Same Old Story

Album: Take It Home (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Will Jennings and Joe Sample wrote this and several other songs on the album for King. Sample played keyboards in The Crusaders and released several solo albums. Jennings is a lyricist who started his songwriting career in the early '70s and has since worked with Steve Winwood, Roy Orbison, Jimmy Buffett, Eric Clapton and many others. Says Jennings: "Every song is the first song. When we were writing for B.B., you wrote something that B.B. would sing. We wrote two albums and half of another album from 1977 to about the mid-'80s for B.B. You just sort of become him, or become whoever you're trying to write for if you're writing that way. It's writing scripts, directives, really, personas, I guess. You try to keep it soulful, tell the truth and tell a story."
  • In our interview with Will Jennings, the songwriter explained: "'Same Old Story' is about the ins and outs and ups and downs of life in general."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks

Ron and Russell Mael of SparksSongwriter Interviews

The men of Sparks on their album Hippopotamus, and how Morrissey handled it when they suggested he lighten up.

Strange Magnetics

Strange MagneticsSong Writing

How Bing Crosby, Les Paul, a US Army Signal Corps Officer, and the Nazis helped shape rock and Roll.

Elton John

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)

Bands Named After Real People (Who Aren't In The Band)Song Writing

How a gym teacher, a janitor, and a junkie became part of some very famous band names.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.