96 Tears
| "96 Tears" | |
|---|---|
| Song | |
| B-side | "Midnight Hour" |
"96 Tears" is a song recorded by the American garage rock band, Question Mark & the Mysterians (also known as "? and the Mysterians"), in 1966. In October of that year, it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.[1] and on the RPM 100 in Canada.[2] Billboard ranked the record as the number five song for the year 1966.[3] It is ranked #213 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
The song was written by Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) in 1962 in his manager's living room, under the name "Too Many Teardrops" and then "69 Tears". Upon changing the name, in fear of loss of radio play, it was recorded in Bay City, Michigan.[4] At first, Question Mark had to insist that "96 Tears" be the A-side over "Midnight Hour". Once the issue was settled, the band recorded the single for the small Pa-Go-Go label, owned by Lilly Gonzalez. She backed the band financially, and allowed access to her personal studio in her basement. When it began doing well locally, the band took a recording to Bob Dell, the radio director in Flint, Michigan. The song became the most requested, and wider radio play spread into Canada where it was picked up by Cameo Records for national distribution.[5][6]
Known for its signature organ licks and bare-bones lyrics, "96 Tears" is recognized as one of the first garage band hits, and has even been given credit for starting the punk rock movement.[7]
The song appeared on the band's album, 96 Tears. The follow-up song, "I Need Somebody", peaked at number 22 later that year, but no other U.S. Top 40 singles followed.[8]
Personnel
- ? – lead vocals[9]
- Bobby Balderrama – lead guitar
- Frank Rodriguez – Vox Continental organ
- Frank Lugo – bass guitar
- Eddie Serrato – drums
Covers
- Big Maybelle released a version of the song as a single in 1967 that reached #23 on the US R&B chart and #96 on the US pop chart.[10]
- The Music Explosion released a version of the song on their 1967 debut album, Little Bit O'Soul.[11]
- Thelma Houston released a version of the song as a single in 1981 that reached #22 on the US dance chart and #76 on the US R&B chart.[12]
- Garland Jeffreys released a version of the song as a single in 1981 that reached #5 on the US rock chart, #66 on the US pop chart, and #75 on the US dance chart.[13]
- The Stranglers released a cover version that reached No. 17 in the UK Singles Chart in 1990.[14]
References
- ^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" US chart position Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966
- ^ "Question Mark Bio". pharaohweb.com.
- ^ "The Making of 96 Tears". vice.com.
- ^ "Question". classicbands.com.
- ^ Fred Bronson (October 1, 2003). Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books U.S. p. ?. ISBN 978-0823076772.
- ^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ "Question Mark: Library of Congress copyright registrations indicate that his birth name is Rudy Martinez". 96tears.net. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
- ^ Big Maybelle, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ The Music Explosion, Little Bit O' Soul Retrieved June 30, 2015
- ^ Thelma Houston, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ Garland Jeffreys, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.