The Tears of a Clown
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Tears of a Clown" | ||
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| Single by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | ||
| from the album Make It Happen (aka The Tears of a Clown) | ||
| Released | September 1970 (UK) September 24, 1970 (US) |
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| Format | 7" single | |
| Recorded | Hitsville USA (Studio A); 1966 - 1967 | |
| Genre | Pop/soul | |
| Length | 2:57 | |
| Label | Tamla T 54199 |
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| Writer(s) | Stevie Wonder Hank Cosby Smokey Robinson |
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| Producer(s) | Hank Cosby Smokey Robinson |
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| Chart positions | ||
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| Smokey Robinson & the Miracles singles chronology | ||
| "Who's Gonna Take the Blame" (1970) |
"The Tears of a Clown" (1970) |
"I Don't Blame You at All" (1971) |
"The Tears of a Clown" is a 1967 song by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label, originally released on the 1967 album Make It Happen. The song was re-released in the United Kingdom as a single in September 1970, where it became a number-one hit on the UK singles chart. Subsequently, Motown released "The Tears of a Clown" as a single in the United States as well, where it quickly became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles Chart. The single's success caused Miracles lead singer/producer/songwriter Smokey Robinson, who had announced plans to leave the act, to stay with the group until 1972.
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[edit] History
[edit] Origins
Stevie Wonder and his producer Hank Cosby wrote the music for the song, and Cosby produced the instrumental track recording. Wonder gave Smokey Robinson the instrumental track as a Christmas present at the 1966 Motown Christmas party. Robinson, who remarked that the song's distinctive calliope motif "sounded like a circus", provided lyrics that reflected his vision and sang lead vocal. In the song, Robinson's character, hurt by a lover who left him, compares himself to the characters in the opera Pagliacci, comedians/clowns who hide their hurt and anger behind empty smiles. Robinson had used the Pagliacci comparison before: the line "just like Pagliacci did/I'll keep my sadness hid" also appears in the song "My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down)", which Robinson wrote in 1964 for Motown artist Carolyn Crawford.
Issued as an album track on the Make It Happen LP, "The Tears of a Clown" was not released as a single. By 1969, Robinson had tired of endlessly touring with the Miracles, and wanted to remain home in Detroit, Michigan with his wife Claudette and their two children, Berry and Tamla (both named after aspects of the Motown corporation). Robinson informed his bandmates Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers, and best friend Ronald White that he would be retiring from the act to concentrate on his duties as vice-president of Motown Records.
In the meantime, Motown's British offices were clamoring for a new hit single from the Miracles, who were very popular in the United Kingdom. With no material available from the group, which was now planning to break up, Motown searched through their back catalog and happened upon "The Tears of a Clown". A new mix of the song was made in February 1970 for the single release, and "The Tears of a Clown" became a number-one hit in the UK after its September release.
The song was later covered by La Toya Jackson in 1994 for her album Stop! In the Name of Love!.
[edit] Commercial success
This newfound popularity prompted Motown to release the song as a single in the United States, where it became a number-one hit on both the pop and R&B charts within two months of its release. Despite the fact that The Miracles had been one of Motown's premier acts in the early and mid-1960s and its first successful group act, "The Tears of a Clown" was their first and only #1 hit while Smokey Robinson was lead singer.
The 45 single was issued with two different b-sides. The first pressing had an alternate version of the 1967 Miracles single "The Love I Saw in You was Just a Mirage" included on the flip side of "The Tears of a Clown", while the second included a new Miracles song, "Promise Me". Motown released a Tears of a Clown LP in 1970 as well, which was essentially a re-packaging of the Miracles' 1968 Greatest Hits, Vol.2 LP.
Two years later, Smokey Robinson decided to follow through with his plans to leave the Miracles and retire. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles embarked on a six-month farewell tour, which culminated in a July 16, 1972 performance in Washington, DC, where Robinson introduced the Miracles' new lead singer, Billy Griffin.
Today, "The Tears of a Clown" continues to be a popular radio request. A ska-flavored cover of the song was a hit for the English New Wave band The Beat in 1979.
The reference to the "Tears Of A Clown" is contained in "Spending My Time" - one of the most popular songs by the Swedish duo Roxette.
[edit] Credits
- Lead vocals by Smokey Robinson
- Background vocals by Claudette Rogers Robinson. Pete Moore, Ronnie White, and Bobby Rogers.
- Written by Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby, and William "Smokey" Robinson
- Produced by Hank Cosby and William "Smokey" Robinson
- Instrumentation by The Funk Brothers
| Preceded by "I Think I Love You" by The Partridge Family |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 12, 1970 |
Succeeded by "My Sweet Lord" / "Isn't It a Pity" by George Harrison |
| Preceded by "The Wonder Of You (Live)" by Elvis Presley |
UK number one single September 8, 1970 |
Succeeded by "Band Of Gold" by Freda Payne |
