![]() ![]() It’s as clear as clear can be,” he said, further illuminating the Thomas cover. It’s straightforward and it’s easy to understand. “The mark of a great song is that it can transcend generations and time. But it just seemed like the right thing to do - and maybe reintroduce the song to a younger generation and hopefully bring back the awareness of such a profound but simple statement,” Oates said. “I’ve never been that overtly political when it comes to music. The third in Oates’ monthly release series, “Why Can’t We Live Together” follows “Disconnected” and “Pushin’ A Rock.” While it’s the only one of the three to skew political, all three songs nevertheless manage to address the times. I added background vocals and a lot more instrumentation,” he said of his cover, which incorporates instruments like sitar. I wanted to dress it up in my own personal musical clothes and make it a little bit more my own. “I think the charm of the original is that it’s so stark, which really gave it a lot of character. But sometimes you can’t mess with perfection, you know? And I’m glad that more musically sensible minds prevailed,” said Oates. “I read a backstory on it, that there were record company people or A&R people who thought it wasn’t finished, that it needed more instrumentation. For Oates, the challenge lay in finding a way to make the unique track his own. Sampled by Drake in the 2015 hit “Hotline Bling,” the track is one fans have come to expect hearing a certain way. The song famously features only vocals, drum machine and Hammond B-3 organ. Topping the Billboard R&B chart in 1973, the contemplative, sparsely arranged masterpiece remains eerily relevant five decades later with race relations in America and the war in Ukraine making headlines. “Why Can’t We Live Together” was written in 1972 near near the end of the Vietnam War, an anti-war anthem which further tackles issues like race. “You just just have to have a constant level of awareness to somehow cut through the morass of hundreds of thousands of songs being released every day. And in between putting out music, you’re making alternative versions or acoustic versions,” said Oates. “This whole concept of always on - that you’re always there in that space of social media and in the digital, virtual space. 2019 at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky Photo by Barry Brecheisen John Oates performs on stage during the Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival. ![]()
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