John Oates has shared a rendition of John Prine‘s 2005 Fair & Square track “Long Monday.” It’s from his new solo album Reunion (due May 17), and he writes, “I chose to record ‘Long Monday’ due to the evocative nature and down-to-earth beauty of the song’s story. I think it’s important to respect a songwriter’s work. Because of that I wanted to remain faithful to the lyrics and melody while, at the same time, making it my own as far as the arrangement. It was recorded in Nashville at Addiction Sound Studio. The mandolin genius Sierra Hull put her finishing touch on the recording.” Hear his version below, along with Prine’s original.
Oates has been embroiled in a legal battle with his Hall & Oates partner Daryl Hall, who took out a restraining order against Oates. Most recently, Oates told Rolling Stone that he’s “moved on” from the band. “Daryl Hall is an amazing individual,” he told Rolling Stone. “He is one of the great, great songwriters of all time, and without a doubt, one of the great singers of all time. I would never say anything negative about him. But we have a different strategy for our lives, and we have a different strategy for our business lives as well as our personal lives. And that’s that, so be it. We’re old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do.”
“There’s always disputes when people are famous,” Oates continued to Rolling Stone. “People are always fascinated about the dynamics of a duo. And to be quite honest, Daryl and I have a business partnership, and there was some things about the business that we disagreed with, which happens all the time in business. And we’re going to work it out.”
Oates will be touring for his new album, and you can see all dates below.
JOHN OATES: 2024 TOUR DATES
April 28 – Corona, CA – Dos Lagos Amphitheater
May 2-3-5- Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum
May 7 – St. Louis, MO – City Winery
May 8- Chicago, IL – City Winery
May 22 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
June 7-8 – Cedaredge, CO – Grand Mesa Songwriter Festival
June 10 – Nashville, TN – City Winery
June 25 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial Hall
June 26 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre + Ballroom
June 27 – Rochester, NY – Rochester International Jazz Festival
August 15 – Cape May, NJ – Cape May Convention Hall
August 17 – Philadelphia, PA – Philadelphia Folk Festival
August 22 – Newton, NJ – The Newtown Theater
August 24 – Beverly, MA – The Cabot
August 25 – Nantucket, MA – Dreamland