This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)
"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" is a Holland–Dozier–Holland song that was a hit for American musical group the Isley Brothers in January 1966 during their brief tenure on Motown's Tamla label. Featuring Ronald Isley on lead vocal, "This Old Heart of Mine" peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100, and at number six on the Billboard R&B Singles chart.[1]
| "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by the Isley Brothers | ||||
| from the album This Old Heart of Mine | ||||
| B-side | "There's No Love Left" | |||
| Released | January 12, 1966 | |||
| Recorded | Hitsville U.S.A. (Studio A) | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Tamla | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy | |||
| Producer(s) | Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier | |||
| The Isley Brothers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In the UK, the song originally reached number 47 in April 1966, but it re-charted in late 1968 and reached number three for two weeks in November, making it the group's highest charting UK single.[2]
Written by Motown's main songwriting team Holland–Dozier–Holland alongside Sylvia Moy, "This Old Heart of Mine", produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier, was originally intended for The Supremes (who later recorded their own version for their 1966 album The Supremes A' Go-Go). The single was the group's only major hit while on Motown, whom they left in 1969 to restart their own T-Neck label.
Tammi Terrell also recorded and released the song as a part of her Irresistible album released in January 1969.
The song was prominently featured in an episode of the hit 1980s show Moonlighting and was one of the tunes included on the show's hit soundtrack.
Personnel Edit
- Lead vocals by Ronald Isley
- Background vocals by O'Kelly Isley Jr. and Rudolph Isley
- Additional background vocals by The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow and Louvain Demps
- Written by Holland–Dozier–Holland and Sylvia Moy
- Produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
- Baritone saxophone by Mike Terry[3]
Certifications Edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[4] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Rod Stewart versions Edit
| "This Old Heart of Mine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rod Stewart | ||||
| from the album Atlantic Crossing | ||||
| B-side | "All In the Name of Rock 'n' Roll" | |||
| Released | November 1975 | |||
| Length | 4:04 | |||
| Label | Riva | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy | |||
| Producer(s) | Tom Dowd | |||
| Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| "This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Rod Stewart with Ronald Isley | ||||
| from the album Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990 | ||||
| Released | October 30, 1989[5] | |||
| Length | 4:12 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy | |||
| Producer(s) | Bernard Edwards, Trevor Horn | |||
| Rod Stewart singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1975, English singer Rod Stewart released a remake of this song that charted in several markets. In 1989, he released another version—this time a duet of the song with Ronald Isley that reached number two on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Adult Contemporary charts of both Billboard and RPM. The later version was produced by Bernard Edwards and Trevor Horn and was released on Warner Records. Record World said that Stewart's version "[remains] faithful to the original, yet [adds] enough rasp and thrust to call it all his own."[6]
Charts Edit
1975 solo version Edit
| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 3 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 83 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[10] | 41 |
1989 version with Ronald Isley Edit
Weekly charts
| Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[11] | 94 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] | 29 |
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] | 2 |
| Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] | 1 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[7] | 25 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 49 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 51 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[9] | 10 |
| US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[17] | 1 |
| West Germany (Official German Charts)[18] | 51 |
Year-end charts
References Edit
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 277.
- ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 383. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
- ^ Williams, Richard (December 1, 2008). "Obituary: Mike Terry". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Isley Brothers – This Old Heart of Mine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
- ^ "New Singles". Music Week. October 28, 1989. p. 49.
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. December 13, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Old Heart of Mine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ a b "Rod Stewart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart – This Old Heart of Mine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 10, 2019. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Rod Stewart"
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 267.
- ^ "Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1243." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7982." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2021.