DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - KISS ON MY LIST

Estrena: novembre de 1980

Llistes: EUA: #1 (3 setmanes)  Regne Unit: #33

"Kiss on My List" és una cançó escrita per Daryl Hall i Janna Allen, i produïda per Hall i John Oates. Llançada com el tercer senzill del seu novè àlbum d'estudi, “Voices”, la cançó es va convertir en el seu segon número u al Billboard Hot 100 dels Estats Units, després de "Rich Girl" el 1977. Va liderar la llista durant tres setmanes.

"Kiss on My List" sovint és malinterpretada com una cançó d'amor romàntica, ja que molta gent pensa que la lletra diu "kiss on my lips", però Daryl Hall la descriu com una "cançó antiamor". La lletra clau, "Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life" (El teu petó és a la meva llista de les millors coses de la vida), no significa que el petó sigui la millor cosa, sinó només un element de la llista del protagonista, minimitzant-ne la importància. Hall va explicar que és tot el contrari d'una cançó d'amor tradicional, desafiant la interpretació típica que parla d'un amor profund i apassionat.

La versatilitat musical de Hall & Oates va contribuir al seu estatus com el duet més venut de tots els temps, i la seva cançó "Kiss on My List" és un exemple de com van captar l'estil dels anys 80 amb teclats i grans cors. En una entrevista, John Oates va destacar que van resistir la idea de ser encasellats en un sol gènere musical. Tot i que no van explorar tots els estils, tant Oates com Daryl Hall tenien gustos musicals diversos. Van començar com a compositors, i les seves àmplies influències els van permetre crear música que transcendia les categories específiques, encara que el seu èxit sovint s'associava amb certs sons.

"Kiss on My List" va ser coescrita per Janna Allen, germana de la núvia de Daryl Hall, Sara Allen. Tot i que Janna no tenia experiència prèvia com a compositora, va coescriure diversos èxits per Hall & Oates, com "Private Eyes" i "Did It in a Minute". Inicialment, la cançó estava destinada a Janna, ja que aspirava a convertir-se en artista en solitari. Janna va morir de leucèmia als 36 anys, el 1993. Daryl Hall va gravar una demo de la cançó per a ella, però a l'equip de Hall & Oates els va agradar tant que van insistir que el duet la llancés ells mateixos. La demo, amb ajustos mínims com la incorporació de cors, es va utilitzar com la versió final. Això explica el so "simple" de la bateria, ja que la pista inclou una caixa de ritmes Roland CR-78 combinada amb bateria en viu.

Daryl Hall va mencionar que Eddie Van Halen li va dir que havia copiat la part de sintetitzador de "Kiss on My List" i l'havia utilitzat en l'èxit de Van Halen, "Jump". Hall no va tenir cap problema amb això, mostrant-se indiferent per la similitud i aparentment afalagat per la inspiració que Van Halen va treure de la seva cançó.

DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES - KISS ON MY LIST

Released: November 1980

Charts: US: #1 (3 weeks)   UK: #33 

"Kiss on My List" is a song written by Daryl Hall and Janna Allen, and produced by Hall and John Oates. Released as the third single from their ninth studio album “Voices”, the song became their second number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, following "Rich Girl" in 1977. It topped the chart for three weeks.

"Kiss on My List" is often misinterpreted as a romantic love song, with many people thinking the lyric is "kiss on my lips", but Daryl Hall describes it as an "anti-love song." The key lyric, "Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life", doesn't mean the kiss is the best thing, but rather just one item on the guy's list, downplaying its significance. Hall explained that it's the opposite of a traditional love song, challenging the typical interpretation that it's about deep, passionate love.

Hall & Oates' musical versatility contributed to their status as the best-selling duo of all time, and their song "Kiss on My List" is an example of how they captured the '80s sound with keyboards and big choruses. John Oates emphasized in an interview that they resisted being boxed into a single musical genre. While they didn't explore every style, such as jazz fusion, both Oates and Daryl Hall had diverse musical tastes. They started out as songwriters, and their broad influences allowed them to create music that transcended specific categories, even if their success was often associated with certain sounds.

"Kiss on My List" was co-written by Janna Allen, sister of Daryl Hall's longtime girlfriend Sara Allen. Although Janna had no prior songwriting experience, she co-wrote several hits for Hall & Oates, including "Private Eyes" and "Did It in a Minute". Originally, the song was intended for Janna, as she aspired to become a solo artist. Daryl Hall recorded a demo of the song for her, but the Hall & Oates team liked it so much that they insisted the duo release it themselves. The demo, with minimal adjustments like added background vocals, was used as the final version. This explains the "dinky" drum sound, as the track featured a Roland CR-78 drum machine combined with live drumming. Janna passed away from leukemia at the age of 36 in 1993.

Daryl Hall mentioned that Eddie Van Halen told him he had copied the synth part from "Kiss on My List" and used it in Van Halen's hit song "Jump". Hall expressed no issue with this, showing he was unbothered by the similarity and seemingly flattered by the inspiration Van Halen drew from their track.