This is a pretty great Sunday evening kind of song. For listening, not writing about.
Wiki says:
"The Tracks of My Tears" is a 1965 hit single by The Miracles for the Tamla (Motown) label. It is considered among their best recordings, and is listed on the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. An all- time classic, this million- selling song is also a 2007 Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductee.
This song was #50 on the list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time[1]. In a 2006 poll for a Channel 5 program "Britain's Favourite Break-up Songs", "The Tracks of My Tears" was voted 16th. In early 2007, THE MIRACLES' original version of the song was inducted into the GRAMMY HALL OF FAME .
One thing I need to address before we move on with the music - I'm not a big fan of Linda Ronstadt, and
this song is really no exception, but I included it because:
- Odds are that one of the handful of people that read this blog is a closet Linda Ronstadt fan. You know who you are, we don't need to start a witch hunt.
- One of you may even be open about your sick Linda Ronstadt fetish.
- This recording was big for her in her career, so I'm just trying to make sure you get the history you paid for.
OK, we're all fully disclosed now.
The original Smokey Robinson is pretty great. His band is great, the backup singers nail it , he's about flawless himself - really close to perfect.
Aretha's version is about the same tempo - slow in the beginning, buoyant towards the end, with the horns to back it all up.
Rosetta Hightower picks it up from the beginning. I need to find more of her stuff - it's actually been re-released on CD. I like this version the best.
PLAY:
The Tracks of My Tears - Smokey Robinson & The MiraclesPLAY:
The Tracks of My Tears - Aretha FranklinPLAY:
The Tracks of My Tears - Rosetta Hightower
Labels: 1965, aretha, linda ronstadt, rosetta hightower, smokey robinson, soul, the miracles
