"So Many Tears" is a song by American rapper

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

from his third studio album, ''

Me Against the World ''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope and Jive Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and pove ...

'' (1995). It was released on June 13, 1995, as the album's second single. It was produced by

Shock G Gregory Edward Jacobs (August 25, 1963 – April 22, 2021), known professionally as Shock G and by his alter ego Humpty Hump, was an American rapper and musician who was best known as the lead vocalist of the hip hop group Digital Underground. ...

, who used a sample of

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

That Girl ''That Girl'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from September 8, 1966 to March 19, 1971. It starred Marlo Thomas as the title character Ann Marie, an aspiring (but only sporadically employed) actress, who moves from her hometown of Brewster ...

, and is often described as one of the album's best. A music video was made for "So Many Tears" and there were also numerous live performances of this song on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

and on Shakur's

House of Blues House of Blues is an American chain of live music concert halls and restaurants. It was founded by Isaac Tigrett, the co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, co-star of the 1980 film ''The Blues Brothers''. The first location opened at ...

concert, his last recorded show.

Composition

The song was produced by Shakur's longtime mentor,

, who produced it using a sample of the song "

" by

with a slowed down harmonica solo heard during the chorus. The song's lyrics are autobiographical with

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 ...

's Cheo H. Coker noting the track "finds an almost vulnerable 2Pac not only dealing with the senseless violence that marked his childhood but with the internal demons that threaten to consume him, snapping at his conscience like hellhounds on a bluesman’s trail".

Live performances

Shakur performed "So Many Tears" during his

appearance on February 17, 1996. He also performed the song on his

concert and it is included on the Live at the House of Blues live album.

Charts

Credits

* (T. Shakur, G. Jacobs, R. Walker, E. Baker, S. Wonder; Joshua's Dream/Interscope Pearl Music/Warner-Tamerlane * Publishing Corp./ Grand Imperial Thug Music/Pubhowyalike Music, BMI/Triboy Music Publishing/Black Bull * Music/Jobete Music Co., ASCAP.) * Produced by D-Flizno Production Squad for Stayin' Biznizzy Productions * Engineered by Mike Schlesinger & Tim Nitz * Recorded and Mixed at Soundcastle Studios * Background Vocals: Thug Life, Digital Underground (appears courtesy of Tommy Boy Records) & Stretch * Keyboards: The Piano Man * Guitar: Eric "Kenya" Baker * Contains a sample from "

" (Stevie Wonder; Black Bull Music/Jobete Music Co., Inc., ASCAP), as recorded by Stevie Wonder, under license from Motown Records. During the chorus, a slowed-down harmonica solo is heard.

Track listing

;Maxi-single # "So Many Tears" # "So Many Tears" (Key of Z Remix) # "So Many Tears" (Reminizim' Remix) # "Hard to Imagine" by

Dramacydal Outlawz (formerly known as Outlaw Immortalz) are an American hip hop group founded by rapper Tupac Shakur in late 1995 after Shakur's release from prison. Collectively, they were best known for their association with Shakur. Most of the group m ...

# "If I Die 2Nite" ;Promo single # "So Many Tears" # "So Many Tears" (Key of Z Remix) # "So Many Tears" (Reminizm' Remix) # "If I Die 2Nite"

References

1994 songs 1995 singles Tupac Shakur songs Interscope Records singles Songs written by Shock G Songs written by Tupac Shakur Songs written by Stevie Wonder {{1990s-hiphop-song-stub