| "Tear-Stained Letter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Richard Thompson | ||||
| from the album Hand of Kindness | ||||
| B-side | "Where the Wind Don't Whine" | |||
| Released | May 1984 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, zydeco | |||
| Length | 4:40 | |||
| Label | Hannibal | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Joe Boyd | |||
| Richard Thompson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube | ||||
"Tear-Stained Letter" is the opening track from Richard Thompson's 1983 album Hand of Kindness. The song has been recorded by others, including a notable hit version by Jo-El Sonnier in 1988.
Content
With a strong zydeco feel, the song's length is 4 minutes and 40 seconds. The main riff is performed on saxophones by Pete Thomas and Pete Zorn, who also performs the background vocals, and on accordion by John Kirkpatrick. The coda features a duet between a sax solo, accordion solo, and guitar solo by Richard Thompson.
The song is in the key of G major, with a fast tempo in 4/4 time. It uses a chord pattern of E7-A-E7-A-D-G on the verses, and B7-C-D-G twice on the chorus.
The lyrics feature a narrator who has broken up with a tumultuous romantic partner: "Just when I thought that things would get better / Right through the door come a tear-stained letter".
Personnel
- Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals
- Dave Pegg - bass guitar
- Dave Mattacks - drums
- Simon Nicol - guitar
- Pete Zorn - saxophone, backing vocals
- Pete Thomas - saxophone
- Clive Gregson - backing vocals
- John Kirkpatrick - accordion
Jo-El Sonnier version
| "Tear-Stained Letter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jo-El Sonnier | ||||
| from the album Come On Joe | ||||
| B-side | "Say You Love Me" | |||
| Released | July 1988 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Richard Bennett, Bill Halverson | |||
| Jo-El Sonnier singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube | ||||
Country music singer Jo-El Sonnier covered the song on his 1988 album Come On Joe. His version was released as a single in 1988, reaching number nine on the Hot Country Songs charts. Kenny Greenberg plays lead guitar on Sonnier's version. Actor Judge Reinhold appears in the music video for the song.
Charts
Weekly charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 9 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard) | 89 |
Other versions
Patty Loveless covered the song on her 1996 album The Trouble with the Truth.
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes covered the song on their 2005 album Into the Harbour.
References
- Hand of Kindness, Richard Thompson, Hannibal Records HNCD 1313, 1991 (CD sleeve)
- "'Tear Stained Letter' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 393. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ Come On Joe (Cassette insert). Jo-El Sonnier. RCA Records. 1988. 6374-4-R.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - "Jo-el Sonnier Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "RPM 100 Country Singles" (PDF). RPM. October 22, 1988.
- "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1988". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- Patty Loveless - Trouble with the Truth Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
- Southside Johnny, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - Into the Harbour Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
| Jo-El Sonnier | |
|---|---|
| Albums |
|
| Notable singles | |