“Tracks of My Tears” (The Miracles/Johnny Rivers/Linda Ronstadt)

Today’s classic song of the day is “Tracks of My Tears.” It was a hit for three different artists across two decades: The Miracles in 1965, Johnny Rivers in 1967, and Linda Ronstadt in 1975.

“Tracks of My Tears” was written by Smokey Robinson and fellow Miracles Pete Moore and Marv Tarplin. Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #50 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and named the Miracles’ original recording as The Greatest Motown Song of All Time.

The song started out as a guitar lick from Marv Tarplin, the Miracles’ guitarist. Smokey Robinson explains:

“‘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 [sings melody], you know, and we worked around with it, and worked around, and it became ‘Tracks of My Tears.'” 

Smokey listened to a cassette of Tarplin’s music for several months before finally coming up with the lyric hook:

“One day I was listening, and it just came—the tracks of my tears, like footprints on my face. So that was what I wrote about.”

The lyrics are clever and memorable. I particularly like the rhyme of “cute” and “substitute” in the second verse:

Since you left me, if you see me with another girl
Seeming like I’m having fun
Although she may be cute, she’s just a substitute
Because you’re the permanent one

So take a good look at my face
You’ll see my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears

Smokey’s group, the Miracles, released “Tracks of My Tears” as a single in June of 1965. The Miracles’ version hit #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s R&B chart and ended up selling more than one million copies in the first two years alone. Many (including label founder Berry Gordy) consider it one of Motown’s finest recordings, and it’s difficult to argue with that. The single was chosen by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll and, in 2008, was preserved by the Library of Congress for its “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significance.”

Two years after that initial Motown single was released, singer/producer Johnny Rivers delivered his cover of the tune. Rivers’ version charted higher than the original, reaching #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. This version dropped the signature guitar lick and added some string sweetening and background vocals, which made it a little more middle of the roadish than the Miracles’ version.

Linda Ronstadt, who had impeccable musical taste, released her cover of “Tracks of My Tears” in December of 1975. It peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart in early 1976. It also hit #11 on Billboard’s Country and Western chart because Mrs. Ronstadt’s version had a little bit of a country feel to it. This version brought back Marv Tarplin’s opening guitar lick (played on acoustic guitar this time around) and featured some powerhouse vocals from Ms. Ronstadt. It may be the version most of my friends and followers remember best.

Whomever performs it, “Tracks of My Tears” is a terrific tune. It’s hard to do this one poorly. So pick the version you like best—Smokey’s, Johnny’s, or Linda’s—and play it on repeat. It’s worth listening to more than once.