Maneater (Hall & Oates song)
Encyclopedia
"Maneater" is a single recorded by American
duo Hall & Oates
from their 1982 album H2O
. It reached number-one on the Billboard
Hot 100
chart on December 18, 1982. It remained in the top spot for four weeks, more than any of the duo's five other number-one hits, including Kiss on My List
, which remained in the top spot for three weeks.
Hall also opined -
NME
- November 1982
. A young woman in a short party dress is shown in fade-in and fade-out shots, along with a black jaguar
, hence the song line "The woman is wild, a she-cat tamed by the purr of a Jaguar." The song refrain is "Whoa, oh here she comes; watch out boy, she'll chew you up; whoa, oh here she comes, she's a maneater."
for her song, also called "Maneater
" from her album Loose. The song was sampled once more in 2006 when the Ying Yang Twins
(featuring Wyclef
and Mr. Collipark
) released the song "Dangerous
." The Hall & Oates version features a saxophone solo by Charles "Mr. Casual" DeChant
. American rapper Hot Karl used the music and chorus in a song, also called "Maneater," satirizing the hip hop
industry. In his introduction, Karl alludes to the original song's popularity, telling the audience "I don't want to see any of you really hard guys not singing the words, because I know you know 'em! You don't not know 'Maneater'!" A cover of the song is also used as the theme for the pilot episode of the Adult Swim
show Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil
. Hall and Oates also appeared on Will and Grace during Grace's wedding to James, singing "Maneater" as she walked down the aisle.
) contains a sample from the Hall & Oates song "Maneater".
The now defunct Chicago band Split Habit
covered the song live, and also included it on their 2004 album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
.
Indie rock band Harvey Danger
recorded a cover of this song for their final album Dead Sea Scrolls.
Las Vegas band The Kickwurmz released two versions of the song circa 1998: Maneater, and Man Eata' Digital Media House Remix.
The original version of the song is heard in the 1999 film Runaway Bride
, and appears on the soundtrack. Early in the movie Richard Gere
's character Ike Graham describes several mythological 'Maneaters' in a newspaper column, and then cites one human one, Julia Roberts
's Maggie Carpenter, who's left multiple men standing at the altar.
In the season one Scrubs episode "My Bed Banter and Beyond," Dr. Cox tells a psychologist that his wife is "a man-eater. And I'm not talking about the 'whoa-whoa, here she comes' kind."
Jazz/electronica group The Bird and the Bee
covered the song live with John Oates on March 5, 2010 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, California. Their album Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates
includes a studio recorded cover of "Maneater," featuring backing vocals from Garbage
vocalist Shirley Manson
, and was released March 23, 2010.
In 2009, the song appeared on the "Ballad Of Gay Tony" episode of the video game, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
, as a part of the Vice City FM
radio station.
The North American release of Ys I and II Chronicles features a reference to Maneater at the start of Ys I.
In the Beavis and Butthead episode "Sign Here," the duo watches the music video.
In 2011, indie rock
band The Wooden Birds
covered this song as a b-side on their "Two Matchsticks" single.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
duo Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates
Hall & Oates are an American musical duo composed of Daryl Hall and John Oates. They achieved their greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Both sing and play instruments. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul."...
from their 1982 album H2O
H2O (Hall & Oates album)
H2O is the eleventh studio album from Daryl Hall and John Oates, released in 1982. A hit, it featured three top 10 US singles, one being "Maneater", which was the biggest hit of their career, spending four weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts...
. It reached number-one on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart on December 18, 1982. It remained in the top spot for four weeks, more than any of the duo's five other number-one hits, including Kiss on My List
Kiss on My List
"Kiss on My List" is a 1981 song recorded by Daryl Hall and John Oates. It was the third single from their album Voices, and became their second Billboard Hot 100 number-one single in 1981 ....
, which remained in the top spot for three weeks.
Background and writing
In an interview with American Songwriter, Daryl Hall states:John had written a prototype of "Maneater;" he was banging it around with Edgar WinterEdgar WinterEdgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
. It was like a reggae song. I said, "Well, the chords are interesting, but I think we should change the groove." I changed it to that Motown kind of groove. So we did that, and I played it for Sara [Allen] and sang it for her…[Sings] "Oh here she comes/Watch out boy she’ll chew you up/Oh here she comes/She’s a maneater… and a…" I forget what the last line was. She said, "Drop that shit in the end and go, 'She’s a maneater,' and stop! And I said, 'No, you’re crazy, that’s messed up.'" Then I thought about it, and I realized she was right. And it made all the difference in the song.
Hall also opined -
NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
- November 1982
Music video
The Hall & Oates music video opens with a woman (Aleksandra Duncan) walking down a red staircase, and the band playing in a dimly lit studio with shafts of light projecting down on them. The band members step in and out of the light for their lip syncLip sync
Lip sync, lip-sync, lip-synch is a technical term for matching lip movements with sung or spoken vocals...
. A young woman in a short party dress is shown in fade-in and fade-out shots, along with a black jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
, hence the song line "The woman is wild, a she-cat tamed by the purr of a Jaguar." The song refrain is "Whoa, oh here she comes; watch out boy, she'll chew you up; whoa, oh here she comes, she's a maneater."
Nelly Furtado sample
In 2006, the song and its subject matter were adapted and re-interpreted by Nelly FurtadoNelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
for her song, also called "Maneater
Maneater (Nelly Furtado song)
"Maneater" is a song written by Nelly Furtado, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, Jim Beanz and Nate "Danja" Hills for Furtado's third album, Loose . It was co-produced by Timbaland and Danja and includes influences of 1980s music by artists such as Eurythmics and Hall & Oates...
" from her album Loose. The song was sampled once more in 2006 when the Ying Yang Twins
Ying Yang Twins
The Ying Yang Twins is an Atlanta-based American crunk rap duo consisting of Kaine and D-Roc . The group debuted in 2000 and rose to mainstream popularity in 2003 collaborating with Lil Jon in his single "Get Low"...
(featuring Wyclef
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
and Mr. Collipark
Mr. Collipark
Michael Crooms, better known by his stage name Mr. Collipark and also known as DJ Smurf, is a hip hop producer and the president of his own Atlanta-based record label, Collipark Records....
) released the song "Dangerous
Dangerous (Ying Yang Twins song)
"Dangerous" is the first single by the Ying Yang Twins taken from their album Chemically Imbalanced.-Song information:The song features Wyclef Jean and Mr. Collipark, and is produced by Wyclef Jean. It contains samples from Ram Jam's version of Black Betty...
." The Hall & Oates version features a saxophone solo by Charles "Mr. Casual" DeChant
Charles DeChant
Charles "Mr. Casual" DeChant is the saxophone and keyboard player for the multi-platinum selling recording artists Hall & Oates. He has been playing in the band since its inception in the early 1970s. Notable saxophone solos are heard in "Maneater," "Say It Isn't So," and "I Can't Go for That ."...
. American rapper Hot Karl used the music and chorus in a song, also called "Maneater," satirizing the hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
industry. In his introduction, Karl alludes to the original song's popularity, telling the audience "I don't want to see any of you really hard guys not singing the words, because I know you know 'em! You don't not know 'Maneater'!" A cover of the song is also used as the theme for the pilot episode of the Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
show Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil
Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil
Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil is a computer-animated cartoon aired by Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim programming block. It was written & directed by Loren Bouchard, produced by Bouchard, Seth and Josh Piezas, and animated by Fluid Animation. It starred Melissa Bardin Galsky as Lucy,...
. Hall and Oates also appeared on Will and Grace during Grace's wedding to James, singing "Maneater" as she walked down the aisle.
Legal action
In November 2008, Hall & Oates initiated legal action against their music publisher (Warner/Chappell Music). An unidentified singer-songwriter was alleged to have used "Maneater" in a 2006 recording, infringing copyright, and by failing to sue for copyright infringement, Warner Chappell Music were alleged to have breached their contract with Hall and Oates.Cover versions and pop culture references
The song "We're Live (Danger)" by rapper Royce Da 5'9" (which was featured in the highly acclaimed game Grand Theft Auto IIIGrand Theft Auto III
Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 open world action computer and video game developed by DMA Design in the United Kingdom, and published by Rockstar Games. It is the first 3D title in the Grand Theft Auto series. It was released in October 2001 for the PlayStation 2, May 2002 for Microsoft Windows,...
) contains a sample from the Hall & Oates song "Maneater".
The now defunct Chicago band Split Habit
Split Habit
Split Habit was a power pop band founded in Lemont, Illinois in 1997.-Overview:The original line-up consisted of Travis Brown , Johnny Smoke and Chris Michaels . The band recorded a four song demo and began playing small all ages and 21 and up venues around Illinois...
covered the song live, and also included it on their 2004 album Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is" is a song by Australian rock band Jet, and is the third track on their second album Shine On. It was released 18 September 2006 as the lead single from that album in the UK, peaking at #23 in the UK Singles Chart . The song was released to American radio outlets...
.
Indie rock band Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger
Harvey Danger was an American indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1993, and rose to prominence in 1998 with the single "Flagpole Sitta." On August 29, 2009, the band played its final show at the Crocodile Cafe in Seattle....
recorded a cover of this song for their final album Dead Sea Scrolls.
Las Vegas band The Kickwurmz released two versions of the song circa 1998: Maneater, and Man Eata' Digital Media House Remix.
The original version of the song is heard in the 1999 film Runaway Bride
Runaway Bride (1999 film)
Runaway Bride is a 1999 American romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere and directed by Garry Marshall. The screenplay was written by Josann McGibbon, Audrey Wells and Sara Parriott.-Plot:...
, and appears on the soundtrack. Early in the movie Richard Gere
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor. He began acting in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and a starring role in Days of Heaven. He came to prominence in 1980 for his role in the film American Gigolo, which established him as a leading man and a sex symbol...
's character Ike Graham describes several mythological 'Maneaters' in a newspaper column, and then cites one human one, Julia Roberts
Julia Roberts
Julia Fiona Roberts is an American actress. She became a Hollywood star after headlining the romantic comedy Pretty Woman , which grossed $464 million worldwide...
's Maggie Carpenter, who's left multiple men standing at the altar.
In the season one Scrubs episode "My Bed Banter and Beyond," Dr. Cox tells a psychologist that his wife is "a man-eater. And I'm not talking about the 'whoa-whoa, here she comes' kind."
Jazz/electronica group The Bird and the Bee
The Bird and the Bee
The Bird and the Bee is an American indie pop musical duo from Los Angeles, California, consisting of musicians Inara George and Greg Kurstin...
covered the song live with John Oates on March 5, 2010 at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles, California. Their album Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates
Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates
Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Daryl Hall and John Oates is the third studio album by American indie pop duo The Bird and the Bee. It was released on March 23, 2010 by Blue Note Records and is a tribute album to Hall & Oates....
includes a studio recorded cover of "Maneater," featuring backing vocals from Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
vocalist Shirley Manson
Shirley Manson
Shirley Anne Manson is a Scottish recording artist and actress, best known internationally as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Garbage. For much of her international career Manson commuted between her home city of Edinburgh to the United States to record with Garbage but now lives and...
, and was released March 23, 2010.
In 2009, the song appeared on the "Ballad Of Gay Tony" episode of the video game, Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City is a standalone compilation of the downloadable content episodes for the 2008 video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Created by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom, it contains both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony on one disc...
, as a part of the Vice City FM
Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack
The soundtrack to the game Grand Theft Auto IV, like the previous games in the series, is mostly made up of in-game radio stations. These radio stations can be listened to when driving various vehicles in the game, or at the start menu...
radio station.
The North American release of Ys I and II Chronicles features a reference to Maneater at the start of Ys I.
In the Beavis and Butthead episode "Sign Here," the duo watches the music video.
In 2011, indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band The Wooden Birds
The Wooden Birds
The Wooden Birds are a band from Austin, Texas , led by former American Analog Set frontman, Andrew Kenny, formed in 2008...
covered this song as a b-side on their "Two Matchsticks" single.
Chart performance
| Chart (1982-1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 4 |
| Netherlands Singles Chart | 18 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 4 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 |
| South African Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 5 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 14 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles | 78 |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 |