Tears on My Pillow

"Tears on My Pillow" is a doo-wop song written by Sylvester Bradford and Al Lewis in 1958. The composition was first recorded by Little Anthony and the Imperials on End Records and was that group's debut recording under that name. The music was arranged by the great arranger Belford "Sinky" Hendricks who also arranged "Two People in the World", "Hurts So Bad", and "Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop". Their original recording of the song became a Billboard Top 10 Pop smash, peaking at #4, and was The Imperials' first million-seller. It was also a two-sided hit, with its flip side, "Two People in the World," also becoming a major hit. Although it remains one of the Imperials' signature songs, "Tears on My Pillow" has been extensively covered, including a No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart version by Kylie Minogue in January 1990.[1]

For the song of the same name by Johnny Nash, see Tears on My Pillow (Johnny Nash song). For the album of the same name by Johnny Tillotson, see Tears on My Pillow (album).
"Tears on My Pillow"
One of A-side labels for the U.S. vinyl single
Single by Little Anthony and the Imperials
from the album We Are the Imperials Featuring Little Anthony
ReleasedAugust 1958
GenreDoo-wop
Length2:20
LabelEnd
1027
Songwriter(s)
Little Anthony and the Imperials singles chronology
"Tears on My Pillow"
(1958)		 "The Glory of Love"
(1958)

The Imperials' original version

Early copies of the single were credited simply to "The Imperials," a group which had previously been known as "The Duponts" and "The Chesters." Brooklyn, New York deejay Alan Freed gave the group's lead singer, Anthony Gourdine, top billing while introducing the single over the air and the moniker of "Little Anthony and the Imperials" stuck.

"Tears on My Pillow" was a #4 hit single in the United States. Selling over a million copies, "Tears on My Pillow" was the most successful single of the Imperials' doo wop period. Its success would be matched only by the Imperials' 1964 single "Goin' Out of My Head." The Imperials ("Little Anthony" Gourdine, Clarence Collins, Ernest Wright, Tracy Lord, and Nate Rogers - the last two of whom were later replaced by Sammy Strain) performed the song on numerous TV programs, including The Dick Clark Show [2] and on the PBS Oldies special, Rock, Rhythm, and Doo-Wop in 1958 and 2002 respectively. They also performed the tune on the American Bandstand 40th Anniversary Special (also in 2002).[3][4]

Covers

The song has been covered many times, most notably by Kylie Minogue and also the following:

  • Johnny Tillotson covered the song in 1969, reaching No. 119 U.S. Billboard, #98 Cash Box and #94 in Canada.
  • A cover of "Tears on My Pillow" by Sha Na Na was featured on the soundtrack to Grease.
  • In 1986, New Edition released a Motown-covers album Under the Blue Moon that included a cover of "Tears on My Pillow." In the New Edition version, Little Anthony Gourdine himself appeared as a guest vocalist.

Other uses

"Tears on My Pillow" is referenced by Dean Friedman in his 1977 hit song "Ariel." It is included in the lyrics, "I met a young girl, she sang mighty fine, 'Tears on My Pillow' and 'Ave Maria'."

The song was also used in the season one seventh episode of Sliders entitled "The Weaker Sex," which originally aired as episode six. The character Rembrandt Brown (played by Cleavant Derricks) sings the song repeatedly on the street in an effort to raise money for a motel room.

Kylie Minogue version
"Tears on My Pillow"
Single by Kylie Minogue
from the album Enjoy Yourself
B-side
  • "We Know the Meaning of Love"
  • "Nothing to Lose"
Released8 January 1990
RecordedFebruary 1989,London, England
GenrePop
Length2:30
LabelPWL
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Stock Aitken Waterman
Kylie Minogue singles chronology
"Never Too Late"
(1989)		 "Tears on My Pillow"
(1990)		 "Better the Devil You Know"
(1990)
Music video
"Tears on My Pillow" on YouTube

Released by Australian singer Kylie Minogue as the final single from her second studio album, Enjoy Yourself. It was released in February 1990 in Australia and on January 8, 1990 in Europe. Minogue's cover was also included on the soundtrack of the film The Delinquents, which she also starred in. The song was the #1 single on the UK Singles Chart for one week in January 1990,[1] and reached No. 35 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart.

Critical reception

Bill Coleman from Billboard wrote, "Aussie lass offers a faithful reading of the Little Anthony & the Imperials classic. Pop and AC programmers should take note."[5] Music & Media stated that the song "has been re-interpreted in a wholly predictable way."[6]

Music video

The music video shows Kylie in a black dress with a Brigitte Bardot hairstyle singing the song. The video is inter-cut with clips from the 1989 film The Delinquents.

Live performances

Minogue performed the song on the following concert tours:

The song was also performed on:

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "Tears on My Pillow".

CD single

  1. "Tears on My Pillow" - 2:33
  2. "We Know the Meaning of Love" (Extended) - 5:50
  3. "Tears on My Pillow" (More Tears Mix) - 4:14

7" vinyl single

  1. "Tears on My Pillow" - 2:28
  2. "We Know the Meaning of Love" - 3:25

12" vinyl single

  1. "Tears on My Pillow" (More Tears Mix) - 4:14
  2. "We Know the Meaning of Love" (Extended) - 5:50

US & Canadian cassette

  1. "Tears on My Pillow" - 2:33
  2. "Nothing to Lose" - 3:20

Release history
Country Date
Australia February, 1990
Europe January 8, 1990

Charts and certification

See also

References
  1. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 510. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. Little Anthony "Tears on My Pillow". 30 November 2012 – via YouTube.
  3. Little Anthony & The Imperials Medley. 16 November 2011 – via YouTube.
  4. "Little Anthony and the Imperials".
  5. Coleman, Bill (April 14, 1990). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 77. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. February 3, 1990. p. 16. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  7. "Australian-charts.com – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  8. "Ultratop.be – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  9. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1240." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  10. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. 7 (5). February 3, 1990. pp. IV–V. OCLC 29800226.
  11. "Kylie Minogue: Tears on My Pillow" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  13. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Tears on My Pillow". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  14. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 11, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  15. "Dutchcharts.nl – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  16. "Charts.nz – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  17. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  18. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
  19. "Eurochart Hot 100 of 1990" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 7 no. 51. 22 December 1990. p. 60. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via American Radio History.
  20. "1990 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. 2 March 1991. p. 41.
  21. "British single certifications – Kylie Minogue – Tears on My Pillow". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Tears on My Pillow in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  22. Myers, Justin (March 15, 2014). "Kylie Minogue's Official Number 1 Singles' Sales Revealed!". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
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