Hall & Oates’ First No. 1 Single Was Actually Based on a True Story

In 1977, Hall & Oates, the duo made up of Daryl Hall and John Oates, had their first No. 1 hit with “Rich Girl”. Written by Hall, the song appears on their fifth studio album, Bigger Than Both Of Us.

Videos by American Songwriter

“Rich Girl” is based on a true story, although some of the details, including the gender, were changed. The song is reportedly based on the life of Jeff Walker, a guy who formerly dated Sara Allen, Hall’s longtime girlfriend.

“Sara’s college boyfriend was the heir to a fast-food fortune,” Hall tells Howard Stern. “He came over, and he was an acid casualty. He came over one time, and he was banging off the walls, basically. After he left, I sat down and went, ‘He’s a rich guy, and he’s gone too far.’ And I wrote it about him. And then I said, ‘Rich guy’ don’t sound right.”

Oates echoes his singing partner’s explanation of the song.

“It was written about a guy who was the heir to a fast-food fortune,” Oates explains. “Obviously, because Daryl is really smart, he realized that ‘Rich Girl’ sounded better than ‘Rich Guy’. That’s the truth. He had too much money, and too many drugs — and he just kind of burned out. He came over to visit one time, and after he left, Daryl just came up with the idea.”

The Message in “Rich Girl” by Hall & Oates

“Rich Girl” says, “You’re a rich girl, and you’ve gone too far / ‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway / You can rely on the old man’s money / You can rely on the old man’s money / It’s a bitch, girl, but it’s gone too far / ‘Cause you know it don’t matter anyway / Say money but it won’t get you too far / Get you too far.”

According to Hall, Walker knows the song is about him. At the time, Walker was the heir to Walker Bros. Original Pancake House in Chicago, as well as 15 KFC franchises.

“Rich Girl” is the 11th single by Hall & Oates. Their first Top 10 single came in 1976 with “Sara Smile”, a song Oates wrote about Allen. That same year, Hall & Oates had a Top 10 hit with “She’s Gone”, which they previously released in 1973.

After “Rich Girl”, Hall & Oates had five more No. 1 singles. Their second chart-topping single came four years later, with “Kiss On My List”. Hall & Oates’ last song to reach the top of the charts was “Out Of Touch” in 1984.

Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage