Same as It Ever Was

Same as It Ever Was
Studio album by
House of Pain
ReleasedJune 28, 1994 (1994-06-28)
RecordedSeptember 1992 – August 1993
StudioImage (Hollywood, California)
GenreHardcore hip-hop
Length49:22
Labels
Producers
House of Pain chronology
House of Pain
(1992)		 Same as It Ever Was
(1994)		 Truth Crushed to Earth Shall Rise Again
(1996)
Singles from Same as It Ever Was
  1. "Who's the Man?"
    Released: 1993
  2. "On Point"
    Released: 1994

Same as It Ever Was is the second album by American hardcore 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]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90sA−[4]
Entertainment WeeklyA[5]
Music WeekStarStarStar[6]
NME4/10[7]
RapReviews7/10[8]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album GuideStarStarStarStar[9]
SelectStarStarStarStar[10]
Sputnikmusic2.5/5[11]

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.[12]

AllMusic gave it four out five stars.[3] 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".[13] 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.[14] Roger Catlin of the Hartford Courant said that while finding the continuity monotonous it's "hard and compelling" as well as a "strong outing".[15] Music critic Robert Christgau gave the album an A− and described it as "the hardest hip hop of the year."

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Back from the Dead"
3:32
2."I'm a Swing It"
DJ Lethal3:43
3."All That"
  • Schrody
  • DiMant
DJ Lethal1:26
4."On Point"
  • Schrody
  • DiMant
DJ Lethal3:48
5."Runnin' Up on Ya"
  • Schrody
  • Muggerud
DJ Muggs3:17
6."Over There Shit"
  • Schrody
  • Muggerud
DJ Muggs3:33
7."Word Is Bond" (featuring Diamond D)
Diamond D4:02
8."Keep It Comin'"
  • Schrody
  • Muggerud
DJ Muggs3:43
9."Interlude"DiMantDJ Lethal0:46
10."Same as It Ever Was"
DJ Muggs3:27
11."It Ain't a Crime"
  • DJ Muggs
  • DJ Lethal (co.)
3:27
12."Where I'm From"
  • Schrody
  • DiMant
DJ Lethal4:01
13."Still Got a Lotta Love" ("All My Love" Part 2)
  • Schrody
  • DiMant
DJ Lethal2:53
14."Who's the Man?"
DJ Lethal4:03
15."On Point" (Lethal Dose Remix)
  • Schrody
  • DiMant
DJ Lethal3:33
Total length:49:24

Sample credits

  • "Back from the Dead" contains a sample of "Rumors", performed by the Timex Social Club.
  • "I'm a Swing It" contains a sample of "You're Slippin'", performed by Boogie Down Productions.
  • "All That" contains a sample of "Snakin' the Grass", performed by Cannonball Adderley.
  • "On Point" contains a sample of "Inside Straight", performed by Cannonball Adderley.
  • "Over There Shit" contains a sample of "Make It Funky (Milk Is Chillin') by Audio Two.
  • "Word Is Bond" contains a sample of:
    • "Rivers Invitation", performed by Freddie Robinson.
    • "Death Becomes You", performed by Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
  • "It Ain't a Crime" contains a sample of "Get Out of My Life, Woman", performed by Lee Dorsey.
  • "Who's the Man" contains a sample of "The Master Plan", performed by the Kay Gees.
  • "On Point" contains a sample of "Inside Straight", performed by Cannonball Adderley.

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

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "House of Pain - Chart history | Billboard". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Love, Andrew (August 8, 1994). "Latest release is full-blown Pain". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Henderson, Alex. "Same as It Ever Was - House of Pain | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  4. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-24560-2.
  5. ↑ Ehrlich, Dimitri (July 8, 1994). "Same as It Ever Was". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ Jones, Alan (July 23, 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Albums" (PDF). Music Week. p. 21. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  7. ↑ Udo, Tommy (July 16, 1994). Dee, Johnny (ed.). "Long Play". NME. p. 37. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  8. ↑ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (August 9, 2022). "House of Pain Same as It Ever Was". RapReviews. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  9. ↑ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 396. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ↑ Marsh, Tim (August 1994). "New Albums". Select. p. 82. Retrieved December 20, 2024.
  11. ↑ "House of Pain - Same As It Ever Was (album review) | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. January 15, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2024.
  12. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  13. ↑ Watts, Ted (September 8, 1994). "Ted Watts review". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
  14. ↑ Considine, J.D. (July 8, 1994). "House of Pain the 'Same,' over and over". The Baltimore Sun. pp. Maryland Live 5.
  15. ↑ Catlin, Roger (July 14, 1994). "Same as It Ever Was". Hartford Courant. pp. Entertainment Guide 4 - 5.
  16. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 132.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 2535". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1994. 39. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  22. ↑ "Charts.nz – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  23. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – House Of Pain – Same as it Ever Was". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  25. ↑ "Official Albums Chart on 24/7/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  26. ↑ "House of Pain Chart History | Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  27. ↑ "Top RPM Albums: Image 2686". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  28. ↑ "American album certifications – House of Pain – Same as It Ever Was". Recording Industry Association of America.
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