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Private Eyes
Studio album by Hall & Oates
Released	September 1, 1981 (1981-09-01)
Recorded	1980–1981
Studio	Electric Lady, New York City
Genre	Pop-soul blue-eyed soul new wave
Length	47:47
Label	RCA Records
Producer	Daryl Hall John Oates Neil Kernon
Hall & Oates chronology
Voices (1980) Private Eyes (1981) H2O (1982)
Singles from Private Eyes
"Private Eyes" Released: August 1981 "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" Released: December 14, 1981 "Did It in a Minute" Released: March 1982 "Your Imagination" Released: June 1982

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Rolling Stone Album Guide

Private Eyes is the tenth studio album by American pop rock duo Hall & Oates, released on September 1, 1981, by RCA Records. The album includes two number-one singles—the title track and "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", as well as the top-10 single "Did It in a Minute". "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)" also spent a week at the top of the R&B chart.

Background and writing

Though Daryl Hall & John Oates had performed well on the Billboard charts with "She's Gone", "Sara Smile", and "Rich Girl", the duo did not return to major mainstream success until they released a cover version of the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" on their 1980 album, Voices. The heavy airplay eventually led to the duo's first number-one single in four years, the Voices release, "Kiss on My List" in early 1981.

As the liner notes to the 2004 Private Eyes reissue indicate, it was while Daryl Hall & John Oates were recording the follow-up album in their adopted hometown of New York City, during the spring of 1981, that "Kiss on My List" reached number one in three trade publications. Determined to follow up on their success, the duo produced Private Eyes assisted by their co-producer Neil Kernon.

Singles and notable songs

The following singles were released from the album, with the highest charting positions listed.

The title track of Private Eyes builds on the punchy sound of "Kiss on My List". The handclap chorus and vocal/keyboard hooks of the recording were augmented by the promotional video, featuring the band wearing detective garb (trench coats, fedoras, and suits). It was one of the duo's earliest hit videos on MTV.

While the "Private Eyes" tune remains a rock-and-soul signature of the duo, its huge success was eclipsed by the second single from the Private Eyes album—"I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)", released in December 1981 before the start of the Christmas season. It topped the pop, R&B and dance charts. It remains one of the few songs by a white act to top both pop and R&B, and among the most heavily sampled songs in the history of hip hop (for a list of acts who've covered/quoted from it, see the entry for the song).

The other charted songs from the Private Eyes album include the Top 40 hit "Your Imagination", and "Did It in a Minute", a top ten hit with a similar rhythm to "Private Eyes" and "Kiss on My List".

Among the other entries on the album is "Looking for a Good Sign", which the duo (in the original liner notes) dedicates to the original lineup of The Temptations, a major influence on Hall and Oates. The duo would eventually perform with classic Tempts vocalists David Ruffin and Eddie Kendrick at Live Aid and on their Live at the Apollo album in 1985. According to American Songwriter, Daryl Hall states: "'Looking for a Good Sign' was one of the few songs in my life that I actually dreamed. I woke up in the morning and ran to the tape recorder and sang my dream into the tape recorder and got that. It's great... it's a dream song." Hall & Oates also sang with The Temptations at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Hall & Oates' biggest success would come the following year with the album H₂O, but many critics term Private Eyes as their creative and cultural peak, not only for its artistic and commercial success but for its influence.

Track listing

Personnel

• Daryl Hall – lead vocals (all tracks except 4 and 8), backing vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, mandar guitar, mandola, mandocello, timbales, CompuRhythm drum machine
• John Oates – lead vocals (tracks 4 and 8), backing vocals, guitar, mando-guitar, keyboards
• Larry Fast – synthesizer, programming
• G.E. Smith – lead guitar, guitar solos
• Ray Gomez – lead guitar (track 4)
• Jeff Southworth – guitar solo (track 9)
• John Siegler – bass
• Mickey Curry – drums (tracks 1, 2, 4 and 6)
• Jerry Marotta – drums (tracks 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11)
• Chuck Burgi – drums (track 10)
• Jimmy Maelen – percussion
• Charles DeChant – saxophone
• John Jarett – additional backing vocals (track 4)

Production

• Produced by Daryl Hall, John Oates and Neil Kernon.
• Engineered and Mixed by Neil Kernon
• Assistant Engineer – Bruce Buchalter
• Recorded at Electric Lady Studios (New York, NY).
• Art Direction, Design and Cover Photo – Ed Caraeff
• Inner Sleeve Photo – Lynn Goldsmith
• Management and Direction – Tommy Mottola
• Equipment Technician – Mike Klvana

Charts

Certifications

References

1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Private Eyes – Daryl Hall & John Oates". AllMusic. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
2. Breihan, Tom (May 20, 2020). "The Number Ones: Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes". Stereogum. Retrieved July 19, 2023.
3. Berger, Arion (2004). "Daryl Hall & John Oates". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 358. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
4. Private Eyes at AllMusic
5. Rollingstone
6. "Private Eyes (Expanded Edition) by Daryl Hall & John Oates". Apple Music. September 1981. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
7. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
8. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0479". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
10. "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved July 5, 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Private Eyes" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
11. "Charts.nz – Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
12. "Swedishcharts.com – Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
13. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
14. "Daryl Hall John Oates Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
15. "Daryl Hall John Oates Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
16. "Top 100 Albums of 1981". RPM. Vol. 35, no. 22. December 26, 1981. ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
17. "Top 100 Albums 82". RPM. Vol. 37, no. 19. December 25, 1982. p. 19. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
18. Rees, Dafydd; Lazell, Barry; Jones, Alan (1983). "The Top 100 UK Albums". Chart File Volume 2. London: Virgin Books. pp. 82–83. ISBN 0-907080-73-1.
19. "Top Pop Albums of 1982". Billboard.biz. December 31, 1982. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
20. "Canadian album certifications – Hall & Oates – Private Eyes". Music Canada. February 1, 1982. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
21. "British album certifications – Daryl Hall & John Oates – Private Eyes". British Phonographic Industry. February 24, 1982. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
22. "American album certifications – Hall & Oates – Private Eyes". Recording Industry Association of America. December 22, 1981. Retrieved July 5, 2022.

• 1981 albums
• Albums produced by Neil Kernon
• Dance-rock albums
• Hall & Oates albums
• RCA Records albums
• Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios