John Oates Admits It's a 'Miracle' Hall & Oates 'Lasted That Long'

John Oates is reflecting on his 50-plus year history with his longtime bandmate Daryl Hall, amid the pair's acrimonious falling out and pending lawsuit. However, the 76-year-old surprisingly says he has "unbelievable memories" from the peak of their heyday with Hall & Oates, while also admitting that it wasn't always easy to get along.

In a new interview with People, Oates says the band was "an experience that cannot be replicated," and is still proud of their legacy.

"A real bond between two young guys who were trying to achieve something and found a partner who could help do that. It really very seldom happens in life," Oates told the publication. "So I’m extremely proud and grateful, and really, I have a lot of respect for the body of work that we created and the unbelievable experiences that we had together."

“At the same time, after 50 years, people grow apart," he continued. "And I always thought it was a miracle that it lasted that long."

In November, Hall filed a lawsuit against Oates for breach of contract, accusing him of attempting to sell his share of a company the duo had formed to control some of the group's assets to a third party. Hall claimed to have been "blindsided" by the decision, and Oates in turn filed his own legal declaration, accusing his former partner of making their private dispute public.

Yet, even now, Oates says that he and Hall never had any creative issues, and that they disagreed when it came to their shared business endeavors.

"I think what happened was our partnership was established 50 years ago, and the documentation of that partnership was outdated and completely irrelevant to the people we became 50 years later," he explained. "And when it was time to reevaluate how to modernize and how to make that partnership function in a better way, we had changed so radically as people that there was really no way to compromise on that."

"Those songs will remain as the soundtrack for people’s lives. The songs don’t go away," he added. "And that’s the beauty of this long-term partnership. The thing that we created will endure. That’s the important thing. I’m proud of everything we’ve done."

But despite those glowing words, last month Oates told Rolling Stone that it was unlikely the pair would ever share a stage together again. (The last time they played a show together was October 2022.) "As far as I’m concerned, I’ve moved on," Oates said at the time. "I feel like I have a new lease on my creative life."

Having said that, Oates admitted that he would be "always open" to mend his friendship with Hall.

"Daryl Hall is an amazing individual. He is one of the great, great songwriters of all time, and without a doubt, one of the great singers of all time," he said. "I would never say anything negative about him. But we have a different strategy for our lives, and we have a different strategy for our business lives as well as our personal lives. And that’s that, so be it. We’re old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do."

In the meantime, Oates is releasing his sixth solo album, coincidentally titled Reunion, on May 17.