John Oates may be involved in a contentious legal battle with his former bandmate, but that won't stop him from spreading some joy and raising awareness for a good cause with a new song, “Get Your Smile On.”
Oates said he wrote the upbeat tune during the Covid-19 pandemic when he was looking for “any positive vibe he could generate.” He began drawing the song in GarageBand, but as he got it together, he “decided to actually produce the song like he would have done in a professional recording studio.”
He continued: “I played all the instruments, programmed the keyboards and also sang all the vocals. This is the first time I've posted a pure GarageBand production. “I’m happy with the way it came out and I hope it makes you smile when you hear it.”
All proceeds from “Get Your Smile On” will be donated to Adolescent cancer in America, which was founded by Roger Daltrey of Who. The song's upbeat video also features children who are battling or have survived cancer and participating in the Teen Cancer America music program.
“John is a fantastic supporter of our charity and has given his time and talent to help the young people with cancer we serve,” Daltrey said. “He Now he features them in his latest video and donates the profits from the single to us. This means a lot to me, thank you John, from the bottom of my heart.”
“Get Your Smile On” is the seventh standalone single Oates has released this year, alongside tracks like “Disconnected” (which included a Taylor Swift-inspired video), a reggae version of the Hall and Oates classic “Maneater.” and a cover of Louis Armstrong's “What a Wonderful World.” It was also just revealed that Oates is the anteater in season 10 of The masked singer.
However, on top of all this, Oates is currently involved in a contentious lawsuit with his former bandmate and musical partner, Daryl Hall. In November, Hall sued Oates seeking a temporary restraining order, which was granted, although details were scarce as the documents were sealed. A few days later, it emerged that the lawsuit stemmed from Oates' alleged intention to sell his half of the duo's business to Primary Wave. Hal called this an “undisputed breach of contract” and filed the restraining order to stop the sale.