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"
ReleasedJanuary 12, 1966
RecordedHitsville U.S.A. (Studio A)
Length2:46
LabelTamla
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy
Producer(s)Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier
The Isley Brothers singles chronology
"Love Is a Wonderful Thing"
(1966)
"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"
(1966)
"Take Some Time Out for Love"
(1966)

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 originally recorded the song in a different arrangement, but it was not released until 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

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[4] Gold 400,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Rod Stewart versions

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"This Old Heart of Mine"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Atlantic Crossing
B-side"All In the Name of Rock 'n' Roll"
ReleasedNovember 1975
Length4:04
LabelRiva
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy
Producer(s)Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Sailing"
(1975)
"This Old Heart of Mine"
(1975)
"Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"
(1976)
"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
ReleasedOctober 30, 1989 (1989-10-30)[5]
Length4:12
LabelWarner Bros.
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland, Sylvia Moy
Producer(s)Bernard Edwards, Trevor Horn
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Dynamite"
(1989)
"This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)"
(1989)
"Downtown Train"
(1989)

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

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1975 solo version

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Chart (1975) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[7] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 83
West Germany (GfK)[10] 41

1989 version with Ronald Isley

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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 (GfK)[18] 51

Year-end charts

Chart (1990) Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[19] 22
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[20] 12
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[21] 17

References

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  1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 277.
  2. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 383. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
  3. ^ Williams, Richard (December 1, 2008). "Obituary: Mike Terry". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "British single certifications – Isley Brothers – This Old Heart of Mine". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. October 28, 1989. p. 49.
  6. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. December 13, 1975. p. 18. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – This Old Heart of Mine". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Rod Stewart Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "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"
  11. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 267.
  12. ^ "Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1243." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7982." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  16. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "Rod Stewart Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart feat. Ronald Isley – This Old Heart of Mine" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  21. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved March 10, 2021.