"The Tracks of My Tears" | ||||
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Single by the Miracles | ||||
from the album Going to a Go-Go | ||||
B-side | "A Fork in the Road" | |||
Released | June 23, 1965 | |||
Recorded | May 19, 1965 | |||
Studio | Hitsville USA, Detroit | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | Tamla T 54118 | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Smokey Robinson | |||
The Miracles singles chronology | ||||
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"The Tracks of My Tears" is a 1965 song originally recorded by the Miracles on Motown Record's Tamla subsidiary label . It was composed by Miracles members Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. This million-selling ,multiple award-winning R&B hit has been inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame, has been ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America and The National Endowment for the Arts at No. 127 in its list of the "Songs of the Century" – the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and has been selected by Rolling Stone as No. 50 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", among many other awards. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" as "The Greatest Motown Song of All Time".
The Miracles original version
Background
"The Tracks of My Tears" was written by Miracles members Smokey Robinson (lead vocalist), Pete Moore (bass vocalist), and Marv Tarplin (guitarist).
In the five-LP publication The Motown Story, by Motown Records, Robinson explained the origin of this song in these words: "'Tracks of My Tears' was actually started by Marv Tarplin, who is a young cat who plays guitar for our act. So he had this musical thing , you know, and we worked around with it, and worked around, and it became 'Tracks of My Tears'." Tarplin's guitar licks at the song's intro are among the most famous in pop music history.
"The Tracks of My Tears" was a No. 2 hit on the Billboard R&B chart, and it reached No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100. On initial release in the UK in 1965 it did not chart, but like several other Motown singles reissued there in 1969, it became a Top Ten hit in the summer, reaching No. 9, credited to "Smokey Robinson and the Miracles". This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling record. Billboard described the song as a "first rate teen ballad with pulsating dance beat." Cash Box described it as "a slow-shufflin’ pop-r&b tearjerker about a gal who has several regrets about losing her guy."
The Miracles can be seen performing "The Tracks of My Tears" on their 2006 Motown DVD release, The Miracles' Definitive Performances.
Awards and accolades
"The Tracks of My Tears" is the Miracles' most honored and most covered song. It has been ranked at, or near the top of many "best of" lists in the music industry over the last 50 years, and has won numerous industry awards and accolades. The Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" ranked at No. 50 on Rolling Stone's The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004; the track was also a 2007 inductee into the Grammy Hall of Fame. On May 14, 2008, the track was preserved by the United States Library of Congress as an "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significance" to the National Recording Registry. The song "The Tracks of My Tears" was also awarded "The Award of Merit" from The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) for Miracles members/composers Pete Moore, Marv Tarplin, and Smokey Robinson.
Ranked by the RIAA and the National Endowment for the Arts at No. 127 in its list of the Songs of the Century - the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century - "The Tracks of My Tears" was also chosen as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Additionally, the song ranked at No. 5 on the "Top 10 Best Songs of All Time" by a panel of 20 top industry songwriters and producers including Hal David, Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, Jerry Leiber, and others as reported to Britain's Mojo music magazine. In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked The Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" as "The Greatest Motown Song of All Time."
Personnel
The Miracles
- Smokey Robinson – lead vocals, co-writer
- Marv Tarplin – guitar, co-writer
- Claudette Rogers Robinson – background vocals
- Pete Moore – background vocals, vocal arranger, co-writer
- Ronnie White – background vocals
- Bobby Rogers – background vocals
- Other instrumentation by the Funk Brothers and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 200,000 |
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Linda Ronstadt version
"The Tracks of My Tears" | ||||
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Single by Linda Ronstadt | ||||
from the album Prisoner in Disguise | ||||
B-side | "The Sweetest Gift" | |||
Released | December 1975 | |||
Recorded | 1975 | |||
Studio | The Sound Factory, Los Angeles | |||
Genre | Rock, country rock | |||
Length | 3:12 | |||
Label | Asylum | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Peter Asher | |||
Linda Ronstadt singles chronology | ||||
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Background
In 1975, Linda Ronstadt recorded a cover version of "The Tracks of My Tears" for her studio album Prisoner in Disguise that became a pop Top 40 hit in the US. The single was produced by Peter Asher and issued on Asylum Records as that album's second single. Ronstadt's version of the song was a success peaking at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 11 on the Billboard C&W chart in tandem with its B-side: the Emmylou Harris duet "The Sweetest Gift", and No. 42 in 1976 on the UK Singles Chart.
Ronstadt later scored another of her biggest hits with her 1978 single "Ooh Baby Baby", which was a remake of the Miracles' hit single preceding "The Tracks of My Tears". Ronstadt and Smokey Robinson performed both "The Tracks of My Tears" and "Ooh Baby Baby" on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever special broadcast on May 16, 1983.
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Other versions
- In 1967, "The Tracks of My Tears" was covered by Johnny Rivers. His version of the song reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 8 in Canada.
- Aretha Franklin recorded the song for her Soul '69 album from which it was issued as a single although as the B-side. Franklin's version of "The Weight" became the favored track with "Tracks of My Tears" peaking at No. 76 Pop and No. 21 R&B.
- Bryan Ferry included the song on his These Foolish Things (album) covers album in 1973.
- Shirley covered the song in 1977, reaching No. 20 in Australia.
- A 1982 version by Colin Blunstone reached No. 60 in the UK Singles Chart.
- English pop duo Go West covered the song as "Tracks of My Tears" and released it as a single on September 20, 1993. Their version reached No. 16 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 38 on the Icelandic Singles Chart, and No. 82 on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart.
- Dolly Parton covered "Tracks of My Tears", which was part of her 2008 comeback album Backwoods Barbie.
References
- ^ Hughes, Keith (2018). "Tracks of My Tears, The". Don't Forget the Motor City. Ritchie Hardin. Archived from the original on September 22, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
- Segretto, Mike (2022). "1965". 33 1/3 Revolutions Per Minute - A Critical Trip Through the Rock LP Era, 1955–1999. Backbeat. pp. 72–73. ISBN 9781493064601.
- Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 36. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
- ^ "The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2004. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- "Rolling Stone picks Smokey Robinson and the Miracles track as greatest Motown song". March 30, 2021.
- "The 100 Greatest Motown Songs". Rolling Stone. March 30, 2021.
- "We Remember Marv Tarplin: Miracles Guitarist Dies at 70". EURweb.com. September 30, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- "The Tracks of My Tears by The Miracles". YouTube. January 10, 2012. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 370. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "WBMM The Miracles Facts". Gbelv.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
- "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. July 10, 1965. p. 16. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
- "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. July 10, 1965. p. 14. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- "WBMM Pete Moore Awards". Gbelv.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved August 14, 2012.
- Gregg, Jonathan (July 12, 2000). "So, What Are Your Ten Best Songs of All Time?". Time. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- "The 100 Greatest Motown Songs". Rolling Stone. March 30, 2021.
- "RPM Top 40 Singles - September 5, 1965" (PDF).
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- "Cash Box Top 100 8/28/65". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- "Top 100 Hits of 1965/Top 100 Songs of 1965". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- "British single certifications – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tracks of My Tears". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 469. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - March 13, 1976" (PDF).
- "RPM Top 50 AC - February 28, 1976" (PDF).
- ^ "Song artist 414 - Linda Ronstadt". Tsort.info. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- "Cash Box Top 100 2/28/76". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
- "Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on June 10, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
- Top 50 Adult Contemporary Hits of 1976
- "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 15, 1967" (PDF).
- Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 67. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "Single Releases". Music Week. September 18, 1993. p. 25. Misprinted as September 13.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 229. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (07.10–13.10)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). October 7, 1993. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
- "RPM 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. February 28, 1994. Retrieved August 7, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
Bibliography
Coryton, Demitri; Joseph Murrells. Hits of the Sixties: The Million Sellers. p. 131.
External links
- See The Miracles perform the song on YouTube
- List of cover versions of "The Tracks of My Tears" at SecondHandSongs.com
Go West | |
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Studio albums | |
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Singles |
- 1965 songs
- 1965 singles
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- United States National Recording Registry recordings
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- The Miracles songs
- Aretha Franklin songs
- Johnny Rivers songs
- Linda Ronstadt songs
- Colin Blunstone songs
- Go West (band) songs
- Songs written by Smokey Robinson
- Songs written by Warren "Pete" Moore
- Songs written by Marv Tarplin
- Songs about loneliness
- Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson
- Tamla Records singles
- Song recordings produced by Peter Asher
- Chrysalis Records singles
- Asylum Records singles
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