Six Same-name Songs

I decided to write an article about songs which have the same name as each other where I describe and compare them. I selected six song groupings which have the same title. I embed the official YouTube audio for one of the songs for each grouping.

Satisfied

In 1989, singer Richard Marx released an energetic pop rock song “Satisfied”. This is a guitar driven song featuring synth and organ. Fourteen years later, his Capitol Records labelmate Bob Seger released his “Satisfied” song. Bob’s song has a similar energy, but it is totally different. It’s an upbeat piano driven blues track. Five years later, soft rock singer Robbie Dupree known for “Steal Away” released a song with that name. Robbie’s “Satisfied” is similar to Bob’s song with its blues feel and piano. It has a relaxing vibe. This song is a fusion of Bob and Richard’s songs as it brings back rock being a blues rock song. One thing all three songs have in common is they all feature organ.

Satisfied - Robbie Dupree (2008)

Is This Love

We’re going to a similar type of 80s rock to Richard Marx’s “Satisfied”. In 1986, Survivor released the rock song “Is This Love”. It has a catchy melody driven by guitar and synths. Jimi Jamison sings powerfully. The following year Whitesnake released their power ballad “Is This Love”. This song also uses a mix of guitar and synths. David Coverdale sings passionately. These two songs are similar, both having an arena rock sound of its time and featuring guitar solos.

Is This Love - Survivor (1986)

Georgia

This is a change of pace to something soft. In 1976, Boz Scaggs released a song called “Georgia”. This is an optimistic soul song about a person. I like how it includes horns which are utilised well. A few years later Elton John would release a song “Georgia” about the US state. This is a gospel song where Elton plays organ and harmonium in addition to piano. There is a quiet and effective guitar solo which is totally different to a rock guitar solo. Both songs are led by the piano. They are melodic songs which feel alike as they have common genres.

Georgia - Boz Scaggs (1976)

Isn’t It Time

In 1977, The Babys released the wonderful soft rock song “Isn’t It Time”. John Waite sings so passionately. It’s a melodic piano driven song. It has so many different instruments including horns, orchestra, organ, guitars and prominent female backing vocals. All the elements are mixed in right with the guitars rocking well in a supporting role. Boz Scaggs released his own song “Isn’t It Time” three years later. This song feels like both soft rock and soul. It’s keyboard driven featuring a mixture of electric & acoustic pianos and synths. It has a rocking guitar solo at the halfway mark. These songs have a similar vibe with both having female backing vocals. Boz’s song is good, but it can’t compare to the majesty of The Babys’ song.

Isn’t It Time - The Babys (1977)

Take Me Back

We’re going to an Elton John country song released in 1980. On “Take Me Back”, Elton plays a Wurlitzer electric piano and sings in a southern accent. This is a relaxing song featuring a fiddle solo. Bonnie Tyler released her “Take Me Back” in 1983. Bonnie’s song opens with guitars and soon an acoustic piano appears that has a prominent place. This song really rocks with its heartland rock vibe. These two songs are very different genres, probably being the most different songs with the same name seen so far.

Take Me Back - Elton John (1980)

I Go Crazy

Soft rock singer Paul Davis released the warm song “I Go Crazy” in 1977. It’s a piano driven song featuring synth and understated guitar. Paul sings gently and melodically. Blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy released his own “I Go Crazy” in 1993. His song opens with guitar which is soon joined by all instruments including piano. This is an intense blues song which features horns. The two songs are so different, though some lyrical similarities exist. I like Buddy’s song, but Paul’s song is the best, being something special.

I Go Crazy - Paul Davis (1977)

So you just read a discussion of different songs with the same name. Some of the songs featured are singles while others are album tracks. Rock is the primary genre with the other genres blues, soul, gospel, country and pop also featured. If you enjoyed this article, you may be interested in my similar article “Rock Songs Referencing Each Other”.

Ten Great Electric Piano Rock Songs

I decided to write an article about electric piano rock songs. This article is my 75th blog post. I feature a mix of major hits, minor hits, album tracks and an outtake from classic rock artists. This article is similar to my previous articles “Ten Great Piano Rock Songs by Ten Different Singers” and “Ten Great Electric Piano Elton John Songs”. We’re going back five decades.

Ride Captain Ride - Blues Image (1970)

It opens with an interesting electric piano effect. A synth effect briefly appears before going away when the singing starts. The singing is accompanied by electric piano, bass and drums. A few other instruments briefly come in during the first verse. The song gets more rocking during the chorus featuring additional instruments. After the first chorus, there’s a light guitar solo with prominent electric piano accompaniment. The song concludes with a rocking guitar solo.

Empty Pages - Traffic (1970)

It opens with the combination of organ and electric piano. Steve Winwood sings the song and plays electric piano & organ. There is another organ part played by Chris Wood. The organ is loud in parts of the song giving a dramatic effect. Close to the two minute mark, there is a long electric piano solo. The opening notes of the solo remind me of a similar part Elton John played in his song “Dreamboat”. A little after the three minute mark, Steve Winwood lightly sings along to the melody for about 20 seconds before resuming the chorus. This is the only song on the list not to feature any guitar. That doesn’t prevent the song from rocking as it rocks well with its keyboard parts.

Midnight Creeper - Elton John (1973) 

The song has a horn intro and then the intense guitars played by Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone are in the forefront. The horns come back in the chorus. The chorus is catchy. At the two minute mark, there is a prominent horn part, followed by Davey’s guitar solo. During the guitar solo, there is back and forth between the guitar and the horns. There is another guitar solo at the end of the song. This solo features prominent interjections by the horns. While Elton’s electric piano isn’t the loudest instrument, he gives good accompaniment with his rock playing.

Black Night - Bob Seger (1975)

This is an intense rocker with some musical similarities to the previous song. It’s an example of the Bob Seger rock sound. It opens with the guitars which are driving the song. We soon hear some accompaniment from the electric piano. Just after a minute there are a few prominent notes by the electric piano. A bit before the halfway mark, there’s an electric piano solo. After the last verse, the song seems to stop and then comes back for a guitar solo. Bob features the same effect in “The Fire Down Below” which was released the following year.

New Kid In Town - Eagles (1976)

The song opens with the electric piano which is instantly joined by acoustic guitars. The acoustic guitars are the loudest instrument, but the electric piano provides good accompaniment. Soon, the electric guitars and organ appear. Glenn Frey sings in a gentle warm way. Don Henley’s backing vocals provide good support. A rockier electric guitar comes at the three minute and 21 second mark. This song has a slight Mexican influence which can be heard in some of its guitar parts. 

All For Leyna - Billy Joel (1980)

Following the opening electric piano notes, we are soon joined by strong guitars. Billy plays a good electric piano effect which comes throughout the song. This song rocks so well and Billy gives us great rock electric piano playing. Just after the three minute mark, a prominent synth part also played by Billy appears. It goes away and comes back at the end of the song.

You Make My Dreams (Come True) - Daryl Hall & John Oates (1980)

The song opens with Daryl’s electric piano. He soon starts singing. Daryl expresses his excitement in his soulful singing. There is an instrumental break just after the halfway mark featuring a more prominent guitar part. This is a fun light pop rock song that mixes electric piano and guitar well.

All Right - Christopher Cross (1983)

It opens with a mix of guitar and synth and soon the electric piano appears. The electric piano is most prominent during the verses. Michael McDonald’s backing vocals are heard during the choruses. There is a powerful guitar solo by Steve Lukather making the song rock more. The electric piano accompanies the solo well. This song has a good mix of electric piano, synth and guitar.

Goin’ Home - Toto (1989)

This is an unreleased song from 1989 until it was released in 1998. The song opens with electric piano notes played by David Paich which is soon joined by all the instruments. There are backing vocals sung which is followed by original Toto lead singer Bobby Kimball’s vocals. They have two call and responses which also happens in the second verse. Similarly, during an instrumental section, there is a call and response between Steve Lukather on guitar and David Paich on electric piano. This song has a fun energetic feel.

When I See You Smile - Bad English (1989)

The song opens with Jonathan Cain’s electric piano. John Waite sings with minimal subtle instrumental accompaniment that includes acoustic guitar and keyboards. The song then has the addition of heavy guitars, drums and synth just before the chorus which continues going into the chorus. The second verse starts off similar to the first verse, but with added drums. The song then goes through the same musical changes which happened in the first verse. At about the three quarter mark, we have a strong guitar solo by Neil Schlon. The song closes with the same electric piano notes that opened it.

I tried to feature a balance of different types of rock in this article. They include pop rock, soft rock, hard rock and progressive rock. Also, there is a form of popular rock music known as yacht rock which is on this list. The term was coined in the 2000s, but it refers to music in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The songs on this list I’d classify as yacht rock are the ones by the Eagles, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Christopher Cross and Toto. Electric piano may not be a common rock instrument, but it has a long and diverse history in the genre.