The Tears of a Clown 1888850 226023520 2008-07-16T14:11:46Z Petepait 7441877 Added "(two weeks)" {{Infobox Single | | Name = The Tears of a Clown | Artist = [[The Miracles|Smokey Robinson & the Miracles]] | from Album = [[Make It Happen (Miracles album)|Make It Happen]] (''aka'' The Tears of a Clown) | B-side = "Promise Me" | Cover = Tearsofaclown45.jpg | Format = [[Single (music)|7" single]] | Released = September 1970 (UK) <br /> [[September 24]], [[1970]] (US) | Recorded = [[Hitsville USA]] (Studio A); 1966 - 1967 | Genre = [[Pop music|Pop]]/[[Soul music|soul]] | Length = 2:57 | Label = [[Motown|Tamla]]<br><small>T 54199</small> | Writer = [[Stevie Wonder]] <br /> [[Hank Cosby]] <br /> [[Smokey Robinson]] | Producer = Hank Cosby <br /> Smokey Robinson | Chart position = <nowiki></nowiki> *<nowiki>#</nowiki>1 <small>([[Billboard Hot 100|US Pop Singles]])</small> *<nowiki>#</nowiki>1 <small>([[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B Singles]])</small> *<nowiki>#</nowiki>1 <small>([[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]])</small> | Reviews = <nowiki></nowiki> | Last single = "Who's Gonna Take the Blame" <br />(1970) | This single = "The Tears of a Clown"<br />(1970) | Next single = "I Don't Blame You at All"<br />(1971) }} '''"The Tears of a Clown"''' is a 1967 song by [[The Miracles|Smokey Robinson & the Miracles]] for the Tamla ([[Motown]]) label, originally released on the 1967 album ''[[Make It Happen (Miracles 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 [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Black Singles Chart]]. This song is an international multi-million seller and a 2002 [[Grammy Hall of Fame]] inductee. 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. ==History== ===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 (music)|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 try to 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 (Miracles album)|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 Rogers Robinson|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 new 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. ===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 [[rhythm and blues|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 Miracles hit number one again several years later with the smash hit "[[Love Machine (The Miracles song)|Love Machine]]", but by that time Smokey had long since left the group, replaced by [[Billy Griffin]].) The 45 single was issued with two different [[b-side]]s. 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' 1967 ''Make It Happen'' 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. ===Cover versions=== A [[ska]]-flavored cover of the song was a hit for the English [[ska]]/ [[New Wave music|New Wave]] band [[The Beat (band)|The Beat]] in 1979. Covered by the Flying Pickets in 1984 on their album ''Lost Boys'' In late 1993, Australian punk-rock band [[Caligula (band)|Caligula]] had an Australian #25 hit with the song. The song was later covered by [[La Toya Jackson]] in 1994 for her album ''[[Stop in the Name of Love (La Toya Jackson album)|Stop! In the Name of Love!]]'', and by Eve of Summer in 2007, for their album ''7''. === Trivia === * The Tears of a Clown features the [[bassoon]] as part of the instrumental arrangement, to provide part of the "reedy calliope" sound. * In the American sitcom ''[[Malcolm In The Middle]]'', "The Tears of a Clown" is Lois and Hal's "song." * In The Miracles' Motown "Definitive DVD", released in late 2006, Smokey revealed that their song "The Tears Of A Clown" was the 1st Motown hit ever to reach # 1 in the charts in Britain. * The song provides the template for the 1987 hit "[[When Smokey Sings]]," by the [[New Wave music|New Wave]] band [[ABC (band)|ABC]] from ABC's album ''[[Alphabet City (album)|Alphabet City]]''. * A reference to the "Tears Of A Clown" is contained in "[[Spending My Time]]" - one of the most popular songs by the Swedish duo [[Roxette]]. * The [[American Dad]] episode "[[Tears Of A Clooney]]" is a reference to the song. * In the [[American Dad]] episode entitled "[[Tearjerker]]" an apparantly remixed version of the song is featured shortly. == Credits == * Lead vocals by [[Smokey Robinson]] * Background vocals by [[Claudette Rogers Robinson]]. [[Pete Moore]], [[Ronnie White]], and [[Bobby Rogers]]. * Guitar by [[Marv Tarplin]] * Written by [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Hank Cosby]], and William "Smokey" Robinson * Produced by [[Hank Cosby]] and William "Smokey" Robinson * Other instrumentation by [[The Funk Brothers]] {{start box}} {{succession box | before = "[[I Think I Love You]]" by [[The Partridge Family]] | title = [[Billboard Hot 100]] [[List of number-one hits (United States)|number one single]] | years = [[December 12]], [[1970]] (two weeks) | after = "[[My Sweet Lord]]" / "[[Isn't It a Pity]]" by [[George Harrison]] }} {{succession box | before = "[[The Wonder of You]] (Live)" by [[Elvis Presley]] | title = [[List of number-one singles (UK)|UK number one single]] | years = [[September 8]], [[1970]] | after = "[[Band of Gold (Freda Payne song)|Band of Gold]]" by [[Freda Payne]] }} {{succession box | before = "[[Super Bad (song)|Super Bad]] (Part 1)" by [[James Brown (musician)|James Brown ]] | title = [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs]] [[List of number-one R&B hits (United States)|number one single]] | years = [[December 5]] - [[December 19]], [[1970]] | after = "[[Stoned Love]]" by [[The Supremes]] }} {{end box}} == See also == * [[Hot 100 No. 1 Hits of 1970]] == External links == * [http://www.superseventies.com/sw_tearsofaclown.html "The Tears of a Clown" at ''Superseventies.com''] {{DEFAULTSORT:Tears of a Clown, The}} [[Category:1967 songs]] [[Category:1970 singles]] [[Category:The Miracles songs]] [[Category:Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles]] [[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] [[Category:Number-one singles in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]] [[Category:Songs written by The Miracles members]]