"Private Eyes" is the hit 1981 single by Hall & Oates and the title track from their album of that year. The song was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts for 2 weeks, from November 7 through November 20, 1981. This single was the band's third of six #1 hits (the first two being "Rich Girl" and "Kiss on My List") and their second #1 hit of the 1980s. Interestingly, it was succeeded by Olivia Newton-John's "Physical," which was in turn succeeded by another #1 hit from Hall and Oates, "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)."

In an interview with American Songwriter, Daryl Hall states: "That’s a real Janna Allen [co-writer and sister of Sara Allen] song. Janna, and I, and Warren Pash wrote that. Warren and Janna wrote most of the song, and I took it and changed it around-changed the chords. Sandy [Sara Allen] and I wrote the lyrics. It’s a real family song, the Allen sisters and me."

The music video featured the band dressed as detectives and was the first to feature the backup band of guitarist G. E. Smith, bassist Tom "T-Bone" Wolk, drummer Mickey Curry, and saxophone/keyboardist Charles DeChant. The song was co-written with Canadian songwriter Warren Pash.

The single carries a similar rhythm to the duo's number one hit from earlier that year, "Kiss On My List," with the difference being a handclap chorus that has made the song an audience-participation favorite at live Hall and Oates shows. It was one of the duo's first songs to appear in heavy rotation on MTV.

The song is performed by private investigator Vinnie Van Lowe in the Veronica Mars episode "Kanes and Abel's." After Veronica tries to bug Vinnie's office, he asks his receptionist (also his mother) who his favorite band is, then leans out the window and sings the song to an eavesdropping Veronica. At one point he changes the chorus from "Private Eyes" to "Veronica Mars/I'm watching you."

The Disney Channel ran a DTV music video of the song, set mostly to clips from the Goofy cartoon short How to Be a Detective.

Captain Kangarooin the early '80's had a puppet vignette of the song.

On the August 13 , 2007 episode of WWE Raw, John "Bradshaw" Layfield and Michael Cole dressed up as Hall & Oates and sang versions of "Private Eyes" and "Rich Girl."

In episode 3x16 of Psych, An Evening With Mr. Yang, Detective Lassiter is shown singing along to the song playing on his iPod. USA Network later parodied the original music video to "Private Eyes" in a promo for the television series.