John Oates, formerly of Hall & Oates, shares insights on his latest solo album, ‘Oates’ : NPR

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Some couples just aren’t meant to be together forever, no matter how good they sound.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “RICH GIRL”)

HALL AND OATES: (Singing) Oh, you’re a rich girl, rich girl, and you’ve gone too far ’cause you know it don’t matter anyway. Rich girl.

SIMON: Daryl Hall and John Oates, who had a lot of hits in the ’70s and ’80s, have dissolved their partnership and gone their separate ways. For John Oates, that means more work as a solo artist.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “REAL THING GOING ON”)

JOHN OATES: (Singing) Ain’t no doubt about it. We got a real thing going on.

SIMON: John Oates’ latest album is the self-titled “Oates.” And he joins us now from our studios in Culver City, California. Thanks so much for being with us.

OATES: Well, thanks, Scott. Thanks for having me.

SIMON: This is your seventh solo album. How’s it different?

OATES: Well, they’re all a little bit different, I would think. But this one was a return for me to, you know, a very important part of my musical DNA. The groove, R&B, soul, rhythm-section-oriented style, as opposed to the acoustic singer-songwriter genre, which I’ve been working in for the past, actually about 10 years or so. So I like to mix it up. So this one has definitely got more energy and more – definitely more groove-oriented.

SIMON: We hear that in “Enough Is Enough.”

OATES: Yeah.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”)

OATES: (Singing) Enough is enough. Oh, yeah. I said enough is enough. Enough is enough. I keep playing it rough. Oh, yeah. I keep hanging it tough, yeah.

I got inspired by a young pop group from New York called Lawrence. You know, I like to keep my ears to the ground, so to speak, about new music. To me, they’re carrying the torch for real musicianship. I really got inspired. I wanted to write a song that sounded like them. And when I did, I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we could collaborate together? And so it was great.

SIMON: You, notably, are from Philadelphia. Does Philly sound important to you?

OATES: Growing up, I always say that, you know, you’re always influenced and affected deeply in your youth by the music you hear as a kid. Now, if you’re a musician, then it takes it to another level. Then it becomes part of your lexicon, so to speak. For me, it’s really embedded in me. The – it’s the chord changes, the style of the harmonies, this type of production.

You know, I like to say, I mean, I’m old enough to remember music before rock ‘n’ roll, which I think is a pretty unique perspective. And when rock ‘n’ roll hit in the early ’50s, I was, you know, just old enough to realize that something had happened – something new. And I followed – my life, in a sense, has paralleled the evolution of rock, all the way from the beginning.

SIMON: Of course, Hall & Oates became one of the most successful songwriting duos ever, with hit after hit.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “YOU MAKE MY DREAMS”)

HALL AND OATES: (Singing) What I want you’ve got and it might be hard to handle. Like a flame that burns the candle.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “I CAN’T GO FOR THAT (NO CAN DO)”)

HALL AND OATES: (Singing) I can’t go for that. No. No. No can do.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “SHE’S GONE”)

HALL AND OATES: (Singing) She’s gone. She’s gone. Oh, I. What went wrong?

SIMON: You were both inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004. How does being part of a duo and working and writing for a duo influence the approach you take now as a solo artist?

OATES: The collaborative process, which Daryl and I honed very finely and fully, is really very similar to the way that I’ve worked with other people over the years. You know, in a sense, there’s a bit of magic to it. There’s certainly a lot of craftsmanship to it. But it’s making something from nothing. And when Daryl and I began to write together and we began to work together, we were very, very different as people. And we’ve always been different as people. You know, he had a classical background. He went to music school. He sang in the church. I grew up playing in bands, and playing a lot of roots American, early American music like Delta blues and bluegrass and things like that. And we learned from each other. And through that process, we created something totally unique to each other.

SIMON: I love that explanation. Sounds like you’ve thought it through.

OATES: I think about it a lot (laughter). Yes, I do.

SIMON: I want to hear a little of “Pushin’ A Rock.”

OATES: Please.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “PUSHIN’ A ROCK”)

OATES: (Singing) When the road gеts rough and you’ve had enough. When lifе hits you hard, but you keep standing tough. Lend a hand, try to help a brother. Reach out. Reach out to each other. Keep on pushing, pushing, pushing a rock uphill. And when it rolls back down, just roll with it, roll with it, roll with it, roll with it.

SIMON: Boy, I’m tired just thinking about pushing that rock right now.

OATES: (Laughter) The old Sisyphus story.

SIMON: So what has that kind of relentless drive for you?

OATES: I just am compelled to make music. And I’ve been a musician my whole life. I sang as a baby. I have a recording of me singing in one of those recording booths in Coney Island in the early ’50s at 4 years old. So…

SIMON: What were you singing?

OATES: Well, I first – my first selection was “Here Comes Peter Cottontail.”

SIMON: Oh.

OATES: And then I – a few years after that, I did “All Shook Up” by Elvis. So I have…

SIMON: Ha.

OATES: (Laughter) I have both of those recordings. One of these days, I’ll do something with them. It is who I am. I’ve never questioned it. I’ve never had another job. I’m one of the lucky ones. And it’s just been a calling, and I can’t identify myself any other way.

SIMON: I got to ask you about, you know, the end of Hall & Oates. Daryl Hall, I guess, sued you in 2023 to stop the sale of your stake in Whole Oats Enterprises. Recently, the suit was settled through arbitration. What can you tell us about that?

OATES: Well, I can tell you the official response is that Daryl Hall and I have amicably agreed to dissolve our business interests and go our separate ways, both business-wise and artistically. And that’s really all there is to it. It was really a business issue. And, you know, it’s one of those things. You know, we grew up together. We started as teenagers. We made business agreements as teenagers 50 years ago. Many of those business agreements were out of date and no longer relevant to the people that we grew up to be. And when things like that happen, people have different ways of approaching things.

SIMON: Did you ever feel restrained by the partnership – you know, by having your two names taken together all the time?

OATES: I think there was always a subtle…

SIMON: I mean, you got fabulously rich off it, too, but I mean…

OATES: (Laughter) Right, of course. Yeah. Yes. Listen, I have great respect for the work that we did and the legacy of music we’ve left behind. It’s – you know, I really, truly believe that a lot of that music will live for a very long time, and that’s something that’s just very precious.

You know, I felt like there was a timestamp on creativity. And I really believe this. I see it among my contemporaries. I watch it among the ones who have passed by the wayside, whether through illness or passing away or whatever. But also just the – your ability to focus. Your ability to perform. Your ability to play, sing, think, create. I really think there’s a timestamp on that. And I see the horizon for myself, and I want to make sure I do everything I can do and accomplish everything I want to accomplish before I hit that point.

SIMON: Wow. I mean, that’s breathtaking. And you are – can I say? – in – on the distant side of 70.

OATES: Yeah. I’m 77.

SIMON: And you got plans ahead.

OATES: You know, I’m in the middle of plans (laughter). I’m not sure how far ahead those plans are going to go. I made this album, and I just finished a tour of about seven or eight shows. And I just finished last night here in Hollywood at the legendary Troubadour, which, believe it or not, Daryl and I played in 1972, so goes…

SIMON: Oh.

OATES: …Way, way back. You know, I feel like it’s pretty good right now, so I’m going to take this ride as long as it lasts.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOHN OATES SONG, “A WAYS AWAY”)

SIMON: Rock & Roll Hall of Famer John Oates. His new album is called simply “Oates.” Thanks so much for being with us.

OATES: Well, thank you, Scott. I appreciate the interview. It was great.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “A WAYS AWAY”)

OATES: (Singing) We’re a ways away. Never thought I’d hear, never thought I’d hear, never thought I’d hear you say.

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