96 Tears
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| “96 Tears” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Single by ? & the Mysterians from the album 96 Tears |
||
| Released | 1966 | |
| Format | 7" 45 RPM | |
| Genre | Garage Rock | |
| Length | 2:38 | |
| Label | Cameo-Parkway Records | |
| Writer(s) | Rudy Martinez | |
| Producer | Rudy Martinez | |
"96 Tears" is the name of a popular song recorded by Question Mark & the Mysterians in 1966, in Bay City, Michigan. It appears on the band's album 96 Tears. The band, formed in 1962 (it was called XYZ), consisted of lead singer Rudy Martinez (born in Mexico but raised in Michigan's Saginaw Valley), lead guitarist Robert Balderrama, keyboardist Frank Rodriquez, bass player Frank Lugo and drummer Edward Serrato.
[edit] Song
According to VH1's 100 Greatest One Hit Wonders (2002), the song was originally named "69 Tears", but the band's record label made them rename it out of fear that it would spark controversy[citation needed] because of the association of "69" with a sex position. This account is disputed. It was written by Martinez four years before it hit the top of the Billboard chart on Oct. 29, 1966. Known for its signature organ licks and bare-bones lyrics, it has been widely-recognized as one of the first garage band hits and has even been given credit for starting the punk rock movement (source, "Billboard Book of Number One Hits," by Fred Bronson). "96 Tears" knocked the Four Tops' "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" out of the top spot on the charts, but relinquished it to the Monkees ("Last Train To Clarksville") the very next week.
[edit] Covers
The song has been covered by the following artists:
- Aretha Franklin, from her 1967 album, Aretha Arrives.
- Big Maybelle, from her 1967 album, America's Queen Mother of Soul: Got a Brand New Bag
- The Modern Lovers
- Jimmy Ruffin
- Utopia
- Suicide, from their 1977 album, Suicide
- The Stranglers, from their 1990 album, 10
- Eddie And The Hot Rods, from their 1976 EP, Live at the Marquee
- Primal Scream, a B-side on their 1997 single, Kowalski
- Inspiral Carpets, on disc 2 (Rare As) of their 2003 compilation album, Cool As
- Texas Tornados
- Garland Jeffreys, from his 1980 album, Escape Artist
- Iggy Pop
- Joe "King" Carrasco
- The Residents, a drastically different rearrangment is included on their 1976 album, The Third Reich & Roll early in the "Hitler was a Vegetarian" segment.
It is also alluded to in the song "Plus Ones" by folk band Okkervil River. The original version is included in the soundtrack of "American Graffiti 2," from 1979.
The original version is ranked #210 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
[edit] Single
It was first released on the small Pa-Go-Go label and then picked up by Cameo Records for national distibution. The original issue is quite rare and sought after[citation needed] by record collectors. The song hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 and was the band's only major hit single. Follow-up song "I Need Somebody" peaked at number 22 later that year and no other U.S. top-forty singles followed.
| Preceded by "Reach Out I'll Be There" by The Four Tops |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single October 29, 1966 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Last Train to Clarksville" by The Monkees |
