In a conversation from his home in Connecticut, Daryl Hall confirmed during an interview with The Times that his longstanding musical partnership with John Oates is effectively over.

During the talk, Hall made it clear that reconciliation with Oates is not an option. “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” Hall said.

Hall mulled over his frustration with a lack of recognition for his songwriting within the duo, feeling undervalued in the relationship, saying that about 90 percent of their hits were his compositions.

The dissolution became public knowledge after Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates back in 2023 to block the sale of Oates’ share in their joint publishing company, Whole Oats Enterprises, to Primary Wave. Hall labeled this attempted sale “the ultimate partnership betrayal,” stating it violated their original business agreement.

Hall further reflected on past disputes within the music industry, mentioning previous conflicts with record labels and his experiences working with various collaborators. Despite his differences with Oates, Hall spoke warmly of other collaborations like Elvis Costello, Dusty Springfield, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, David Bowie, and notably with Dave Stewart, describing their partnership as “more meaningful” and based on maturity.

With the Hall & Oates friendship officially sunk, it seems any dreams of a reunion will, unfortunately, not be coming true any time soon.

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