The much more prolific and in-the-know music bloggers over at am.fm.pm recently posted a pretty great Motown story I hadn't heard before:
The same day that The Four Tops' "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" hit number one in 1965, Columbia Records, the Tops' former label, re-released "Ain't That Love" in an effort to ride Motown's coattails to the top of the charts.
Naturally, Berry Gordy was furious. Reaching out to the songwriting crew Holland-Dozier-Holland, Berry decreed that a new Four Tops single was to be released in one day's time. Their solution: reversing "I Can't Help Myself" with the same chord progressions in tact. By the time evening fell, the Tops had recorded the track, now titled "It's The Same Old Song". By 3pm the following day, 1500 singles were in the hands of DJs across the country.
One of pop music's great dodges.
Find the full post - and a fun Four Tops/Kings of Leon mashup - here.
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