Songfacts®:

• This was the follow-up to The Four Tops' big hit "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," which spent two weeks at #1 in the US. Both songs were written by the Motown songwriting/production team of Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland, who were the right guys to call for a hit on short notice.
  
  It's common practice for groups to record a sound-alike to capitalize on the success of a hit, but this one is so similar that even the title is a nod to its similarity - it's "the same old song." But there's a reason why Holland-Dozier-Holland are one of the most successful songwriting teams ever assembled: even their knock-off hits had deeper meanings, and in this case it's a song about heartache, as The Tops sing about hearing a song a different way after a breakup. Many listeners who felt the "sugar pie, honey bunch" of "I Can't Help Myself" was a little too sweet preferred the more poignant lyrics of "It's the Same Old Song."
• In an interview with Performing Songwriter magazine, Lamont Dozier explained how this song came together: "I took the bass figure in 'I Can't Help Myself' and turned it around. The chords were different, but basically we kept the same feeling. It worked."
• The Four Tops were signed to Columbia Records in 1960, releasing just one single - "Ain't That Love" (written by their lead singer, Levi Stubbs) - before moving on to Riverside Records and eventually joining Motown in 1963. As "I Can't Help Myself" was coming off the charts, word got out that Columbia was going to re-release "Ain't That Love" to capitalize on the group's sudden success. Motown head Berry Gordy made a big push to thwart this, and put the rush on a new song. Fortunately, Holland-Dozier-Holland were very good at reworking their hits - they did it the previous year when they followed up their Martha & The Vandellas smash "Heat Wave" with the copycat "Quicksand." The Four Tops were also up for the task, as they were one of the most seasoned Motown acts.
  
  HDH quickly wrote the song, and on Thursday, July 8, it was furiously recorded and pressed. It was delivered to radio stations the next day, and by that Monday, it was in stores.
  
  Columbia did issue "Ain't That Love," but it stalled at #93 on the Hot 100.
• In 1997, The Four Tops starred in a commercial for Velveeta, where they reworked this song as "Not the Same Old Side." Sample lyric: "for a side dish made to please, you only want Velveeta shells and cheese."
• KC & The Sunshine Band followed up their 1978 single "Boogie Shoes" with a disco-style rendition of this tune. Although they put their own spin on it, the band's leader Harry Wayne Casey aka KC didn't want to stray too far from the original because he thought it would be disrespectful. Their version peaked at #35 on the Hot 100.