Hall & Oates Appreciation Day: “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid”

To celebrate Hall & Oates’ election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Philly Mag writers are sharing their memories and thoughts about the Philly duo.

To me the great unsung (well, not literally… I mean, they obviously SANG it, but, oh, you know what I mean) tune in the H&O canon was “Some Things Are Better Left Unsaid,” a pop ballad on the duo’s last big album, 1984’s niftily titled Big Bam Boom.

The song failed to really catch on (it was eclipsed by the album’s monster hit, “Out of Touch”), but the lyrics have stayed with me for years, probably because I so very often do not leave things that are better left unsaid unsaid. While the entire LP (remember those?) is a monument to the pop sound of ’80s radio, the chorus of “Some Things” can still stab the heart of anyone who’s been through the sheer torture of unrequited love:

“Some things are better left unsaid/ Some strings are better left undone/ Some hearts are better left unbroken. Some lives are better left untouched/ Some lies are better off believed/ Some words are better left unspoken.”

Who knew peppy Hall & Oates could do bitter so well? Sitting weeping in my car, I did.