At the beginning of "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)," the bass plays the same figure over and over again, beneath a C major:
The first thing I noticed is that the rhythm for each measure (for this introduction but also for almost every measure in the entire song) is three eighth notes, one quarter note, and three eighth notes, which is a rhythm that Rod Argent often uses in the bass parts for his songs.
Then I realized that this has a more specific similarity to the beginning of "She Does Everything for Me," where the bass plays the same figure over and over again, beneath an A major:
Where the bass in "I Can't Help Myself" plays the root (C), fifth (G), and sixth (A), the bass in "She Does Everything for Me" plays the root (A), fifth (E), and flatted seventh (G).
The chronology for this possible influence works out too. According to the liner notes of the Four Tops' Anthology, "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" was released in 1965, and according to the liner notes of the Zombies' The Decca Stereo Anthology, "She Does Everything for Me" was recorded on 4 May 1966.
It seems relevant to note that the beginning of "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" starts playing immediately after the live version of "Going to a Go Go" on Into the Afterlife (apparently on the PA system of whatever venue where the Zombies were performing), although the recording is sped up significantly so that it's in Eb major instead of C major. After having discovered this similarity in the bass parts, I'm wondering if the Zombies askt for it to be played. (I remember reading somewhere that - in a similar way - Rod Argent askt for Ravel's Bolero to be played over the PA system before Argent concerts.)
It also seems worth noting that the Zombies covered the Four Tops' "Loving You Is Sweeter than Ever" live on the BBC.
