What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by Jimmy Ruffin and released on Motown Records' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a ballad, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who had love that's now departed.

The tune was written by William Weatherspoon, Paul Riser, and James Dean, and the recording was produced by Weatherspoon and William "Mickey" Stevenson. "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" remains one of the most-revived of Motown's hits.

Composers Weatherspoon and Riser and lyricist Dean had originally written "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" with the intention of having the Spinners, then an act on Motown's V.I.P. label, record it. Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of Temptations lead singer David Ruffin, persuaded Dean to let him do the tune, as its anguished lyric about a man lost in the misery of heartbreak resonated with the singer.

Ruffin's lead vocal is augmented by the instrumentation of Motown's in-house studio band, the Funk Brothers, and the joint backing vocals of Motown session singers the Originals and the Andantes. "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" peaked at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100, and at No. 6 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart, as well as No. 8 on the UK Chart. Eight years later, the song was reissued (with a B-side of Ruffin's minor US hit "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby"), and surpassed its original UK chart position, reaching No. 4, and thus making it his highest-placed chart single in the UK.

The song originally featured a spoken introduction by Ruffin, similar in style to many of Lou Rawls' performances at the time. The spoken verse was removed from the final mix, hence the unusually long instrumental intro on the released version. The spoken verse is present on the alternative mix from the UK 2003 release Jimmy Ruffin – The Ultimate Motown Collection, and as a new stereo extended mix on the 2005 anthology, The Motown Box:

A world filled with love is a wonderful sight.

Being in love is one's heart's delight.

But that look of love isn't on my face.

That enchanted feeling has been replaced.

Personnel

Lead vocals by Jimmy Ruffin
Background vocals by the Originals (Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines, Hank Dixon, C.P. Spencer) and the Andantes (Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps)
Instrumentation by the Funk Brothers
String arrangements by Paul Riser

Charts

Weekly charts

1966 weekly chart performance for "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Chart (1966)	Peak position
Canada RPM Top Singles	18
France	2
UK Singles Chart	8
US Billboard Hot 100	7
US Billboard R&B	6
US Cash Box Top 100	9
US Record World	7

1974 weekly chart performance for "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Chart (1974)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)	20
UK	4

Year-end charts

1966 year-end chart performance for "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Chart (1966)	Rank
US Billboard Hot 100	14
US Cash Box Top 100	36

1974 year-end chart performance for "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Chart (1974)	Rank
UK	44

Certifications

Certifications for "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)	Gold	400,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Licensed uses

Film and television

In 1990, the song was used in The Wonder Years Season 3 Episode "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre" where Kevin Arnold picks up a Valentine's Day card meant for Winnie Cooper realizing he has genuine feelings for her.

In the military procedural series JAG, (Season 3, Episode 15 – February 1998) this song was used at the end of the episode, as Mac, Harm and Bud all sing this song together at a pub.

In 2009, the song was used during the closing credits of the French film La Famille Wolberg.

In 2019 HBO's Big Little Lies, used the song in the first episode of the second season.

In 2019 Apple TV+’s For All Mankind, used the song during the first episode of the first season.

Paul Young version

"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"

US retail cassette single; the US CD release was promo-only

Single by Paul Young

from the album Fried Green Tomatoes Soundtrack

B-side

"Ghost Train (Main Title)"

Released

January 1992 (1992-01)

William Weatherspoon
Paul Riser
James Dean

Paul Young singles chronology

"Oh Girl"
(1990)

"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
(1992)

"Now I Know What Made Otis Blue"
(1993)

A 1991 cover by Paul Young was featured in the film Fried Green Tomatoes. During the winter of 1992, his version reached No. 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 Cash Box, becoming Young's third No. 1 song on the US adult contemporary chart (following "Everytime You Go Away" and "Oh Girl"). It was a bigger hit in Canada, reaching No. 6 pop and No. 1 Adult Contemporary.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Chart (1992)	Peak position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary	1
Canada RPM Top Singles	6
New Zealand (RIANZ)	46
US Billboard Hot 100	22
US Billboard Adult Contemporary	1
US Cash Box Top 100	8

Year-end charts

Chart (1992)	Rank
Canada RPM-100 Singles	65
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	18
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)	114

Other versions

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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Ruffin recorded an Italian version of the song, titled "Se decidi così" ("If You Decide So").
A 1980 version by Dave Stewart on synth and vocals by Zombies singer Colin Blunstone on Stiff reached No. 13 in the UK.
Robson & Jerome's version spent two weeks at number-one on the UK Singles Chart in 1996.
Westlife also covered the song. It was released as the B-side of the single "What Makes a Man" in December 2000.
Joan Osborne recorded the song with the Funk Brothers for the soundtrack of the 2002 film Standing in the Shadows of Motown. The track also appeared on Osborne's 2007 album Breakfast in Bed.
Frankie Valli recorded and released his version of the song on his 2007 album Romancing the 60s.
Bruce Springsteen recorded the song for his 2022 album, Only the Strong Survive.

References

The Complete Motown Singles Vol. 6: 1966 . New York: Hip-O Select/Motown/Universal Records
^ Tsort. "Songs from the Year 1966". tsort.info. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
"The Irish Charts – Search Results – What Becomes of the Brokenhearted". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
"Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966". musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
"Top 100 1974 - UK Music Charts". top-source.info. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
"British single certifications – Jimmy Ruffin – What Becomes of the Broken Hearted". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
"Big Little Lies Soundtrack". /www.what-song.com. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
"For All Mankind Soundtrack". tunefind. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
^ "U.S. Cash Box Chart Entries – 1990 – 1996" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-07-22. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 264.
^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1992-03-28. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1992-03-07. Retrieved 2018-05-31.
Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
"Top 100 Singles of 1992 in Canada". Musiccanada.wordpress.com. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
"1992 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 52. December 26, 1992. p. YE-38. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
"Cover versions of What Becomes of the Brokenhearted written by James A. Dean, Paul Riser, William Weatherspoon | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 599–600. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted by Joan Osborne starring The Funk Brothers". SecondHandSongs.

Ritz, David (1992). "Jimmy Ruffin". Liner notes from Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection: 1959 - 1971. Motown Record Company, L.P./PolyGram.

External links

v t e Jimmy Ruffin
Studio albums	Sunrise (1980)
Singles	"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" "I've Passed This Way Before" "Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got" "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" "I'll Say Forever My Love" "Farewell Is a Lonely Sound" "It's Wonderful (To Be Loved by You)" "Hold On (To My Love)"
Studio albums with David Ruffin	I Am My Brother's Keeper (1970)
Related topics	Discography

v t e Paul Young
Discography
Studio albums	No Parlez The Secret of Association Between Two Fires Other Voices The Crossing Reflections Paul Young
Compilation albums	From Time to Time – The Singles Collection
Singles	"Toast" "Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home)" "Come Back and Stay" "Love of the Common People" "Love Will Tear Us Apart" "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" "Everything Must Change" "Everytime You Go Away" "Softly Whispering I Love You" "Oh Girl" "Calling You" "Senza una donna (Without a Woman)" "Both Sides Now" "Don't Dream It's Over" "Now I Know What Made Otis Blue" "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
Other songs	"I've Been Lonely for So Long" "Pale Shelter"
Related articles	Q-Tips Band Aid Live Aid "Come Back"

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1970s

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.	"Blinded by the Light" "Growin' Up" "Mary Queen of Arkansas" "Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?" "Lost in the Flood" "The Angel" "For You" "Spirit in the Night" "It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City"
The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle	"4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" "Incident on 57th Street" "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)"
Born to Run	"Thunder Road" "Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" "Night" "Backstreets" "Born to Run" "She's the One" "Meeting Across the River" "Jungleland"
Darkness on the Edge of Town	"Badlands" "Adam Raised a Cain" "Racing in the Street" "The Promised Land" "Prove It All Night" "Darkness on the Edge of Town"

1980s

The River	"The Ties That Bind" "Sherry Darling" "Independence Day" "Hungry Heart" "Out in the Street" "The River" "Point Blank" "Cadillac Ranch" "Fade Away" "Stolen Car" "Ramrod" "Wreck on the Highway"
Nebraska	"Nebraska" "Atlantic City" "Johnny 99" "Highway Patrolman" "Open All Night" "My Father's House"
Born in the U.S.A.	"Born in the U.S.A." "Cover Me" "Darlington County" "Working on the Highway" "Downbound Train" "I'm on Fire" "No Surrender" "Bobby Jean" "I'm Goin' Down" "Glory Days" "Dancing in the Dark" "My Hometown"
Tunnel of Love	"Tougher Than the Rest" "Spare Parts" "Tunnel of Love" "Brilliant Disguise" "One Step Up"

1990s

Human Touch	"Human Touch " "57 Channels (And Nothin' On)" "Pony Boy"
Lucky Town	"Better Days" "If I Should Fall Behind"
The Ghost of Tom Joad	"The Ghost of Tom Joad" "Youngstown" "The New Timer"

2000s

The Rising	"Lonesome Day" "Waitin' on a Sunny Day" "The Rising" "My City of Ruins"
Magic	"Radio Nowhere" "Girls in Their Summer Clothes" "Long Walk Home"
Working on a Dream	"Outlaw Pete" "My Lucky Day" "Working on a Dream" "The Wrestler"

2010s

Wrecking Ball	"We Take Care of Our Own" "Shackled and Drawn" "Death to My Hometown" "Wrecking Ball" "Rocky Ground" "Land of Hope and Dreams"
High Hopes	"High Hopes" "American Skin (41 Shots)" "Just Like Fire Would" "Hunter of Invisible Game" "Dream Baby Dream"
Western Stars	"Tucson Train" "Western Stars" "There Goes My Miracle" "Hello Sunshine"

2020s

Letter to You	"Letter to You" "Last Man Standing" "The Power of Prayer" "Ghosts" "I'll See You in My Dreams"
Only the Strong Survive	"Only the Strong Survive" "Nightshift" "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" "Turn Back the Hands of Time" "When She Was My Girl" "Hey, Western Union Man" "I Wish It Would Rain" "Don't Play That Song" "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" "7 Rooms of Gloom" "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" "Someday We'll Be Together"

Other singles

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