I’ve had my car radio stuck on Cleveland’s oldies station 105.7 for, gosh, more than a decade now. So I’ve heard I Love the Flower Girl – aka The Rain, The Park And Other Things. So when a reader emailed me about this track, I was surprised that I hadn’t noticed it already myself. My first thought upon hearing the intro of I Love the Flower Girl was “They must not play this intro on the radio! I haven’t had a chance to confirm my suspicions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was true.

The Three Dog Night breakout hit One was recorded in 1967, the year that The Cowsill’s (also breakout) hit was released. Although not nearly as world-changing as calculus or evolutionary theory, these two opening riffs were also probably created independently, by two different groups, in a very close window of time.

So here they are – snippets of both songs to satisfy your curiosity.

Comment on the parts you think sound alike.