Rich Girl (Hall & Oates song)

Rich Girl (Hall & Oates song)

Infobox Single
Name = Rich Girl


Artist = Hall & Oates
Album = Bigger Than Both of Us
A-side =
B-side =
Released = 1977
Format = 7", 12"
Recorded = 1976
Genre = Pop/Rock
Length =
Label = RCA
Writer = Daryl Hall
Producer = Hall & Oates
Certification =
Last single = "Do What You Want, Be What You Are" (1976)
This single = "Rich Girl" (1977)
Next single = "Back Together Again" (1977)

"Rich Girl" is a song by Daryl Hall and John Oates. On March 26th, 1977, it became their first (of six) number one singles on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. The single originally appeared on the 1976 album "Bigger Than Both of Us".

The song's lyrics are about a spoiled girl who can rely on her parents' money to do whatever she wants. The song was rumored to be about the then-scandalous newspaper heiress Patty Hearst. In fact, the title character in the song is based on a spoiled heir to a fast-food chain who was an ex-boyfriend of Daryl Hall's girlfriend, Sara Allen. "But you can't write, 'You're a rich boy' in a song, so I changed it to a girl," Hall told Rolling Stone. [ [http://www.superseventies.com/sw_richgirl.html Rich Girl - Super Seventies.com] ]

Several years later, Hall read an interview with David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam killer, in which Berkowitz claimed that "Rich Girl" had motivated him to murder (though interestingly, the song was not released until after the Son of Sam murders had already begun, casting doubts on that suggestion). Hall & Oates later reflected this disturbing fact in the lyrics of the song "Diddy Doo Wop (I Hear Voices)" on the album "Voices". [ [http://www.superseventies.com/sw_richgirl.html Rich Girl - Super Seventies.com] ]

"Rich Girl" was covered by Nina Simone on her 1978 LP "Baltimore". "Rich Girl" was covered by Australian R&B singer Selwyn on his 2002 CD "Meant To Be". "Rich Girl" was covered by Everclear on their 2008 cover compilation "The Vegas Years". "Rich Girl" was covered by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their 2008 album "Have Another Ball!".

References

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
before = "Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)" by Barbra Streisand
title = Billboard Hot 100 number one single
years = March 26 - April 2, 1977
after = "Dancing Queen" by ABBA


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”