(May 19, 2023) Back in 1982, Daryl Hall & John Oates released a charttopping single that would become one of their signature songs. “Maneater” bore a pounding beat and classic early 80s production, and took the music world by storm.
But John Oates, who wrote the chorus, had always thought of it in his head as a reggae style hook, as he wrote it after a trip to Jamaica. He mentioned that to Questlove in an interview last year, and that all led to Oates going back into the studio with producer friend Wayne Johnson, to re-record “Maneater” in Jamaica with an all-star cast of musician.
The result is a brand new version of the classic song in full reggae style, released today by Oates as a solo project. Oates says: “I tried to approach the reggae version of ‘Maneater’ as if I was a new artist, as if I was not associated with Hall & Oates in any way. I wanted to see if I could reimagine it in a way that would make it fresh again and really work with the vibe of the players who were in that were in the studio in Jamaica.”
This is yet another in a series of singles released by Oates over the past two years, but the first with such an auspicious backstory. Check out the new version of “Maneater” below
John Oates – “Maneater” (Reggae Version”
