Although Barbara Acklin recorded the song first, producer Carl Davis removed her voice from the track, replaced it with a piano solo by Floyd Morris, and released the resultant track in November 1968 as "Soulful Strut" credited to Young-Holt Unlimited; it became a #3 hit in the United States and went to #1 in Canada. It became a gold record. Neither Eldee Young nor Red Holt is believed to have played on the track, which was the work of session musicians identified only as the Brunswick Studio Band. Acklin's version was released in February 1969 and reached #33 on the R&B chart, crossing over and peaking at #79 on the pop listing.
Cover versions
Dusty Springfield
, on the recommendation of Douggie Reece the bassist in her touring band the Echoes, recorded "Am I the Same Girl?" at Philips Studios Marble Arch in August 1969; Bill Landis produced the session which was arranged by Keith Mansfield. The track marked Springfield's last UK chart appearance of the 1960s but was not a major hit, stalling at #43. "Am I the Same Girl?" also gave Springfield a minor hit in Australia.
Swing Out Sister
The vocal version "Am I the Same Girl?" had its most successful incarnation via a 1992 remake by Swing Out Sister, recorded for the album Get in Touch with Yourself. The group's vocalist Corinne Drewery has acknowledged Dusty Springfield as a major influence; however, it was a chance hearing of the original Barbara Acklin version at a Manchester disco specializing in Northern soul that convinced Drewery and her Swing Out Sister partner Andy Connell to remake "Am I the Same Girl?". Released as the lead single from the album, "Am I the Same Girl?" gave Swing Out Sister their highest UK chart ranking since their inaugural chart singles in 1986-87, the Top Ten hits "Breakout" and "Surrender"; peaking at #21. The track had more impact in continental Europe, hitting #8 in Germany, #15 in the Netherlands, and #13 in Italy. "Am I the Same Girl?" also represented a strong comeback for Swing Out Sister in the US, where it was released in September 1992 and reached #45 on the Billboard Hot 100 — the track's peak on the CashboxPop 100 was #32 — while reaching #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Although Swing Out Sister's Corinne Drewery has rendered, arguably, the definitive vocal interpretation of the song, the Swing Out Sister recording contains a lyric that some have interpreted as being "Am I the same girl who knew her soul?"; "Am I the same girl who knew your soul?" or "Am I the same girl who you hurt so?" -- which was the line in the original Acklin recording. Having recorded two distinct live renditions of "Am I the Same Girl?" which appear on, respectively, Live at the Jazz Café and Live in Tokyo, Swing Out Sister recorded a new studio version of the song for their 2012 album Private View.
Other versions
In 1969, Bill Deal and the Rhondels included a version of "Soulful Strut" on their Vintage Rock LP. Brazilian organist Walter Wanderley recorded a Bossa Nova driven cover of Soulful Strut on his 1969 album, Moondreams. The French rendering "Je suis bien la même" was recorded in 1969 by Séverine. German pianist Horst Jankowski recorded Soulful Strut as the opening track of his 1969 album, A Walk in the Evergreens. In 1970, Salena Jones recorded "Am I the Same Girl?" for her album Everybody's Talkin' About Salena Jones. In 1976, Peruvian musician Otto de Rojas, with his Ultra 76 Orchestra, recorded a disco version of Young-Holt's "Soulful Strut": "Al Ritmo del Bump-Bump", which gained a high profile in Peru via its use in a pop music TV show hosted by the Mexican comedian Rodolfo Rey "Cachirulo", aired through the local Panamericana Television station. In 1979 George Benson recorded a cover of "Soulful Strut" on his album Livin' Inside Your Love. In 1990, the 2 Live Crew sampled the tune for their song "Coolin'", which was the last track on their infamous release As Nasty As They Wanna Be. In 1996 Grover Washington Jr. covered the song for his album Soulful Strut. It was also released as the remix under the title "The Top Down". Young-Holt Unlimited's "Soulful Strut" was featured on the soundtrack of the 1998 film The Parent Trap, subtly referencing how the plot revolves around twin girls secretly swapping places. "Soulful Strut" was also used in the film's advertising. In 1999, saxophonist Kim Waters recorded "Am I the Same Girl " for his One Special Moment album; featuring vocalist Meli'sa Morgan and Chuck Loeb, the track was a non-charting single release in February 2000. In 2005, Joss Stone used the Young-Holt version as a starting point for her song "Don't Cha Wanna Ride", and credited the composers of "Am I the Same Girl?" as co-composers of her song. Additionally, in September 2005, Martha Stewart began to use the Swing Out Sister version in her promo commercials for her show Martha on NBC television in America and then as the opening introduction theme song of the show. Each show starts with the song playing over a montage of images and photos of Martha Stewart growing up. The gender adjusted "Am I the Same Guy" was recorded by Tom Gaebel for his 2008 Don't Wanna Dance album. Dionne Bromfield covered the song on her debut album Introducing Dionne Bromfield.
