"96 Tears" is a song recorded by the American

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

band ? and the Mysterians in 1966 (''see''

1966 in music List of notable events in music that took place in the year 1966. Specific locations * 1966 in British music *1966 in Norwegian music Specific genres * 1966 in country music *1966 in jazz Events * January 8 – ''Shindig!'' is broadcast for ...

). In October of that year, it was #1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S. and on the ''RPM'' 100 in Canada. ''Billboard'' ranked the record as the #5 song for 1966. It is ranked #213 on the ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

. On November 11, 1966, the single was certified as gold by the RIAA.

Background

The song was written by Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) in 1962 in his manager's living room, and was recorded in

Bay City, Michigan Bay City is a city and county seat of Bay County in the U.S. state of Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 34,932, and it is the principal city of the Bay City Metropol ...

. 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 Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. The song became the most requested, and wider radio play spread into Canada, where it was picked up by

Cameo Records Cameo Records was an American record label that flourished in the 1920s. It was owned by the Cameo Record Corporation in New York City. Cameo released a disc by Lucille Hegamin every two months from 1921 to 1926. Cameo records are also noted ...

for national distribution. Various reports have suggested that Question Mark first wrote the song under the title "Too Many Teardrops" and then " 69 Tears", but then changed the title, fearing that radio stations wouldn't play the song. However, Question Mark denied this in an interview, stating that the number 96 has a deep philosophical meaning for him. Known for its signature organ licks and bare-bones lyrics, "96 Tears" is recognized as one of the first

garage band Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

hits, and has even been given credit for starting the punk rock movement. The song appeared on the band's album ''

96 Tears "96 Tears" is a song recorded by the American garage rock band ? and the Mysterians in 1966 (''see'' 1966 in music). In October of that year, it was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the U.S. and on the RPM (magazine), ''RPM'' ...

''. The follow-up song, "I Need Somebody", peaked at #22 later that year, but no other U.S. Top 40 singles followed.

Chart history

Weekly charts

;? and the Mysterians ;The Stranglers

Year-end charts

Personnel

*Rudy Martinez (Question Mark) – vocals *Frank Rodriguez –

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

organ *Bobby Balderrama – lead guitar *Frank Lugo – bass guitar *Eddie Serrato – drums

Other versions

*A Spanish version of the song was also recorded by ? And the Mysterians *

Big Maybelle Mabel Louise Smith (May 1, 1924 – January 23, 1972), known professionally as Big Maybelle, was an American R&B singer. Her 1956 hit single " Candy" received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 1999. Childhood and musical background Born in J ...

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. *

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

released a version of the song on her second Atlantic studio album "

Aretha Arrives ''Aretha Arrives'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released on August 4, 1967, by Atlantic Records. Its first single release was " Baby I Love You", a million-selling Gold 45 which hit #1 R&B and #4 on the ''Bill ...

" in 1967. *

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of "Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Grammy ...

released a version of the song as a single in 1981 that reached #22 on the

US dance chart Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

and #76 on the US R&B chart. *

Garland Jeffreys Garland Jeffreys (born June 29, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter in rock and roll, reggae, blues, and soul music. Career Jeffreys is from Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, of African American and Puerto Rican heritage. He majored in art hist ...

released a version of the song as a single and track from his album "Escape Artist" in 1981 that reached #5 on the US rock chart, #66 on the US pop chart, and #75 on the US dance chart. *

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

released a version that reached #17 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1990.

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* * {{authority control 1966 songs 1966 debut singles 1966 singles 1981 singles 1990 singles ? and the Mysterians songs The Stranglers songs Eddie and the Hot Rods songs Thelma Houston songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Cameo-Parkway Records singles RCA Records singles Epic Records singles