same old love
This song about a love that's gone stale was written by Charli XCX, Ross Golan, Benny Blanco and the production team Stargate. The latter pair also provided the synth-driven production, which features an old-time piano loop and pounding bassline.The lyrics appear to be about the samey love where you feel like the relationship isn't progressing, but Gomez has a different interpretation. She told KAMP-FM's Carson Daly: "For me, this song represents so many different layers of love. I think as a young woman the first man you fall in love with is your dad in a way. That is something you kind of reflect in your life and you carry that with you. That same old love can translate into so many things, and I relate to the song obviously. It's beautiful, I think, what it represents."
Co-writer Charli XCX not only penned the chorus, but also provides background vocals on the song. The English singer-songwriter is best known for her 2014 song from the romantic comedy-drama movie The Fault in Our Stars, "Boom Clap."
Fans had been querying if the song is referring to Gomez's ex, Justin Bieber. However, the singer set the record straight when she spoke to Radio Disney: "I think 'Same Old Love' represents a different kind of identity with love," Gomez said. "The first people you love in your life are your parents. So for me, my dad is the first male figure I had in my life. And how much it means to respect your parents and have a healthy relationship with them because it trails on into your relationships when you're older."
The song's music video was directed by Michael Haussman, whose other credits include Madonna's "Take A Bow," Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" and Kanye West's "Jesus Walks." The clip finds Gomez driving through the City of Angels looking out of a rain-soaked window at life going on around her. Inspired by what she's observed the songstress ditches the car and finds her way to the Palace Theater in downtown Los Angeles, where she's due to perform a concert.
Haussman told MTV News that Tony Bennett was an inspiration for the visual. The jazz legend used to walk to his concerts, so the director thought he would have Gomez do the same. "I remember when Tony Bennett - his daughter and I were friends in New York - was giving a show at Radio City and he was leaving and said, 'You guys can take the car.' And we were like 'What?! What do you mean take the car?' He always walked to his shows, just walk through the door, and he'd never take the car," he said. "That always stuck in my head too."
The final part of the video was filmed when Gomez performed the single for the first time on September 16, 2015 at the "Revival Event" in Los Angeles.
When Rolling Stone pointed out to Gomez that people will assume the song is about a "specific relationship," she replied, "I understand that. It's a song about a cycle, a cycle that people understand. It drives you mad, but it's beautiful."
She continued, "People have seen most of the choices that I've made in my life. And I love every choice that I've made. Because now I understand how to apply that to my music. This is who I am. I'm glad my life was never perfect."
Speaking to Grazia Australia, Charl XCX explained why she handed "Same Old Love" over to Selena Gomez rather than recording it herself:
"She had such a high profile relationship [with Justin Bieber], which was all over the press. It felt very real coming from her, and I think a lot of the audience could really connect because of what had been going on. It was cool that she really brought that song to life."
According to Stargate's Mikkel Eriksen, this started out with an entirely different sound as an uptempo track with indie-sounding guitar riffs. He told Entertainment Weekly: "Then at a later stage, we totally redid the track and just left the a cappella vocal. We went in a different direction with a quirky piano riff and the live drums, and that’s the version that we pitched to Selena."