About The Song
(Watch the video below)
"It’s the Same Old Song" is a 1965 hit single by the Four Tops, a Motown vocal group. The song was written and produced by the legendary team of Holland-Dozier-Holland, who also wrote many other classic songs for the Four Tops, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, and others. The song is about a man who hears a familiar song on the radio that reminds him of his lost love, and how he wishes he could get her back. The song has a catchy chorus and a soulful melody, and it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two on the R&B chart.
Rod Stewart recorded a cover version of It’s the Same Old Song for his 2009 album Soulbook, which featured his interpretations of various soul and R&B songs from the 1960s and 1970s. Stewart’s version has a more upbeat and modern sound, with a prominent guitar riff and a horn section. Stewart also changed some of the lyrics to make them more personal, such as “You’re sweet as a honey bee / But like a honey bee stings / You’ve gone and left my heart in pain” to "You’re sweet as a honey bee / But like a honey bee stings / You’ve gone and left my heart in two"2. Stewart performed the song live on the TV show Dancing With The Stars in 2009.
Some interesting facts about It’s the Same Old Song are:
- The song was written and recorded in less than 24 hours, as a response to a lawsuit from the Four Tops’ former label, who claimed they had breached their contract by leaving. The Four Tops needed a new song to release quickly, so Holland-Dozier-Holland reused the backing track from their previous hit, I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch), and wrote new lyrics and a new melody over it.
- The song has been covered by many other artists, such as the Supremes, the Temptations, KC and the Sunshine Band, Boyzone, and Phil Collins.
- The song was used in a 1997 commercial for the Ford Escort, featuring the Four Tops singing along with the car’s radio.
- The song was also used in the 2000 film High Fidelity, starring John Cusack as a record store owner who makes a mixtape for his ex-girlfriend, and includes the song as a way of telling her how he feels.
Video
Lyrics
Let's sing along with the lyrics!
A sentimental fool am I
To hear a old love song and wanna cry
But the melody keeps haunting me
Reminding me how in love we used to be
I eep hearing the part that used to touch my heart
Saying together forever breaking up never
Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
It's the same, same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
You're sweet as a honey bee
But like a honey bee stings you've gone and left my heart in pain
All you left is our favorite song
The one we danced to all night long
It used to bring sweet memories
Of a tender love that used to be
Now it's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
It's the same old song
But with a different meaning since you been gone
Precious memories keep a lingering on
Everytime I hear our favorite song now you're gone
Left this emptiness
I only reminisce the happiness we spent
We used to dance on the music
Make romance through the music