Family Man

The story behind

Daryl Hall and John Oates put an unexpected spin on an existing song. "Family Man" wasn't originally theirs: it was composed by Mike Oldfield for his album Five Miles Out, but the voice everyone remembers is that of Maggie Reilly. According to various accounts, the lyrics tell of a man approached by a woman on the street. When Hall and Oates covered it for their album H2O, they gave it a rawer, more direct feel, as if rock and soul had met in an alley in Philadelphia. The result not only sounded different from the original but also resonated with audiences in a new way.The recording had an interesting detail: the mix was handled by Hugh Padgham, known for his work with 80s bands, and production was shared by the three: Hall, Oates, and Neil Kernon. In 1998, Oldfield clarified in an interview that he composed the music for the chorus, while the verses were written by other collaborators. Even Tim Cross claimed to have written much of the lyrics and mentioned Rick Fenn as the inspiration for the "family man" character in the song. The track climbed the charts: in the United States it reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and in the UK it peaked at 15. Oldfield's original, however, didn't even chart in the US and only reached 45 in the UK, though it did hit number 29 in Canada.