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Seeing your favorite band can be very expensive — even for someone as rich and famous as Harry Styles. The former One Direction member said this band was too expensive because something very specific happened to them right before he tried to get them to perform at his birthday party. Here’s a look at what Styles said about this band — and what they had to say about One Direction.

Harry Styles wearing a blue shirt in front of a white background
Harry Styles | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images

Harry Styles showed his love for this band over and over

During an interview with Rolling Stone, Styles discussed a handful of bands he admired, including Hall & Oates. “For my 21st birthday, I had a big party, and I convinced myself I really wanted Hall & Oates to play,” he said. “I knew it wasn’t going to happen — I just had to ask. But just a few months before, they went into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so whatever it was, it was now three times as much as it used to be. Their rate just tripled — ah, f*ck.”

This isn’t the only time Styles’ love of Hall and Oates came to the forefront. For a cover story in Rolling Stone, Styles spent time with author Rob Sheffield. Sheffield said Styles spent their car ride together paying classic yacht rock artists like Hall & Oates, Gerry Rafferty, and Pablo Cruise. Styles was excited when Sheffield told him soul music legend Nina Simone performed a cover of Hall & Oates’ hit “Rich Girl.” He had to hear the cover immediately.

Nina Simone’s “Rich Girl”

What Hall & Oates’ John Oates thought about Harry Styles and the other members of One Direction

In the same vein, John Oates opened up about One Direction. “I can sympathize with anyone who has mega-popstardom,” he told NME. “The issues you have to deal with when trying to retain yourself, and this dual-personality, it’s such a strain…. But at the same time, I look at what some of the individuals in One Direction are doing now, and they’re making some really good music. Obviously, they have a lot of talent, and now they can define themselves outside of the band.”

In the same interview, Oates said Hall & Oates’ songs stood the test of time. He felt that the group’s popularity among younger generations vindicated their music. Styles is certainly among the more prominent people of a younger generation to discover Hall & Oates’ discography.

Hall and Oates’ “Rich Girl”
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This raises an interesting question: Did Styles or Hall & Oates have more No.1 hits? Styles released one Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 single: “Watermelon Sugar.” On the other hand, Hall and Oates released six Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits: “Maneater,” “Rich Girl,” “Kiss on My List,” “Private Eyes,” “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” and “Out of Touch.” Styles reveres Hall & Oates — and he has a way to go before he equals their success on the charts.

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