Hall And Oates: How You Make My Dreams became a streaming colossus

This might come as a surprise, but Daryl Hall and John Oates are the most commercially successful duo in the history of pop - beating everyone from Simon and Garfunkel to Daft Punk.

Formed in Philadelphia in 1970, the leather jacket aficionados have sold more than 40 million records worldwide; and, in the 1980s, they spent 246 weeks in the US charts, more than even Michael Jackson and Madonna.

They're best known in the UK for hits like Maneater and I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) but, in the streaming era, it's You Make My Dreams (Come True) that's become their most recognisable song.

From its syncopated electric piano riff to the soaring chorus, it contains three of pop's most uplifting minutes. And, although it was never released as a single in the UK, the track has notched up more than one billion streams, thanks in part to its inclusion in cult movies like The Wedding Singer and 500 Days Of Summer.

"It's a very unique situation," says Hall. "It wasn't a number one record, but what has happened to that song, and the way the world has embraced it, is absolutely astounding."

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, You Make My Dreams is being re-released as a limited edition seven-inch purple vinyl for Record Store Day this weekend.

We caught up with Hall and Oates via Zoom, to discuss the song's creation, Kermit The Frog's cover version, and their other viral hit - a bizarre 1970s video that recently resurfaced on YouTube.

But first, here's a quick refresher on the song itself.

What do you about writing You Make My Dreams?

Daryl Hall: There's other names on the credits, but I pretty much wrote the song. I was by myself, I started playing that riff on a piano and it just felt good to me, so I started writing the song.

The first words that came out of my mouth were: "You make my dreams come true." I thought: "This is no good. This is such a cliché. I've got to think of something a little more provocative." But after a while, I just went with it.

The simplicity of the chorus is contrasted by the verse, where you get into a pretty deep candle metaphor.

John Oates: I can tell you a very funny story about that. When we played the demo to our manager, his reaction was: "Who the hell do you guys think you are, Wordsworth":[]}