Saturday Morning Soundtrack #63: "Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith (1974)

I had a very difficult time picking a song from 1974. Sure, there are a few obvious hits ("Sweet Home Alabama," anyone?) but nothing that really blew my hair back. Who knew '74 was such a down year for rock and roll?


Fortunately, I remembered this early gem from "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band . . . ."

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Saturday Morning Soundtrack @ Youtube

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"Same Old Song and Dance" by Aerosmith (1974)

What sets the band Aerosmith apart from all those other early hard rock bands and the hair metal acts to follow them? What makes the boys from Boston stand out above bands like Telsa, Whitesnake, or Quiet Riot? It's their background in blues music and how they manage to meld that style (and ideology) with hard rock to create a sound that transcends both genres. Simply put: there are a lot of great rock bands out there with killer guitar riffs, but none of them sound quite like Aerosmith.

No lead singer sounds quite like Steven Tyler either (though many, many have tried).

"Same Old Song and Dance" is an excellent example of that distinctive musical style. The song is built around a fairly simple (and quite memorable) Joe Perry riff with synchronized lyrics that tell of a guy who habitually makes poor mistakes. It's not a traditional linear narrative. Rather, it uses a trail as a metaphor to make a point about self-improvement and those people from whom it's always the "same old story, same old song and dance."

It's characteristically witty (another quality that sets Aerosmith apart) with lines like "With the judge, constipation will go to his head / and his wife's aggravation, you're soon enough dead." And it features a pretty good horn section--a rarity in post-60s rock. So, it's no surprise that this song remains a staple of Aerosmith concerts (with the band often segueing into an extended jam session) and a popular request on classic rock stations despite the fact that it never cracked the Billboard Top 100.

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So what do you think? Did I get it right or miss the mark? Please, feel free to weigh in using the comments below. And, if you would like to write a Guest Entry for the "Saturday Morning Soundtrack" series where you creatively respond to one of your favorite rock songs, don't hesitate to contact me with queries.