On the Charts 39 Years Ago, Hall & Oates Had Their First Pop Chart-Topper With a Song Inspired by a Spoiled “Rich Guy”

A whopping 39 years ago this week, on March 26, 1977, Daryl Hall and John Oates scored their first of six No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Rich Girl.”

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The song appeared on the famed pop duo’s fifth studio album, Bigger Than The Both Of Us, which was released in August 1976. “Rich Girl” took over the top spot of the Hot 100 from Barbra Streisand’s “Evergreen,” the theme from her film A Star Is Born. “Rich Girl” spent two weeks at No. 1 before being replaced by ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”

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“Rich Girl” was written by Hall. It is about a spoiled woman from a wealthy family who doesn’t care about the consequences of her actions. The tune was rumored to be about newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. Hearst was kidnapped in 1974 by a radical left-wing organization called the Symbionese Liberation Army. She then participated in criminal activities with members of the group while she was a captive.

Hall actually wrote the tune about the spoiled college boyfriend of his longtime girlfriend—and frequent songwriting collaborator—Sara Allen. As Daryl explained in a 2007 interview with Howard Stern, the guy, whose name was Victor Walker, “was the heir to a fast-food fortune.” Hall recalled that one day, Walker, whom he described as “an acid casualty,” paid them a visit at their house and was “banging off the walls, basically.”

Daryl said that after he left, he started writing a song about him that went “He’s a rich guy.” Hall then thought “Rich Guy” didn’t sound right, and changed it to “Rich Girl.”

More About “Rich Girl”

“Rich Girl” features contributions from prolific session musicians Jim Gordon on drums and Scott Edwards on bass.

In 1977, the song was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies in the U.S.

Creepily, 1970s serial killer David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz claimed that “Rich Girl” inspired him to commit his murders. As it turned out, the song was released after Berkowitz had started his killing spree.

That being said, Hall & Oates referenced the murderer in their 1980 song “Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear The Voices).” The tune includes the lyric “Charlie liked The Beatles / Sam, he liked ‘Rich Girl.’”

Hall & Oates’ Other No. 1 Hits

After “Rich Girl,” Hall & Oates topped the Hot 100 five more times, all during the early 1980s. The duo’s other No. 1 hits are “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do),” all from 1981; “Maneater” from 1982; and “Out Of Touch” from 1984.

(Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage)