Private Eyes by Hall and Oates (1981)
Forget about this album? No can do!
It’s been nearly 45 years since Hall and Oates released their tenth album, Private Eyes. The album was released by RCA Records on September 1, 1981, and went on to sell more than a million copies and be awarded Platinum status by both the RIAA and Music Canada. The album’s success can partially be attributed to its first two singles, “Private Eyes” and “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”.
“Private Eyes”, the album’s first single, hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for two weeks in November, 1981. MTV was then only a few months old at that time and the on-the-nose video for “Private Eyes” featuring Hall and Oates dressed as stereotypical detectives (complete with a large magnifying glass) sleuths, helped to boost both the song’s and album’s popularity.
“Private Eyes” lost the number one position to Olivia Newton John’s “Physical,” but retook the top slot just a few weeks later with the second single from Private Eyes, “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)”. The song also charted in the U.K., and went on to become the pair’s first top ten single across the pond.
I was pretty young when “I Can’t Go For That (No Can Do)”) was released and I don’t remember ever hearing the phrase “no can do” prior to that song. I did some digging on the phrase and apparently it’s origins were a bit racist. Apparently the phrase was originally used to mock Chinese immigrants with poor English skills. I know in my heart that’s not why Hall and Oates included it in their song, and it’s certainly not why my friends and I picked up on it around that time. My dad loved the phrase and I remember him looking for any reason to utter it around our house.
“Hey, dad, can I borrow twenty bucks?”
“No can dooooo!”
Additional singles from the 1981 album including “Did It in a Minute” and “Your Imagination” permanently seeded Private Eyes in the Hall and Oates lexicon of great albums. Not only are “Private Eyes” and “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” still being played on the radio today, but many Hall and Oates songs have been sampled by a new artists, exposing these classics to an entirely new generation of music fans.
Daryl Hall and John Oates are officially recognized as the best selling duo of all time, selling more than 40 million albums throughout their career. In 2014, the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In recent years Hall and Oates have had a falling out and it appears the two men may never perform together again. Then again, nothing is forever especially in the entertainment industry.
Give up on Hall and Oates reuniting? No can dooooo!