About The Song
“This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)” is a soul song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland, with Sylvia Moy, for Motown’s Tamla label. Recorded by The Isley Brothers, it was released as a single on January 12, 1966. It peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 9, 1966, No. 6 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, and No. 47 in the UK, spending 10 weeks on the Hot 100. The song appeared on their 1966 album This Old Heart of Mine, which reached No. 42 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. The B-side, “There’s No Love Left,” did not chart.
Recorded at Motown’s Hitsville U.S.A. Studio A in Detroit in late 1965, the track was produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. It features Ronald Isley’s lead vocals, backed by The Andantes (Marlene Barrow, Jackie Hicks, Louvain Demps) and The Funk Brothers, including James Jamerson on bass, Benny Benjamin on drums, and Robert White’s guitar riff. The song’s upbeat tempo and pleading lyrics, about a man unable to leave a lover despite heartbreak, fit Motown’s pop-soul formula. Sylvia Moy, Motown’s first female writer, joined the session after Eddie Holland struggled with lyrics, contributing the “weak for you” hook, as she told Songfacts in 2016.
The Isley Brothers—Ronald, Rudolph, and O’Kelly—signed with Motown in 1965 after hits like “Shout” (1959) and “Twist and Shout” (1962). Motown aimed to polish their raw R&B sound, and “This Old Heart” was their first Tamla release, following a failed 1965 single, “Move Over and Let Me Dance.” The song’s creation stemmed from Holland-Dozier-Holland’s prolific run, fresh off The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Ronald Isley, in a 1994 Billboard interview, said the song was tailored for his voice, with Moy softening its edge for pop appeal. The group recorded it in one session, with minimal takes, per Rhino’s Motown archives.
The song’s success led to UK tours in 1967, including a London show with The Supremes. Covers include Rod Stewart’s 1975 version with The Isley Brothers (No. 83 Billboard Hot 100, No. 4 UK), Tammi Terrell’s 1968 take, and The Supremes’ unreleased 1966 recording. The Isleys re-recorded it in 1987 with Tasha Thomas for Smooth Sailin’. Its use in a 1987 Moonlighting episode and the 2010 film The Kids Are All Right kept it visible. The track’s chord progression, detailed in American Songwriter, mirrors Motown’s “I Can’t Help Myself.” After leaving Motown in 1968 for T-Neck Records, the Isleys saw renewed interest when Stewart’s cover charted, prompting their 1989 reissue, which hit No. 51 in the UK.
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Lyric
This old heart of mine been broke a thousand times
Each time you break away, I fear you’ve gone to stay
Lonely nights that come, memories that flow
Bringing you back again, hurting me more and moreMaybe it’s my mistake to show this love I feel inside
‘Cause each day that passes by
You got me never knowing if I’m coming or going but I
I love you, this old heart, darling, is weak for you
I love you, yes I do, yes I doThese old arms of mine miss having you around
Makes these tears inside start falling down
Always with half a kiss, you remind me of what I miss
Though I try to control myself
Like a fool I start grinnin’ ‘cause my head starts spinnin’ ‘cause II love you, this old heart, darling, is weak for you
I love you, yes I do, yes I doI try hard to hide my hurt inside
This old heart of mine always keeps me cryin’
The way you treat me leaves me incomplete
You’re here for the day, gone for the week now
But if you leave me a hundred times
A hundred times I’ll take you back
I’m yours whenever you want me
I’m not too proud to shout it, tell the world about it ‘cause II love you, this old heart, darling, is weak for you
I love you, this old heart is weak for you
I love you, this old heart is weak for you
I love you, yes I do, yes I do
I love you