Daryl Hall and John Oates ran roughshod over the pop charts for much of the decade of the 80s. As the 90s dawned, they scored a big hit right off the bat. As it turned out, that would be the last time they’d ever reach the Top 40 in the US.
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The duo might have done more damage if they’d followed it up more quickly. But the bad taste left in their mouths over how that last hit was handled led to a longer hiatus than usual for the duo.
A Mild ‘Change’
Hall & Oates scored five of their six career No. 1 pop hits in the 80s. Their writing, performing, arranging, and production skills lent them a seemingly unstoppable Midas touch. Even as late as 1988, the duo earned a No. 3 spot with “Everything Your Heart Desires”.
One drawback of such success is that everyone expects it from you every time out. Those expectations made it difficult for the two men to stroll down new musical avenues. Their struggles in this department colored the making of their 1990 album Change Of Season.
The title promises transformation, and Hall & Oates indeed set out to try to make a more stripped-down album. Those efforts are hard to hear in the finished version of the album, which still relies on synths and a certain slickness in sound. And then there’s the lead single, which appears in two different forms on the LP, a byproduct of the battle between artist and record company.
Too “Close For Comfort”
“So Close” appeared on the doorstep of Daryl Hall in the form of a verse and a refrain courtesy of George Green, who had previously written with John Mellencamp. Although he didn’t usually work with partial songs in that manner, Hall liked what he heard of what Green provided. He finished the song.
Hall was particularly fond of the song, especially after recording it in a quiet, acoustic-based arrangement. But the record company (Arista), led by Clive Davis, thought the song had potential as a big hit. That’s when they called on some ringers to deliver a single mix that might be better suited for radio.
One Hit, Two Versions
Jon Bon Jovi and Danny Kortchmar had just worked closely on Bon Jovi’s solo hit “Blaze Of Glory”. When Kortchmar was contacted by Davis to work on “So Close”, he brought Bon Jovi along with him. The pair added a little bit of rock heft to the original track. Their strategies worked, as “So Close” made it to No. 11.
The fact that the follow-up single “Don’t Hold Back Your Love” went to No. 41 suggested that there was still meat on the bone when it came to Hall & Oates and the pop charts. But Hall’s frustration with the meddling of the record company soured him a bit on going that route again.
Hall & Oates included the original version of “So Close” as the final song on Change Of Season as a subtle act of defiance. And they wouldn’t record another album for seven years, sensing perhaps that their time dominating the pop charts was through. They decided going forward they’d only record a new album when the mood struck them, rather than because they were expected to do so.
Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images
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