| Same as It Ever Was | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
![]()  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 28, 1994 | |||
| Recorded | September 1992 - August 1993 | |||
| Studio | Image Recording Studios  (Hollywood, California)  | |||
| Genre | Hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 49:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| House of Pain chronology | ||||
  | ||||
| Singles from Same as It Ever Was | ||||
  | ||||
Same as It Ever Was is the second album by American hip hop group House of Pain. It was released in 1994 and peaked at number 12 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Billboard 200.[1] To record the album, the group had to work around Everlast's house arrest for a gun charge.[2] The clean version of the second song from the album, "I'm a Swing It", was featured in the 2001 skateboarding video game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| Robert Christgau | A−[4] | 
| NME | 4/10[5] | 
Same as It Ever Was did not reach the same commercial heights as the group's previous album; however, Same as It Ever Was peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart (their highest position to date) and also reached gold status by Recording Industry Association of America.[6]
AllMusic gave it four out five stars.[7] Matt Carlson of The Michigan Daily found the album quite good and noted "the music is laid back with some heavy driving forces underlying and strengthening it".[8] Andrew Love of The Ocala Star-Banner gave it four stars saying "this is a band that has definitely progressed over the course of one album".[2] J.D. Constantine of The Baltimore Sun did not like the album and found it monotonous and unimaginative.[9] Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant said that while finding the continuity monotonous it's "hard and compelling" as well as a "strong outing".[10] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A− and described it as "the hardest hip hop of the year."
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Back from the Dead" | 3:32 | |
| 2. | "I'm a Swing It" | DJ Lethal | 3:43 | 
| 3. | "All That" | DJ Lethal | 1:26 | 
| 4. | "On Point" | DJ Lethal | 3:48 | 
| 5. | "Runnin' up on Ya" | DJ Muggs | 3:17 | 
| 6. | "Over There Shit" | DJ Muggs | 3:33 | 
| 7. | "Word Is Bond" (featuring Diamond D) | Diamond D | 4:02 | 
| 8. | "Keep It Comin'" | DJ Muggs | 3:43 | 
| 9. | "Interlude" | DJ Lethal | 0:46 | 
| 10. | "Same as It Ever Was" | DJ Muggs | 3:27 | 
| 11. | "It Ain't a Crime" | 
  | 3:27 | 
| 12. | "Where I'm From" | DJ Lethal | 4:01 | 
| 13. | "Still Got a Lotta Love" ("All My Love" Part 2) | DJ Lethal | 2:53 | 
| 14. | "Who's the Man?" | DJ Lethal | 4:03 | 
| 15. | "On Point" (Lethal Dose Remix) | DJ Lethal | 3:33 | 
| Total length: | 49:24 | ||
Personnel
- Eric Francis Schrody – vocals (tracks 1–2, 4–8, 10–15), mixing (tracks 12, 14)
 - Daniel O’Connor – vocals (tracks 2, 4, 10, 14–15), art direction
 - Leor Dimant – vocals (tracks 4, 15), production (tracks 2–4, 9, 11–15), mixing (tracks 3, 9, 12, 14, 15)
 - Lawrence Muggerud – executive production, production (tracks 1, 5–6, 8, 10-11), mixing (tracks 1–2, 4–6, 8, 10-11, 13, 15)
 - Joseph Kirkland – vocals, production and mixing (track 7)
 - Nick Vidal – production (track 1)
 - Eric Vidal – production (track 1)
 - Tom Coyne – mastering
 - Jason Roberts – engineering
 - Erwin Gorostiza – art direction
 - Butch Belair – photography
 - Ron Jaramillo – design
 - Kenton Parker – logo design
 
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position  | 
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[11] | 97 | 
| U.S. Billboard 200[12] | 12 | 
| U.S. Billboard Top Current Albums[13] | 12 | 
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[14] | 12 | 
| U.S. Billboard Top Album Sales[15] | 12 | 
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album Sales[16] | 12 | 
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales | 
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 500,000^ | 
| 
 ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.  | ||
References
- ↑ "House of Pain - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
 - 1 2 Love, Andrew (August 8, 1994). "Latest release is full-blown Pain". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
 - ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Same as It Ever Was – House of Pain". AllMusic.
 - ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: House of Pain". Robert Christgau.
 - ↑ Udo, Tommy (July 16, 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 37. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
 - ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
 - ↑ Same as It Ever Was - House of Pain | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-05-20
 - ↑ Watts, Ted (8 September 1994). "Ted Watts review". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
 - ↑ Considine, J.D. (July 8, 1994). "House of Pain the 'Same,' over and over". The Baltimore Sun. pp. Maryland Live 5.
 - ↑ Catlin, Roger (July 14, 1994). "Same as It Ever Was". Hartford Courant. pp. Entertainment Guide 4 - 5.
 - ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 132.
 - ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
 - ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
 - ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
 - ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
 - ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
 - ↑ "American album certifications – House of Pain – Same as It Ever Was". Recording Industry Association of America.
 
