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 in the U.S.^[7] and on the RPM 100 in Canada.^[8] Billboard ranked the record as the #5 song for 1966.^[9] It was ranked #213 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. On November 11, 1966, the single was certified as gold by the RIAA.^[10]

"96 Tears"
One of side-A labels of US single release
Single by ? and the Mysterians
from the album 96 Tears
B-side	"Midnight Hour"
Released	August 1966 (1966)
Recorded	1966 in Bay City, Michigan
Genre	Garage rock[1][2][3] pop rock[4][5] psychedelic rock[6]
Length	2:56
Label	Pa-Go-Go Cameo-Parkway
Songwriter(s)	Rudy Martinez
Producer(s)	Rudy Martinez
? and the Mysterians singles chronology
"96 Tears" (1966) "I Need Somebody" (1966)

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.^[11] 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. The song became the most requested, and wider radio play spread into Canada, where it was picked up by Cameo Records for national distribution.^[12][13]

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 would not play the song.^{[citation needed]} However, Question Mark denied this in an interview, stating that the number 96 has a deep philosophical meaning for him.^[14]

Known for its signature organ riffs and bare-bones lyrics, "96 Tears" is recognized as one of the first garage band hits, and has even been given credit for starting the punk rock movement.^[15] In Vice Media, Legs McNeil said "96 Tears" is "a safe candidate for first punk rock song ever."^[12]

The song appeared on the band's album 96 Tears. The follow-up song, "I Need Somebody", peaked at #22 later that year, but no other U.S. Top 40 singles followed.^[16]

Chart history

Weekly charts ? and the Mysterians Chart (1966) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[17] 11 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[18] 20 Brazil (O Globo)[19] 3 Canada RPM Top Singles[20] 1 France (IFOP)[21] 7 UK Singles (OCC)[22] 37 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[24] 1 US Record World 100 Top Pops[25] 1 West Germany (Media Control)[26] 27 The Stranglers Chart (1990) Peak position Ireland (IRMA)[27] 9 UK 17

Year-end charts Chart (1966) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100[28] 5 U.S. Cash Box [29] 19

Personnel

• Rudy Martinez (Question Mark) – vocals^[30]
• Frank Rodriguez – Vox Continental 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 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.^[31]
• Aretha Franklin released a version of the song on her second Atlantic studio album "Aretha Arrives" in 1967.^[32]
• Thelma Houston released a version of the song as a single in 1981 that reached #22 on the US dance chart and #76 on the US R&B chart.^[33]
• Garland Jeffreys 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.^[34][35]
• Inspiral Carpets released a version on “Plane Crash EP” in 1988.
• The Stranglers released a version that reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart in 1990.^[36]

See also

• List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States

References

1. Bill Dahl (28 February 2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs. Krause Publications. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4402-2783-7. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
2. Chris Morris (8 November 1997). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
3. Seward, Scott (2004). "Nuggets". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 918–919. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
4. Gary Hartman (8 March 2008). The History of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-60344-002-8. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
5. Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2024. One of the most perfect one-off smashes in pop-rock history...
6. Tom Moon (28 August 2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company. p. 806. ISBN 978-0-7611-5385-6. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
7. Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" US chart position Retrieved July 1, 2015
8. Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015
9. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966
10. "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – 96 Tears". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
11. "Question Mark Bio". pharaohweb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31.
12. "The Making of 96 Tears". vice.com. 26 February 2014.
13. "Question". classicbands.com.
14. "96 Tears by ? & the Mysterians". songfacts.com.
15. Fred Bronson (October 1, 2003). Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books U.S. p. ?. ISBN 978-0823076772.
16. Question Mark & the Mysterians, chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
17. "? (QUESTION MARK) & THE MYSTERIANS – 96 Tears" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
18. "? (Question Mark) & The Mysterians – 96 Tears" (in French). Ultratop 50.
19. "Billboard Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. No. January 21, 1967. p. 66.
20. Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015
21. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1966-09-17. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
22. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
23. "Question Mark The Mysterians Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
24. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 22, 1966
25. "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World (October 22, 1966).
26. "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
27. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 96 Tears". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
28. Musicoutfitters.com
29. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
30. "Question Mark: Library of Congress copyright registrations indicate that his birth name is Rudy Martinez". 96tears.net. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
31. Big Maybelle, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
32. "Aretha Franklin - Aretha Arrives". www.discogs.com. 4 August 1967. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
33. Thelma Houston, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
34. Garland Jeffreys, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
35. "Escape Artist - Garland Jeffreys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
36. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

External links

• Lyrics of this song
• ? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears on YouTube
• The Stranglers - 96 Tears on YouTube