Hall, best known for hits like Maneater and Rich Girl, argued that the term never accurately represented his work. “It’s just R’n’B, with maybe some jazz in there
Legendary singer Daryl Hall has taken a strong stance against the “yacht rock” label often associated with his band Hall & Oates, calling it a “f* joke” and expressing frustration at how his music has been mischaracterized over the years. Speaking on the Broken Record podcast, Hall criticized the term, originally coined as a parody in a 2005 web series by J.D. Ryznar, Hunter Stair, and Lane Farnham, which eventually evolved into a widely used genre label. “First of all, yacht rock was a f* joke by two jerk offs in California, and suddenly it became a genre. I don’t even understand it,” the 78-year-old musician said.
Hall, best known for hits like Maneater and Rich Girl, argued that the term never accurately represented his work. “It’s just R’n’B, with maybe some jazz in there. It’s mellow R’n’B. It’s smooth R’n’B. I don’t see what the yacht part is,” he explained, adding that critics struggled to categorize Hall & Oates and instead used labels like “yacht rock” and “soft rock” to simplify their complex sound. “None of it really describes anything that I do,” he said. Hall believes the duo was “misjudged” because of the industry’s need to force artists into boxes. “They always came up with all this kind of c***… and none of it really applied.”
Other bands often lumped into the yacht rock category include Toto, Steely Dan, and The Doobie Brothers—though Hall clearly rejects the comparison.
In addition to challenging the yacht rock label, Hall also shut down any speculation about a future reunion with longtime collaborator John Oates. The two became embroiled in a legal battle in 2023 when Hall sued Oates to block the sale of his share in their joint publishing company, Whole Oats Enterprises. Hall labeled the move “the ultimate partnership betrayal.”
While unable to discuss the ongoing legal matter, Hall told The Sunday Times earlier this year, “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean,” adding that he has become accustomed to disappointment and betrayal throughout his career.
Hall also voiced frustration over the lack of recognition for his songwriting contributions, noting, “The songs with [Oates’] lead vocal are the songs he wrote, and all the other ones—which is about 90 per cent—are the ones I wrote… It was very frustrating.”
