“Private Eyes” was the lead single from the 1981 album of the same name. That November, the song topped the Hot 100 for two weeks. The next ten weeks saw Olivia Newton-John’s “Physical” in the top spot, but it was followed by Hall & Oates again with their next single “I Can’t Go For That”. Little did Olivia know she’d end up being the meat in a Hall & Oates sandwich! “Private Eyes” was also a hit in Canada, Australia and the UK. It was certified Gold in the US & Canada.

The song is about romantic obsession and intuition, using the dramatic imagery of a dime store detective novel to describe a jealous lover unsure of the fidelity of his partner for a number of reasons. As if to instill empathy in the jealous guy, the listener is forced to do investigating as well to create a theory about what may really be going on in this song.

It was originally written by songwriter Warren Pash as “I Need You To Need Me”. Unsatisfied with it, a billboard for the 1980 film The Private Eyes inspired him to rewrite it. Pash presented a demo of the track to Sara Allen, a songwriter – and Daryl Hall’s main squeeze at the time, who brought it to Hall & Oates.