Feature Song: “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”
Happy New Year! 2025, here we come!
Daryl Hall & John Oates, often referred to as simply Hall & Oates, were an American rock duo formed in Philadelphia, PA in 1970. Hall was usually the lead vocalist, while Oates played electric guitar and sang backing vocals. They both wrote most of the songs they performed and recorded, either separately or in collaboration. The height of their popularity was between the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. Their music was a fusion of rock music, soul music, and rhythm and blues. The duo employed a wide range of session musicians for their recordings, with several of them in particular appearing on many of their songs and also toured with them. Artists such as, G.E. Smith (guitar), Tom “T-Bone” Wolk (bass), Mike Curry (drums), and multi-instrumentalist Charles DeChant, were some of the regulars. They also collaborated with sisters Sara and Janna Allen on songwriting and composing.
The feature song was written by Hall, Oates, and Sara Allen, and was released as the second single from their tenth studio album, Private Eyes (1981). It ended up becoming the fourth number one hit single of their career. The song was created in segments, with a rock beat on a drum machine, followed by a bass line on an organ, with the sound engineer recording the result. Hall then added a guitar riff, which he and Oates worked on together, which was then followed by Hall, Oates, and Allen working on the lyrics. Some years later, Oates was speaking about the meaning of the lyrics, which he felt many listeners assumed were about a relationship. He stated that in reality, “the song is about the music business,” about not being “pushed around by big labels, managers, and agents and being told what to do, and being true to yourself creatively.” He also at the time, named “Maneater” as another example of this common theme for the group’s songs. The line-up for this song was as follows: Daryl Hall (lead vocals, backing vocals, Roland CR-78 drum machine, John Oates (electric guitar, backing vocals), Charles DeChant (saxophone), and John Siegler (drums).
My cover is yet another YouTube find. This time it is Groove Machine experience, a 70s tribute, cover, and dance band from Charlotte, NC. They primarily play at weddings, corporate events, and private parties. The line-up is as follows: Terrence Brown (lead vocals), Samantha Glass (lead vocals), Joe Rubino (drums), Sanford Hayes (bass, vocals), Scott McFarlane (Keyboards, vocals), Ray Tyson (guitar, vocals), Eric Knight (trumpet), Mike Tepedino (trumpet), and Mike Licko (saxophone). They exude energy, as you will soon see!
Enjoy.
Daryl Hall & John Oates. “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” 1981.
Groove Machine. “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)” cover, Nov. 2024.
Los Angeles 2025
Hall & Oates were a true hit machine. I like a good deal of their songs and got to see them once in September 2019. This must have been one of their final tour if not the final tour they did together. Unfortunately, they had a major falling out, with Hall suing Oates in late 2023 after Oates apparently had tried to sell the pair’s music publishing rights without consulting Hall.
I remember reading about that.
I was a massive Hall & Oates fan from 1976 when I loved their songs “Sara Smile” and “She’s Gone”, through to the late 1980s when they essentially quit putting out new music for all intents and purposes. I saw them in concert in 1977 when their musical repertoire was still fairly limited. Love this song, and the Groove Machine cover takes it into a jazzier direction while maintaining the song’s inherent soulful coolness. Great post!
Thank you. Yeah, I loved them too back in the day. Glad you liked the cover, when I first saw it I said: “Gotta do this.”
That’s a cool take on that song for sure! Looks like I have another name to add to the barefoot singers club! I was in Boston some years back and Hall & Oates were doing the revival tour thing with Toto or somebody, I thought hey maybe I will check that out. I think it was $250 plus for the cheapest ticket. Surprisingly I did not go!
Glad you liked it. I did not notice the bare feet, but the I don’t have a foot fetish! LOL😂. That’s a lot of dough for sure.
LOL! Hey, I am just an observant person! But if you never noticed Linda Ronstadt performing without shoes…
That I noticed only because my brother had a crush on her back in the day!
Another Hall and Oates fan weighing in. I saw them at either the Roxy or Whisky a Go Go on Sunset Strip in I think 1975 and it was one of the most exhilarating live performances I’ve ever been to. But this song was never one of my favorites and the video was way too stylized and polished for my taste. I’m sorry they fell out with one another, and I wish they were still writing and performing together.
The Groove Machine woke the song up for me. It was a little raw and rough around the edges and funky and they clearly love what they’re doing, despite the fact that the one audience shot was woefully empty except for an old geezer couple dancing by themselves.
(I have a car old enough that it still came with a CD player. H&O Abandoned Luncheonette is one of two CDs on rotation right now in there. The other is The Who’s Tommy Live at Leeds. WTF)
Oh my, we need to talk😂!