"Heartaches" is a song written by composer

Al Hoffman Al Hoffman (September 25, 1902 – July 21, 1960) was an American song composer. He was a hit songwriter active in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, usually co-writing with others and responsible for number-one hits through each decade, many of wh ...

and singer

John Klenner John Klenner (24 February 1899 – 13 August 1955) was a German-born American pianist and composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are compos ...

and originally published in 1931. A fast-tempo instrumental version of the song by

Ted Weems Wilfred Theodore Wemyes, known professionally as Ted Weems (September 26, 1901 – May 6, 1963), was an American bandleader and musician. Weems's work in music was recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Biography Born in Pitcair ...

and his Orchestra became a major hit in 1947, topping the ''Billboard'' Best Selling Singles chart. Later versions by band leader

Harry James Harry Haag James (March 15, 1916 – July 5, 1983) was an American musician who is best known as a trumpet-playing band leader who led a big band from 1939 to 1946. He broke up his band for a short period in 1947 but shortly after he reorganized ...

and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group

the Marcels The Marcels were an American doo-wop group known for turning popular music songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and signed to Colpix Records with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, R ...

were also chart successes. "Heartaches" has received renewed attention in the 2010s and 2020s after several 1930s recordings of the song, including a version by Sid Phillips & his Melodians with

Al Bowlly Albert Allick Bowlly (7 January 1898 – 17 April 1941) was a Mozambican-born South African– British vocalist and jazz guitarist, who was popular during the 1930s in Britain. He recorded more than 1,000 songs. His most popular songs includ ...

, were

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

the Caretaker ''The Caretaker'' is a play in three acts by Harold Pinter. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers an ...

's album ''

Everywhere at the End of Time ''Everywhere at the End of Time'' is the eleventh and final recording by the Caretaker, an alias of English electronic musician Leyland Kirby. Released between 2016 and 2019, its six studio albums use degrading loops of sampled ballroom music ...

''.

Early recordings

composed "Heartaches" after moving to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in a bid to become a successful songwriter; though it was not initially a major hit, it has been described by ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' as Hoffman's first great song. The song's lyrics were written by

. A 1931 recording by

Guy Lombardo Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer. Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and othe ...

and his Royal Canadians on Columbia (catalogue number 2390-D), was a modest success. Another early version was issued by Sid Phillips & his Melodians with

providing the vocal. This recording was made in London in late August 1931 and released on the

Edison Bell Winner The Winner Records was a United Kingdom-based record label from 1912 onwards. Its records were manufactured by the Edison Bell Record Works, London. This company, founded by James Hough, had originated in the early 1890s as an importer of Edison a ...

label (EBW 5358).

Ted Weems version

The most successful version of the song is by the American

bandleader A bandleader is the leader of a music group such as a rock or pop band or jazz quartet. The term is most commonly used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or ...

and his Orchestra. Weems' instrumental arrangement features a prominent whistling part by

Elmo Tanner William Elmo Tanner, known as Elmo Tanner (August 8, 1904 – December 20, 1990) was an American whistler, singer, bandleader and disc jockey, best known for his whistling on the chart-topping song “ Heartaches” with the Ted Weems Orche ...

over what the bandleader described as a "corny sort-of half rhumba rhythm". The original recording was made in 1933 on

Bluebird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous birds in the order of Passerines in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. ...

B-5131 in a novel, fast tempo to low record sales. Tanner later described this version as "before its time", stating "its beat was too fast and it was in

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

time. Nobody knew the samba in those days." In 1938, Weems and his Orchestra (including Tanner) re-recorded "Heartaches" at a slightly slower "rhumba

fox trot The foxtrot is a smooth, progressive dance characterized by long, continuous flowing movements across the dance floor. It is danced to big band (usually vocal) music. The dance is similar in its look to waltz, although the rhythm is in a tim ...

" tempo for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

. Like its predecessor, this version was not a chart success upon release. Weems' career was put on hold in early 1942 when he and his entire band enlisted in the

United States Merchant Marine United States Merchant Marines are United States civilian mariners and U.S. civilian and federally owned merchant vessels. Both the civilian mariners and the merchant vessels are managed by a combination of the government and private sectors, an ...

to fight in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. In early

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

, Kurt Webster, a late-night disc jockey on WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina, a 50,000-watt station that reached across the East Coast, played Weems' 1938 version of "Heartaches". Webster enjoyed the tune and it entered his regular rotation, leading to listeners frequently requesting it and "Heartaches" gaining national attention. To meet demand, Decca reissued the 1938 record (catalog number 25017), prompting Victor to reissue its 1933 version (catalog number 20-2175); both labels shared credit on the ''Billboard'' Best Selling Singles chart, where the song reached number 1 on March 15, 1947. Weems' "Heartaches" eventually sold over 2 million copies. Ted Weems, whose musical career had declined during his military service, revived his orchestra to capitalize on the success of "Heartaches". He signed a new deal with

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

and recruited his first manager, Howard Christensen. Weems received artist royalties from the 1933 Victor recording, but not the 1938 Decca recording, having let his contract expire. He did, however, receive composer royalties for its B-side "Oh! Monah". In May 1947, Weems made front-page news when he publicly repaid his debt to Kurt Webster, the man who had revived "Heartaches" and thus Weems' career. Weems staged a benefit performance by his band on June 6, with all proceeds going to war veteran Webster. The success of Ted Weems' "Heartaches" prompted several other notable recordings in 1947. A version by

and his Orchestra was released by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

as catalog number 37305. It first reached the

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

Best Seller chart on April 18, 1947, and lasted 3 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 8. In the United Kingdom, a recording of "Heartaches" by

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

was the most successful and the song impacted the

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

chart from July to October 1947, peaking at number 10. The song features in the 1947 film of the same title. In January 1948, ''Billboard'' listed the Ted Weems version of "Heartaches" as 1947's third biggest-selling record in the United States, behind

The Harmonicats Jerry Murad's Harmonicats were an American harmonica-based group. Background The band was founded in 1947. Originally they were named The Harmonica Madcaps and the group consisted of Jerry Murad ( chromatic lead harmonica), Bob Hadamik (bass har ...

' "

Peg O' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publicly by Irving Kaufman ...

" and

Francis Craig Francis Craig (September 10, 1900 – November 19, 1966) was an American songwriter, honky tonk piano player, and leader of a Nashville dance band. His works included " Dynamite" and "Near You", the latter being the first Billboard #1 hit out of ...

's "

Near You "Near You" is a popular song written and originally recorded by Francis Craig and His Orchestra at Castle Studio in 1947, with lyrics by Kermit Goell, that has gone on to become a pop standard. Background The recording by Francis Craig (the ...

was listed as the year's top songwriter, having composed not only "Heartaches" but also " Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba", which had hit number 1 in June in a recording by

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

, formerly vocalist with Weems' orchestra.

The Marcels version

The song was revived by American

group

in 1961. The group recorded their version of "Heartaches" on September 1, 1961, and its release followed the success of their million-selling version of " Blue Moon". Although the Marcels' "Heartaches" single failed to match the number 1 position on the US singles charts achieved by "Blue Moon", "Heartaches" reached the Top 10, peaking at number 7, as well as number 19 on the Hot R&B Sides chart. The Marcels version is sampled in the 2016

Lonely Island The Lonely Island is an American comedy trio, formed by Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone in Berkeley, California, in 2001. They have written for and starred in the American TV program '' Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). The thr ...

song "I'm So Humble," featuring Adam Levine. This song appears in the film '' Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping''.

Allan Sherman parody

A parody rendition by the American musician and satirist

Allan Sherman Allan may refer to: People * Allan (name), a given name and surname, including list of people and characters with this name * Allan (footballer, born 1984) (Allan Barreto da Silva), Brazilian football striker * Allan (footballer, born 1989) (Al ...

features on his successful 1963 album ''

My Son, the Nut ''My Son, the Nut'' is the third album by Allan Sherman, released by Warner Bros. Records in 1963. The album held the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 for nearly two months, from August 31 to October 25, 1963. It stayed on the charts for 140 wee ...

''. Titled "Headaches", Sherman's version is musically based on the Ted Weems arrangement and is lyrically a humorous commentary on

aspirin Aspirin, also known as acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used to reduce pain, fever, and/or inflammation, and as an antithrombotic. Specific inflammatory conditions which aspirin is used to treat inc ...

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

("Headaches, headaches / Aspirin commercials give me headaches"). The song features the voice of a child, credited as Tom Greenleigh, who interrupts with a comically unreasonable demand "Mommy! Can't you keep Daddy's car out of the driveway?".

The Caretaker version

From 2016 to 2019, English electronic musician Leyland James Kirby, also known as

, sampled the Al Bowlly,

Seger Ellis Seger Pillot Ellis (July 4, 1904 – September 29, 1995) was an American jazz pianist and vocalist. He also made a few brief film appearances, most notably in collaboration with director Ida Lupino. Life and career He was born in Houston, Texas, ...

, and

recordings of "Heartaches" for his final project, ''

''; all three are used multiple times in the project, with each subsequent appearance becoming more distorted and disfigured than the last, representing the gradual distortion and destruction of memory and other mental faculties brought about by

dementia Dementia is a disorder which manifests as a set of related symptoms, which usually surfaces when the brain is damaged by injury or disease. The symptoms involve progressive impairments in memory, thinking, and behavior, which negatively affe ...

. The complete edition of the project achieved viral popularity in October 2020 on

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

as an online challenge, receiving notability from renowned publications such as ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''.

Notable cover versions

Somethin' Smith and the Redheads Somethin' Smith and the Redheads were an United States, American vocal group, doing mostly pop standards in the 1950s. Their biggest hit single was "It's a Sin to Tell a Lie" in 1955, which reached #7 in the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...

- US #71 ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

(1956) *

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

- US #73, UK #31 (1962) *

Vince Hill Vincent Hill (born 16 April 1934) is an English traditional pop music singer and songwriter who is best known for his recording of the Rodgers and Hammerstein show tune "Edelweiss" (1967), which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (staying ...

- UK #28 (1966)

References

{{authority control 1931 songs 1947 singles 1956 singles 1961 singles 1962 singles Patsy Cline songs Vikki Carr songs Songs written by Al Hoffman Eddy Howard songs Decca Records singles Epic Records singles Songs written by John Klenner