The 5 Best Hall And Oates Songs That Aren't Maneater

Hall and Oates may have gone their separate ways with an acrimonious split, but during the days when they ruled the airwaves — and before their complicated relationship got the better of them — they made premium pop music that helped define the direction of the industry. "Maneater" may remain one of their most readily identified songs and a No. 1 classic, but the pair have a back catalog rich with earworms that flooded the airwaves in their time. Even if their contributions to music culture of the '70s and '80s are sometimes overlooked in favor of flashier acts that captured the spotlight, the duo's finest songs deserve to be celebrated as tuneful masterworks in their own right.

With 34 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, six of which are No. 1 hits out of a whopping 16 that made the Top 10, Hall and Oates make it challenging to pick only five unforgettable tracks. We went with our gut  — and our earbuds — and chose songs that audiences ate up but also show the range they covered in their decades-long run together. Our favorites from the back catalog of this pop sensation include heartbreakers like "She's Gone" and "Wait for Me," standing alongside the audio sunshine of "You Make My Dreams" and "Did It in a Minute." Rounding out the list with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" shows the pair's impeccable skill at transforming a cover song into a whole new deal while honoring the spirit of the original.

"She's Gone" stands as one of the duo's earliest hits and a proper gem that never loses its shine. There's no mistaking the heartbreak in this one; both Daryl Hall and John Oates were going through painful breakups when the song was written, inspiring the lyrics that describe a lost soul trying to find his way after his love has taken her leave. "Get up in the morning, look in the mirror," Hall sings, "And one less toothbrush hanging in the stand, yeah / My face ain't looking any younger." The loneliness is aging him quickly, just before his wail of "Now I can see love takin' her toll on me / She's gone" drives the message home.

This single was Hall and Oates' first foray into the world of successful pop music, landing at No. 7 in 1976 and introducing the pair to an audience that would turn them into nearly non-stop hitmakers for the next decade and a half. They were five albums deep by the time this midtempo tearjerker became their breakthrough song, followed by their first No. 1 hit, the much sprightlier "Rich Girl," in the spring of 1977. "She's Gone" set the blueprint for their ballads, showing off bluesy R&B and soul stylings that put the band's influences proudly on display.

Jumpy, jaunty, and catchy as all get-out, "You Make My Dreams" was a pop revelation that showed the pair could go in a more high-spirited direction while holding on to their core audience. How else could it become a No. 5 hit in 1981 and last for 21 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100? This felt like Hall and Oates 2.0, a rejigging of the formula that made the team so successful in the '70s with a glossy coating that would allow them to keep shining in a new decade. 

An appearance in the 2009 rom-com "500 Days of Summer" as the soundtrack for a splashy flash mob dance sequence gave the song a juice boost in front of a modern audience and served as one of the most uplifting needle drops of the 21^st century. It's also garnered more than one billion streams, surpassing that milestone in 2020 and proving that even a 40-year-old pop song can withstand the whims of musical trends if it's catchy enough to keep audiences tuned in. It's also one of those love songs that can take boomers back to their first high school dance whenever and wherever it plays, even if it's just on a grocery store sound system.

"Wait for Me" sometimes gets forgotten in the shuffle of Hall and Oates singles that made the biggest splash, but the tune is one of the more refined pieces in the duo's catalog. The soulful foundation and sugary harmonies are in place; as musicians, the two let their sound expand by simplifying the structure into a straightforward, mid-tempo pop love song. Mega producer David Foster added his studio magic to the tune, though he was still earning his wings and hadn't become the phenom he would go on to become.

There's nothing mysterious or groundbreaking in the themes of the lyrics: A couple is on the verge of breaking up, and one lover is asking the other to give them just a little more time to get their bearings. It's more than hinting at Hall being a long-distance partner given the nonstop demands of the music business. He's begging for a little grace, even if it's "more than I should ask." Musical lore says the subject of the song is Sara Allen, Hall's lyrical collaborator and the subject of the Hall and Oates classic "Sara Smile."

It was a Top 20 player in January 1980, peaking at No. 18 and giving the duo an inaugural hit for the new decade right out of the gate. Daryl Hall himself doesn't consider the song a hit as he's said in interviews, but the sweet heart and easy-going adult contemporary smoothness still make it a gold nugget in our eyes.

Hall and Oates had moments of frothy, carefree creativity that translated into hits like "Did It in a Minute," one of the band's most upbeat songs and a certified high performer that shone its light in spring 1982. Bouncy synths and a driving bass line propel the song into solid pop territory, but with melodic touches that shoot off at odd angles, lending just enough of a new wave feel to remind listeners of the era this song lives in. Though the pair weren't abandoning their original soulful roots entirely, there were signs that the modernization of Hall and Oates would lean into trends to keep up with the competition.

The topic is nothing more than the surprise of finding love in short order, even when you aren't looking for it. The verses explore loneliness and the uncertainty that comes from finding an unexpected romance. The pre-chorus introduces a more hopeful possibility: "Some things stay the same / And some are due for change / I thought I had them all nailed down / But you turned it around." It's a switch-up that leads right into the "You did it in a minute" chorus that uses the phrase "you did it" 12 times, cornering the market on repetition as hook creation.

It must have worked. The single was a solid success, landing at No. 9 and proving the band could keep up with the sounds of the '80s without sacrificing its soulful core.

Every so often, a cover of a classic shows up to remind us all of a lost treasure that just needed a little polishing to take on a contemporary sheen. That's what happened with "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," Hall and Oates' remake of the Righteous Brothers' 1964 heartbreaker. The pair weren't foolish enough to completely strip the original down to the studs; the spirit of the classic infuses this 1980 version with aural ancestry while twisting the knobs on the arrangement to make it feel fresh and vibrant.

Hall and Oates released this spin on the classic years before Tom Cruise and his jet-flying buddies serenaded Kelly McGillis in the iconic scene from "Top Gun" in 1986. The familiarity of the tune being back on the radio as an '80s pop remake gave that a capella sing-along a runway to an audience that may not have known the original. Whether they meant to or not, Hall and Oates bridged a few generations with their take on "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." It was simultaneously a love song that made boomers cry into their coffee while introducing Generation X listeners to a vintage slice of swoon-worthy audio bliss.