"What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" is a hit single recorded by

Jimmy Ruffin Jimmy Lee RuffinRibowsky, Mark (2010), ''Ain't Too Proud to Beg: The Troubled Lives and Enduring Soul of the Temptations'', Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, p. 89. . (May 7, 1936 – November 17, 2014) was an American soul singer, and ...

and released on

Motown Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

' Soul label in the summer of 1966. It is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, with lead singer Jimmy Ruffin recalling the pain that befalls the broken-hearted who had love that's now departed. The tune was written by

William Weatherspoon William Henry Weatherspoon (February 11, 1936 – July 17, 2005) was an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work for Motown Records in the 1960s. He co-wrote "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted", an international hit for ...

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the " Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of ...

, and

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He became one of the most influential figures in Hollywood in the 1950s, despite a career that lasted only five years. His impact on cinema and popular culture was p ...

, and the recording was produced by Weatherspoon and

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

. "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" remains one of the most-revived of Motown's hits. Composers Weatherspoon and Riser and lyricist Dean had originally written "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" with the intention of having the Spinners, then an act on Motown's V.I.P. label, record it. Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of

Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

lead singer

David Ruffin David Eli Ruffin (born Davis Eli Ruffin;Ribowsky, p. 88 January 18, 1941 – June 1, 1991) was an American soul singer most famous for his work as one of the lead singers of the Temptations (1964–1968) during the group's "Classic Five" p ...

, persuaded Dean to let him do the tune, as its anguished lyric about a man lost in the misery of heartbreak resonated with the singer. Ruffin's lead vocal is augmented by the instrumentation of Motown's in-house studio band,

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

, and the joint backing vocals of Motown session singers the Originals and

the Andantes The Andantes were an American female session group for the Motown record label during the 1960s. Composed of Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, and Louvain Demps, the group sang background vocals on numerous Motown recordings, including songs by M ...

. "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" peaked at No. 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart, as well as No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Eight years later, the song was reissued (with a B-side of Ruffin's minor US hit "

Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby "Don't You Miss Me a Little Bit Baby" is a 1967 soul song originally recorded by Motown singer Jimmy Ruffin and released on the company's Soul subsidiary label. Details The track was written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong, Motown's hit s ...

"), and surpassed its original UK chart position, reaching No. 4, and thus making it his highest-placed chart single in the UK. The song originally featured a spoken introduction by Ruffin, similar in style to many of

Lou Rawls Louis Allen Rawls (December 1, 1933 – January 6, 2006) was an American baritone singer. He released 61 albums, sold more than 40 million records, and had numerous charting singles, most notably the song " You'll Never Find Another Love like Min ...

' performances at the time. The spoken verse was removed from the final mix, hence the unusually long instrumental intro on the released version. The spoken verse is present on the alternative mix from the UK 2003 release ''Jimmy Ruffin – The Ultimate Motown Collection'', and as a new stereo extended mix on the 2005 anthology, ''The Motown Box'': :A world filled with love is a wonderful sight. :Being in love is one's heart's delight. :But that look of love isn't on my face. :That enchanted feeling has been replaced.

Personnel

* Lead vocals by

* Background vocals by the Originals (

Freddie Gorman Freddie Gorman (born Frederick Cortez Gorman, April 11, 1939 – June 13, 2006) was an American musician and record producer, most famous as a singer, songwriter for the Motown Records, Motown label in the late 1960s and mid 1970s. He was a n ...

, Walter Gaines, Hank Dixon, C.P. Spencer) and

(Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps) * Instrumentation by

* String arrangements by

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Licensed uses

Film and television

In 1990, the song was used in ''

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl X ...

'' Season 3 episode "The St. Valentine's Day Massacre", where Kevin Arnold picks up a

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a Christian martyrs, martyr named Saint Valentine, Valentine, and ...

card meant for Winnie Cooper and realises he has genuine feelings for her. In the military procedural series '' JAG'' (Season 3, Episode 15 – February 1998) this song was used at the end of the episode, as Mac, Harm and Bud all sing it together at a pub. In 2009, the song was used during the closing credits of the French film ''La Famille Wolberg''. In 2019

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

's '' Big Little Lies'' used the song in the first episode of the second season. In 2019

Apple TV+ Apple TV+ is an American subscription over-the-top streaming service owned by Apple. The service launched on November 1, 2019, and it offers a selection of original production film and television series called Apple Originals. The service w ...

’s '' For All Mankind'' used the song during the first episode of the first season.

Paul Young version

A 1991 cover by

Paul Young Paul Antony Young (born 17 January 1956) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Formerly the frontman of the short-lived bands Kat Kool & the Kool Cats, Streetband and Q-Tips, he became a teen idol with his solo success in the 1980s. H ...

was featured in the film ''

Fried Green Tomatoes ''Fried Green Tomatoes'' is a 1991 American comedy-drama film directed by Jon Avnet and based on Fannie Flagg's 1987 novel '' Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe''. Written by Flagg and Carol Sobieski, and starring Kathy Bates, J ...

''. During the winter of 1992, his version reached No. 22 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 ''Cash Box'', becoming Young's third No. 1 song on the US

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stati ...

(following "

Everytime You Go Away "Everytime You Go Away" is a song written by American musician Daryl Hall. It was first recorded in 1980 by his duo Hall & Oates but was not released as a single. A cover version of the song by Paul Young became an international hit in 1985, reac ...

" and "

Oh Girl "Oh Girl" is a song written by Eugene Record and recorded by American soul vocal group the Chi-Lites, with Record on vocals and also producing. It was released as a single on Brunswick Records in 1972. Included on the group's 1972 album '' A Lon ...

"). It was a bigger hit in Canada, reaching No. 6 pop and No. 1 Adult Contemporary.

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Other versions

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

recorded the song for his 1979 album Rescue Me * Ruffin recorded an Italian version of the song, titled "Se decidi così" ("If You Decide So"). * A 1980 version by Dave Stewart on synth and vocals by

Zombies A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore ...

singer

Colin Blunstone Colin Edward Michael Blunstone (born 24 June 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 60 years, Blunstone came to prominence in the mid-1960s as the lead singer of the Rock music, rock band the Zombies, which rel ...

on Stiff reached No. 13 in the UK. *

Robson & Jerome Robson & Jerome were an English pop duo active in the mid-1990s, consisting of actors Robson Green and Jerome Flynn. They rose to prominence via the British television series ''Soldier Soldier''. The duo's musical catalogue was composed entir ...

's version spent two weeks at number-one on the UK Singles Chart in 1996. *

Westlife Westlife are an Irish pop group formed in Dublin in 1998. The group consists of members Nicky Byrne, Shane Filan, Kian Egan and Mark Feehily. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving in March 2004. The group disbanded in 2012 and later reun ...

also covered the song. It was released as the B-side of the single " What Makes a Man" in December 2000. *

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

recorded the song with the

Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

for the soundtrack of the 2002 film ''

Standing in the Shadows of Motown ''Standing in the Shadows of Motown'' is a 2002 American documentary film directed by Paul Justman that recounts the story of the Funk Brothers, the uncredited and largely unheralded studio musicians who were the house band that Berry Gordy hand ...

''. The track also appeared on Osborne's 2007 album ''Breakfast in Bed''. *

Frankie Valli Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of The Four Seasons (band), the Four Seasons. He is known for ...

recorded and released his version of the song on his 2007 album ''Romancing the 60s''. *

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

recorded the song for his 2022 album, '' Only the Strong Survive''. *

Russell Hitchcock Russell Charles Hitchcock (born 15 June 1949) is an Australian musician and lead vocalist of the soft rock duo Air Supply. Early life Born in Melbourne, Hitchcock attended South Brunswick State School, and later studied at Princes Hill Hig ...

of Australian duo

Air Supply Air Supply is an Australian soft rock duo formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1975, consisting of Englishman Graham Russell (vocals, guitar) and Australian Russell Hitchcock (vocals). With record sales of 100 million worldwide, they had a suc ...

recorded the song for his 1988 debut solo album, ''

''.

References

*Ritz, David (1992). "Jimmy Ruffin". Liner notes from ''Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection: 1959 - 1971''. Motown Record Company, L.P./PolyGram.

External links

* * * *
List of cover versions of "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"
at SecondHandSongs.com {{Authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles 1981 singles 1992 singles 1996 singles Jimmy Ruffin songs Dave Stewart (musician, born 1950) songs Colin Blunstone songs Paul Young songs Robson & Jerome songs Bruce Springsteen songs Motown singles MCA Records singles RCA Records singles UK singles chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Scotland Song recordings produced by William "Mickey" Stevenson Songs written by James Dean (songwriter) 1960s ballads Songs about heartache Soul ballads