Hall & Oates

Songwriter: Daryl Hall

Producer: Arif Mardin

They sat in an Abandoned Luncheonette
Sipping imaginary cola and drawing faces in the tabletop dust
His voice was rusty from years as a sergeant on "this man's army"
They were old and crusty

She was twenty when the diner was a baby
He was the dishwasher, busy in the back, his hands covered with gravy
Hair black and wavy
Brilliantine slick, a pot - cleaning dandy
He was young and randy

Day to day, to day... today
Then they were old, their lives wasted away
Month to month, year to year
They all run together
Time measured by the peeling of paint on the luncheonette wall

They sat together in the empty diner
Filled with cracked china
Old news was blowing across the filthy floor
And the sign on the door read "this way out", that's all it read
That's all it said

Hall & Oates released the first of their 18 albums in 1972 on Atlantic Records. They would go on to sell 13 million albums and 6 million singles primarily during the 70’s and 80’s when they recorded their most prolific and profound music. They blended rock, jazz, soul, and pop create a genre they titled rock and soul.

While their technical musicianship, innovative songwriting styles, and popular live performances were praised, they also had a fruitful partnership with their manager Tommy Mottola, who was helped Hall & Oates break into music videos before they were popular and made profitable financial deals by helping them get on the ground level of and corporate sponsorship of tours. Hall & Oates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.

more tracks from the album

Abandoned Luncheonette

From the albums

Abandoned Luncheonette (1973)
The Atlantic Collection (1996)

Hall & Oates popular songs

Abandoned LuncheonetteHall & Oates

Hall & Oates

Abandoned Luncheonette