Same Old Song and Dance

This song started with a riff Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry came up with in the summer of 1973 while the band was living together in a house on Beacon Street in Boston. While Steven Tyler is capable of writing meaningful lyrics ("Dream On), he's also prone to senseless but fun non-poetry that fits the music. That's the case here, as he matched the words to Joe Perry's riff, which drives the song. This might be the only song containing both the words "constipation" and "hurdy gurdy."

This was the first single released from Aerosmith's second album, Get Your Wings. Their first album sold poorly, suffering from lousy promotion by Columbia Records, and the label nearly dropped the band. "Same Old Song And Dance" wasn't a hit, but it helped sell the album, which stayed on the Billboard album charts for nearly a year as Aerosmith hit the road, establishing themselves as an outstanding live act and growing their fan base. Aerosmith managers, Steve Leber and David Krebs, had a big stake in the album, as they were also facing a financial shortfall. At Columbia Records, Clive Davis had been replaced with Bruce Lundvall, and Leber-Krebs convinced him to put more effort into promoting Aerosmith this time, which he did.

Jack Douglas, who previously produced The New York Dolls, produced the album. He brought in a horn section to play on this track: Michael and Randy Becker, Jon Pearson and Stan Bronstein.