Hall & Oates’ fifth studio album established the duo as a major pop force, with Rich Girl becoming their first US No. 1 single.
by Paul Cashmere
Hall & Oates’ Bigger Than Both Of Us turns 50 in August 2026, marking five decades since Daryl Hall and John Oates released the album that delivered their first Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single. Released by RCA Records in August 1976, the album reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200 and became a defining point in the Philadelphia-bred duo’s move towards mainstream pop success.
Bigger Than Both Of Us was the fifth studio album from Hall & Oates and arrived during a period when the partnership was developing a broader commercial identity. The album combined Hall’s lead vocals and keyboards with Oates’ rhythm guitar and vocals, supported by a substantial studio ensemble and arrangements from producer Christopher Bond.
Its commercial significance became clearer after the album’s release. Rich Girl, written by Hall, became the first of six Hall & Oates singles to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song entered the US Top 40 in February 1977 and reached No. 1 on March 26, 1977. It was also successful internationally, reaching No. 6 in Australia and No. 5 in Canada.
Rich Girl was built around a real-life character known to Hall through his then-partner Sara Allen. Hall later explained that the song was inspired by Allen’s former college boyfriend, Victor Walker, whose wealthy family could protect him from the consequences of his behaviour. Hall initially wrote the central idea around a “rich guy”, but changed the gender because the original wording did not work musically.
The song has subsequently acquired a complicated cultural history. A later claim by serial killer David Berkowitz that Rich Girl had influenced his crimes was inconsistent with the chronology of the song’s release and the beginning of the Son of Sam murders. Hall & Oates later referenced the disturbing episode in Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear The Voices) from their 1980 album Voices.
Bigger Than Both Of Us was recorded at Cherokee Studios in Hollywood and mixed at Sound Labs. Bond produced the album, with John Arrias and John Mills engineering and mixing. Allen Zentz handled mastering at Allen Zentz Mastering in San Clemente, California.
The album’s nine tracks included Back Together Again, Rich Girl, Crazy Eyes, Do What You Want, Be What You Are and Kerry on the first side, followed by London Luck & Love, Room To Breathe, You’ll Never Learn and Falling.
Back Together Again, written by Oates, became another significant single, reaching No. 28 in the US. Do What You Want, Be What You Are peaked at No. 39. The album itself reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, establishing a stronger commercial platform for what would become one of the most successful partnerships in American pop music.
The album’s personnel reflected the scale of the production. Alongside Hall and Oates were Christopher Bond, Tom Hensley, Scotty Edwards, Leland Sklar, Jim Gordon, Ed Greene, Gary Coleman, Tom Scott and Charles DeChant. James Getzoff served as concertmaster and conductor, while Stephen Dees contributed co-arrangements to Kerry.
The subsequent success of Rich Girl extended beyond Hall & Oates’ original recording. Australian R&B singer Selwyn recorded a new version in 2002, retaining the chorus while changing sections of the verses. His recording reached No. 9 in Australia and No. 20 in New Zealand, making it his highest-charting single in both countries. In Australia, it was certified Gold and ranked No. 50 on the 2002 year-end singles chart.
Bigger Than Both Of Us also established a pattern that would continue through Hall & Oates’ later catalogue. A year after its release, the duo used Bigger Than Both Of Us as the title of a song on their 1977 album Beauty On A Back Street, distinguishing the album title from the later composition.
The album’s 50th anniversary provides an opportunity to reassess the point at which Hall & Oates’ songwriting and studio craft translated into major chart success. While contemporary critical responses were mixed, the commercial trajectory of Rich Girl and the album’s Billboard 200 performance place Bigger Than Both Of Us firmly within the duo’s career timeline as they moved towards their most commercially significant period.
Tracklisting
Back Together Again
Rich Girl
Crazy Eyes
Do What You Want, Be What You Are
Kerry
London Luck & Love
Room To Breathe
You’ll Never Learn
Falling
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