“Say, the stolen bikes are gathering by the thousands, along with seven million people without a hope…” are lyrics to which song?

Although the melody in general and the title phrase, when sung, both sound mellow and lilting, 1972’s “Fall in Philadelphia” is both a lamentation and an indictment of their hometown by singers Daryl Hall and John Oates.

The song addresses the singer’s leaky shower, collapsing ceiling, pile of bills, gang violence, illicit drug sales, stolen bicycles, and hopelessness of the Greater Philadelphia area’s then 7 million people.

The song was first released on the duo’s debut album, “Whole Oats”. Hall was born with the surname Hohl, pronounced “whole”. The duo quickly became known as “Daryl Hall and John Oates” or simply “Hall & Oates.”

They met as rivals during a band competition in Philadelphia’s Adelphi Ballroom in 1967. When rival gangs opened fire on each other, both band leaders ran for cover in the same service elevator. There, they discovered that they both attended the city’s Temple University. When they shared a Philadelphia apartment, their mailbox was marked “Hall & Oates”.

The duo covered Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom” in 1991’s tribute album to Pianist/Vocalist Elton John and Lyricist Bernie Taupin, “Two Rooms”. In the album’s accompanying booklet, they wrote, “We chose ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ because the music is so close to our hearts, and the lyrics represent the way we feel about Philadelphia.”