John Oates is back with another new single: This time he’s shared a cover of the Timmy Thomas track “Why Can’t We Live Together,” which some music fans may recognize as the tune sampled in Drake‘s 2015 hit “Hotline Bling.”
“When thinking about the state of our world today I was reminded of the brilliant, classic 1970’s anti-war anthem by Timmy Thomas,” Oates shares. “The original was a stark and powerfully beautiful recording using only a primitive drum machine and Hammond B3 organ to support his haunting vocal performance.”
He adds, “I felt the time was right for me to cover this great song … but I wanted to reimagined (sic) in my own style with ‘doo wop’ style background vocals, a live band and as a final touch a very 1970s electric sitar riff that I did at home to add a little more period sweetness.”
“Why Can’t We Live Together” is the third of a series of tracks Oates will release each month. He previously released the tracks “Disconnected” and “Pushin’ a Rock.”
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.