The world learned about Daryl Hall and John Oates' feud when the former filed a lawsuit and temporary restraining order against his songwriting partner late last year. In a recent interview with Billboard, Hall revealed that Hall & Oates were not on great terms for a lot longer than people might think.
"John and I did not have a creative relationship for decades; the last song I wrote with John was in 2000 and that was with somebody else," he revealed. "We toured and we toured and we toured, and it was very restrictive to me, and to John. The real truth of it all is John just said one day he didn't want to do it anymore. I said 'OK,' but the problem is [Oates] didn't make the parting and breakup easy, and that's where the difficulties lay and still lay, and that's all it is."
The issue stems from a limited liability partnership titled Whole Oats Enterprises LLP (WOE), owned by both musicians. In early November 2023, Oates attempted to transfer Hall's "right, title and interest" in Whole Oats Enterprises to Primary Wave Music without consulting him.
When Hall realized what Oates was doing, he obtained a restraining order and filed a lawsuit to prevent "imminent irreparable harm."
Both halves of the duo don't see Hall & Oates reuniting, and for Hall that is a liberating thought. "I always say I've been a solo artist my whole life, I was just working with John, mostly," he admitted. "I can't speak for John 'cause I haven't spoken to him in a long, long time, but I think that's how he feels, too. And good on both of us. I can still play all the songs that I wrote over the years, under my own name as well as under the Hall & Oates name. It frees me, really. It frees me up."
Hall released a solo album, D, on June 21. It was his first since 2011's Laughing Down Crying.