music.wikisort.org - Composition

"Tears" ("Tears for Souvenirs") is a song written by lyricist Frank Capano and composer Billy Uhr,[2] and was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1929.[3] It was made famous in a version recorded by Ken Dodd, released as a 45 rpm single in 1965. It became a No. 1 hit in the UK Singles Chart.[1] The song also reached number one on the Irish Singles Chart.

"Tears"
Single by Ken Dodd
from the album Tears of Happiness
B-side	"You and I"
Released	August 1965
Genre	Easy listening
Length	2:52
Label	Columbia DB 7659[1]
Songwriter(s)	Billy Uhr, Frank Capano[1]
Producer(s)	Norman Newell[1]
Ken Dodd singles chronology
"So Deep is the Night" (1964) "Tears" (1965) "The River" (1965)

Song synopsis

The main theme is based on Delilah's aria "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" ("Softly awakes my heart") from Act II of Camille Saint-Saëns's opera Samson and Delilah, which dates from 1877.

Music charts

Although best known as a comedian, Ken Dodd was a prolific recording artist throughout the 1960s and most of his music recordings were serious, not comic. His debut single "Love is like a Violin" reached #8 in 1960.[1] Between that and "Tears" he released nine further singles, several of which charted (though none of them made the top 20).[4]

The single spent 24 weeks in total on the chart, with five of those at #1.[5] It sold over 1,000,000 copies in the UK, becoming the biggest-selling single of 1965 in the UK, and was the third-biggest selling single of the 1960s; it was the only non-Beatles song in the top 5.[6] In 2017, it was listed as the UK's 39th-best selling single of all time (82nd with streaming), with sales of 1,523,690.[7]

Cover version

Bobby Vinton released a cover of the song in 1966. His version reached No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100,[8] while reaching No. 27 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.[9] In Canada, Vinton's version reached No. 24 on the "RPM Play Sheet"[10] and No. 14 on RPM's "GMP Guide".[11]

Parody

"Tears" was parodied in a section of the song "I'm Bored" by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, on their album Gorilla (1967).

References

---