Uploaded by nocturnalnightbird on Aug 18, 2010
1982 album H2O
In the 1980's, Hall & Oates pared down the orchestral elegance of their early pop-soul hits for a spare, electronic sound that embraced the dominant production style of the times. However, this didn't mean they sacrificed any soulfulness to their sound: in fact, their early 1980's hits are every bit as soulful and one of the best in this area is One On One." The lyrics of "One On One" use a clever romance metaphor worthy of Smokey Robinson as they present a narrator who wants his romance to have the same directness as a one-on-one basketball game: "I'm tired of playing on the team/It seems I don't get time out anymore/What a change if we set the pace face to face/No one even trying to score." The music evokes a smooth ballad style but still works in a hook-y pop element along the way by building some sing-song syncopation into the yearning verses. Hall & Oates' recording of "One On One" is minimalist in style but very elegant, combining glossy layers of synthesizer with a quietly hypnotic drum machine rhythm and some moody saxophone work. Daryl Hall warms up this sonic backdrop with a slick, energetic lead vocal that moves from playfulness on the verses to a silky falsetto on the chorus and John Oates joins in to add some lovely call-and-response harmonies on the song's tag. This combination of styles allow "One On One" to sound modern and classical all at once and this unique fusion helped in become a top-ten hit in 1983.
Uploader Comments (nocturnalnightbird)
All Comments (6)
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love the song and the game ONE ON ONE CAN WE PLAY THAT GAME TO MY SEXY BABE:)<3<3
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Fantastic!!
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Maybe my favorite from Daryl & John ! so hard to choose just one song from this fantastic Duo !!
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Nice oldie.****
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Well....what can I say.....Instant Classic. Thank you for the upload. :):)
BSHOULD 1 year ago
@BSHOULD My pleasure! Love this song ;o)
nocturnalnightbird 1 year ago