you! If you're just dropping by for a little look at "Kayo Kyoku Plus" among the family hijinks at your place for the Yuletide, then I thank you very much. I'm hoping that you are enjoying your day wherever you are.

Since it is a holiday today, I thought that it would be nice to start off with what I think will be the final Christmas song for the KKP season as a Reminiscings of Youth session. I'm not sure when I first heard "Jingle Bell Rock" which was originally recorded by Bobby Helms back in 1957, but as a kid, I was a bit confused on hearing it, thinking "Wait! This doesn't sound like 'Jingle Bells' at all.". Well, duh. It's a totally different song by Joseph Carleton Beal and James Ross Boothe with its laidback country-style rockabilly.

The thing is that it's not Helms' original that I remember the most. I've always associated "Jingle Bell Rock" with the happy cover by Hall & Oates and its accompanying videos. The song and videos just seem to have been around forever although the guys' version came out in 1983 as a single with the video appearing around November of that year. Having grown up during the early age of MTV, whenever I think of the song, I will always remember the video with Hall & Oates and their band including guitarist G.E. Smith enjoying their Hallmark-friendly Christmas at home. 

Until recently, though, I'd had no idea that there were two video versions of "Jingle Bell Rock", one with Daryl Hall singing (above) and another with John Oates taking lead (below). May I finally say that Oates has a great voice (and a great cardigan)? I've always loved Daryl but I'm going to have to pay more attention to John. My other realization is that although I'd once assumed that the brief "goofy" videos starring Hall & Oates (with all of the band mugging for the camera) began with "Out of Touch" in 1984, I now believe that it all started with "Jingle Bell Rock". Not that I'm complaining, mind you; it's nice to see a big band showing off a self-deprecating sense of humour.

Well, what was hitting the top of the Oricon charts in November 1983? For Seiko-chan fans, I've got a twofer.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Hitomi wa Diamond （瞳はダイアモンド）

2. Masahiko Kondo -- Royal Straight Flush（ロイヤル・ストレート・フラッシュ）

3. Seiko Matsuda -- Glass no Ringo （ガラスの林檎）

Hall & Oates -- Out of Touch

Well, time for another Reminiscings of Youth article where we find out how the Oricon Singles chart was faring as one of my beloved Western pop songs was becoming a hit. Moreover, congratulations are in store for Daryl Hall and John Oates as they become the first act in a ROY article to show up twice in "Kayo Kyoku Plus", after their 1981 hit "Private Eyes", a popular one in Japan as well.

Now, we move on ahead a few more years to October 1984 as Hall & Oates were getting into something a bit more New Wave, a bit more dance remix. I first heard their single "Out of Touch" on Toronto's CFTR-AM when the station was still doing music (it's been doing all-news for almost 30 years) through their "Top 6 at 6", and I thought "Yeah, it's a pretty good Hall & Oates song".

Then, I saw the music video...and I went "Oh, man....this is a GREAT Hall & Oates song!". Daryl and John and their band were doing their usual hijinks but on a music set that seemed to have come from "Land of the Giants" and everything started out with "Dance On Your Knees" before exploding into "Out of Touch". These guys just went epic! After that, I wanted to hear the extended remix version on the Saturday-night radio remix shows (which I did). It hit the middle of the Top 10 here in Canada and hit No. 1 on Billboard, too.

But before I go into what the Top 3 singles were on Oricon, I have to detour since I only found out in the last couple of months that a couple of years ago, some enterprising anime fan had the bright idea to pull off a pop cultural Reese's Peanut Butter Cup thing and merge the opening credits of "Lucky Star" with "Out of Touch". I can truly say that I was out of touch since I didn't know about this. Although I can't say that it is a perfect synch, the creation does have its charms. I'm not sure how "Out of Touch" ever did in Japan but I can say that like "Private Eyes", this particular Hall & Oates number has its Japan connection.

Earlier this year, a YouTuber by the name of lamb sauce decided to provide a bit more "Out of Touch" and a bit more "Lucky Star". I may have to look forward to the extended treatment including "Dance On Your Knees".

One more further comparison can be made between "Private Eyes" and "Out of Touch" through the KKP crucible in that both songs made their premiere when a 1980s aidoru had the top spot on Oricon for that month. And here we go!

1. Kyoko Koizumi -- Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge （ヤマトナデシコ七変化）

2. Checkers -- Hoshikuzu no Stage（星屑のステージ）

3. Masahiko Kondo -- Eien ni Himitsusa（永遠に秘密さ）

Hall & Oates -- Private Eyes

I swear..."Private Eyes" must have been Japan's favourite Hall & Oates song. That's quite a declaration but I kept hearing their August 29th 1981 single whenever I entered a Muji department store or my neighbourhood Daiei supermarket. Then at one point, it was even used in some commercial on TV. I mean, Daryl and John must have been wondering one day early in the 21st century when they got an envelope at their studio and said "Why are we getting a cheque for 100 million yen?". Royalties must have been good, man.

For whatever reason, 80s music was always popular in Japan but "Private Eyes" was very public in my old stomping grounds. Maybe the one other American tune from that decade that I could remember that was getting a maximum amount of love in the country was Huey Lewis & The News' "The Power of Love".

"Private Eyes" was released almost a month after my return from Japan during that important school trip, and as I've said before in past articles, that trip and that time were responsible for finally hatching my longtime interest in kayo kyoku, so the songs that were in the Oricon monthly Top 10 for August 1981 bring a goodly sum of nostalgia and love. Here are the songs that were the top 3 entries.

1. Seiko Matsuda -- Shiroi Parasol

2. Yumi Matsutoya -- Mamotte Agetai

3. Jun Horie -- Memory Glass

Towa Tei -- Private Eyes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groove_Is_in_the_Heart

In the summer of 1990, when I was back in Toronto for a short vacation during my stint on the JET Programme, there was a song that was all over the airwaves since it was this funky slice of 60s or 70s dance music. It was Deee-Lite's "Groove Is In The Heart" with all of that groovy psychedelia in the music video. The band was basically a one-hit wonder but geez, what a wonder it was.

I wouldn't realize it for many years after that, but one member from Deee-Lite was Towa Tei (テイ・トウワ), aka Doug Wa-Chung from Yokohama who's worn the hats of musician, DJ and music producer. And that above image has always been my mind's eyecatch for the fellow. It also happens to be the cover photo for his 2nd album "Sound Museum" from May 1997.

Never got around to purchasing the album (at least, not yet) but I always liked one of the tracks which was a bossa nova, perhaps Shibuya-kei, cover of one of the biggest hits in the career of Hall & Oates, "Private Eyes". As sung by Bebel Gilberto, it's less a cherished musical memory of my high school days and more of a relaxing reason to lie on the sofa and sip back a lemonade. Any images of detectives peeking through the window of your apartment would be pure aberration.

But of course, who can forget the original? "Private Eyes" is one of my favourite songs of not only the band but of my time in the 1980s. Released in 1981, the Hall & Oates hit has also become a classic in Japan. Let's say this, if Daryl & John were a nation, then "Private Eyes" would be the officially recognized national anthem by the Japanese, and the embassy and consular offices would be the many department stores that I have heard it via the speakers. Yup, it was that ubiquitous. Heck, it was even used in a TV commercial over there not too long ago.

And since we are traipsing through the American music of yesteryear, let's finish with "Groove Is In The Heart". Ah, by the way, Tei has been busy with another band these days, METAFIVE.