My number one song is not my very favorite for any other reason than the way it makes me feel. It’s not about the lyrics, it’s about the melody and the earnest eighties sound. Heavy pounding on the piano, a voice that cuts the air like a hot knife through butter, a rhythm that makes you want to sway, and bouncy harmonies to which you must involuntarily bob your head. Hall & Oates had so many pop hits in the eighties but this is the one that turned them from a blue-eyed soul group from Philly to the top ten superstars of pop music. As anyone who knows me know, I tried desperately to steal John Oates’ style, with the caterpillar mustache and permed curls. Between John’s look and Daryl Hall’s icy blue voice, Hall & Oates are the curators of my mid-teen life: angst, blues, and love’s tears. Kiss On My List. This SONG is on my list of the best things in life. If I have accomplished anything, maybe when you hear it in your car or shopping at Kohl’s or wherever it may be, you’ll think of me and smile.
From the historical writing archive. Original date: December 20, 2015. Recovered from local source material; editorial review is still in progress.
