Music Review: Hall & Oates "Maneater"
Hall & Oates
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Maneater
Album: H20
Year: 1982
Daryl Hall cautions men against dating a woman known for breaking hearts in the prudent “Maneater.”
A wary saxophone and an alerting keyboard open the single, setting a dusky tone. In the first verse, the man sitting next to him comments on the brunette beauty hanging up her coat. Hall says she’s like a vampire, making her appearance at the trendy, expensive bars. She’s slender and walks in a quiet, quick manner. She flashes her eyes, looking for her prey. He says she’s been here before. Her modus operandi is to charm a man into conversation and later, to her bed. However, she’s not interested in anything serious unless the man is rich. He says many men have fallen for her act, giving them their love and any possessions she wants. But she’s relentless and will bare her teeth, ready to snap, until she gets what she wants. When she does get the luxurious car, she is sweet and gentle.
In the chorus, he tells the guy next to him not to be taken in and that she will only use him for her own means.
In the second verse, the man has shrugged off his advice, saying she’s worth it. Hall says he was a victim once. She’s capable of anything. She had his mind spinning, telling him it would be forever yet canceling their dates. His family told him to dump her. But he wouldn’t. Eventually, his family showed him his depleting bank account and finally, he wised up. He tells the guy to stop thinking with his penis and with his brain. He says although she is a pretty woman, she’s cruel on the inside.
The chorus is sung again.
The wary saxophone has a solo.
The chorus is sung to end the single. However, it’s adlibbed and includes lyrics from the first verse.
The woman was one he wouldn’t be able to forget – and not for the right reasons. It was a miserable experience that robbed him of his money and trust in women. If he could stop one man from making the same mistake he did, he will consider it a positive consequence of the ordeal. She said words that appealed to the vulnerable chambers of his heart. It was so easy. But when he wasn’t looking, she was buying stuff on his credit card, holding lavish parties at beach house and courting other rich men like him.
Hall’s informing, tenacious vocals intend to steer the man away from her. However, his awful relationship with her has caused him to become misogynistic. He doesn’t think well of women anymore.
The paranoid arrangement leerily observes every woman around him, suspecting them of lying and scheming.
The fearful “Maneater” is bogged down by its presumption to save all men from one woman.
Album: H20
Year: 1982
Daryl Hall cautions men against dating a woman known for breaking hearts in the prudent “Maneater.”
A wary saxophone and an alerting keyboard open the single, setting a dusky tone. In the first verse, the man sitting next to him comments on the brunette beauty hanging up her coat. Hall says she’s like a vampire, making her appearance at the trendy, expensive bars. She’s slender and walks in a quiet, quick manner. She flashes her eyes, looking for her prey. He says she’s been here before. Her modus operandi is to charm a man into conversation and later, to her bed. However, she’s not interested in anything serious unless the man is rich. He says many men have fallen for her act, giving them their love and any possessions she wants. But she’s relentless and will bare her teeth, ready to snap, until she gets what she wants. When she does get the luxurious car, she is sweet and gentle.
“She'll only come out at nights/The lean and hungry type/Nothing is new/I've seen her here before/Watching and waiting/Oh, she's sittin' with you/But her eyes are on the door/So many have paid to see/What you think/You're gettin' for free/The woman is wild/A she-cat tamed/
By the purr of a Jaguar/Money's the matter/If you're in it for love/You ain't gonna get too far.”
In the chorus, he tells the guy next to him not to be taken in and that she will only use him for her own means.
“(Oh-oh, here she comes) Watch out boy/She'll chew you up (Oh-oh, here she comes)/She's a maneater (Oh-oh, here she comes)/Watch out boy/She'll chew you up (Oh-oh, here she comes)/She's a maneater.”
In the second verse, the man has shrugged off his advice, saying she’s worth it. Hall says he was a victim once. She’s capable of anything. She had his mind spinning, telling him it would be forever yet canceling their dates. His family told him to dump her. But he wouldn’t. Eventually, his family showed him his depleting bank account and finally, he wised up. He tells the guy to stop thinking with his penis and with his brain. He says although she is a pretty woman, she’s cruel on the inside.
“I wouldn't if I were you/I know what she can do/She's deadly man/And she could really rip your world apart/Mind over matter/Oh, the beauty is there/But a beast is in the heart.”
The chorus is sung again.
The wary saxophone has a solo.
The chorus is sung to end the single. However, it’s adlibbed and includes lyrics from the first verse.
“Oh (Oh-oh, here she comes)/Here she comes/Watch out boy/She'll chew you up/(Whoa-oh, here she comes/(Watch out) she's a maneater/(Oh-oh, here she comes)She's a maneater/Ooh, she'll chew you up (Oh-oh, here she comes)/Here she comes, she's a maneater (Oh-oh, here she comes)/(Watch out)/She'll only come out at night, ooh-oh (Oh-oh, here she comes)/Here she comes/She's a maneater (Oh-oh, here she comes)/She's a maneater (The woman is wild, whoa)/(Oh-oh, here she comes) Here she comes/Watch out boy, watch out boy(Oh-oh, here she comes)/Oh, watch out, watch out/Watch out, watch out (Oh-oh, here she comes)/(Yeah, yeah) she's a maneater/(Oh-oh, here she comes) She's a maneater/She's watching and waiting, ooh-oh (Oh-oh, here she comes)/Oh, she's a maneater.”
The woman was one he wouldn’t be able to forget – and not for the right reasons. It was a miserable experience that robbed him of his money and trust in women. If he could stop one man from making the same mistake he did, he will consider it a positive consequence of the ordeal. She said words that appealed to the vulnerable chambers of his heart. It was so easy. But when he wasn’t looking, she was buying stuff on his credit card, holding lavish parties at beach house and courting other rich men like him.
Hall’s informing, tenacious vocals intend to steer the man away from her. However, his awful relationship with her has caused him to become misogynistic. He doesn’t think well of women anymore.
The paranoid arrangement leerily observes every woman around him, suspecting them of lying and scheming.
The fearful “Maneater” is bogged down by its presumption to save all men from one woman.