| "Tears on My Pillow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Little Anthony and the Imperials | ||||
| from the album We Are the Imperials Featuring Little Anthony | ||||
| Released | 1958 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Genre | Doo wop | |||
| Length | 2:20 | |||
| Label | End 1027 |
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| Writer(s) | Sylvester Bradford Al Lewis |
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| Little Anthony and the Imperials singles chronology | ||||
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"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at #4, and was The Imperials' first million-seller. It was also a two-sided hit, with its flip side, "Two People in the World," also becoming a major hit. Although it remains one of the Imperials' signature songs, "Tears on My Pillow" has been extensively covered, including a #1 version by Kylie Minogue in 1990.
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Early copies of the single were credited simply to "The Imperials," a group which had previously been known as "The Duponts" and "The Chesters." Brooklyn, New York deejay Alan Freed gave the group's lead singer, Anthony Gourdine, top billing while introducing the single over the air and the moniker of "Little Anthony and the Imperials" stuck.
"Tears on My Pillow" was a #4 hit single in the United States. Selling over a million copies, "Tears on My Pillow" was the most successful single of the Imperials' doo wop period. Its success would be matched only by the Imperials' 1964 single "Goin' Out of My Head."
"Tears on My Pillow" has also been covered by Timi Yuro, Chuck Jackson, Bobby Vee, Lou Christie, Martha and the Vandellas, Bobby Vinton, Johnny Tillotson, Neil Sedaka, Reba McEntire, Jodeci, Lorrie Morgan, Derrick Morgan with Lyn Tait & The Jets, Neils Children, and The Fleetwoods.
The song was also used in the season one seventh episode of Sliders entitled "The Weaker Sex," which originally aired as episode six. The character Rembrandt Brown (played by Cleavant Derricks) sings the song repeatedly on the street in an effort to raise money for a motel room.
| "Tears on My Pillow" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kylie Minogue | ||||
| from the album Enjoy Yourself | ||||
| B-side | "We Know The Meaning of Love" (Worldwide) "Nothing to Lose" (North America) |
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| Released | November 12, 1989 (Australia) January 8, 1990 (Europe) | |||
| Format | 12" single 7" single CD single Cassette single |
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| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:33 | |||
| Label | PWL | |||
| Writer(s) | Sylvester Bradford Al Lewis |
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| Producer | Stock Aitken Waterman | |||
| Kylie Minogue singles chronology | ||||
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"Tears on My Pillow" reached #1 in the United Kingdom when Australian singer Kylie Minogue released it as a single from her second album, Enjoy Yourself. The single was released in November 1989 in Australia and on January 8, 1990 in Europe. Minogue's cover was also included on the soundtrack of the film The Delinquents, which she also starred in. The song was the #1 single on the UK Singles Chart for one week in January 1990 and reached #35 in Canada. The B-side, "We Know the Meaning of Love," reached #1 in its own right in Sweden.
The video shows Kylie in a black dress with a Brigitte Bardot hairstyle singing the song. The video is intercut with clips from the 1989 film The Delinquents.
Kylie performed the song on the following concert tours:
The song was also performed on the TV special "The Kylie Show" (2007).
CD single
7" vinyl single
12" vinyl single
US & Canadian cassette
| Country | Date |
|---|---|
| Australia | November 12, 1989 |
| Europe | January 8, 1990 |
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 20 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 9 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 35 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 20 |
| Eurochart Hot 100 | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 31 |
| Ireland Singles Chart | 2 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 33 |
| Slovania Singles Chart | 1 |
| Sweden Singles Chart | 3 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | UK Singles Chart[1] | 34 |
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