Wow. I’m lost for words to explain this absolutely awesome song from The Miracles. Everything about The Tears Of A Clown seems perfect and beautiful. The extremely catchy circus-sounding motif is the “jelly” of this song and is lovely and sweet beyond words. Lead singer Smokey Robinson’s voice is genuine and emotive in delivering some of the most honest and touching lyrics I’ve ever seen. I really cannot stop thinking about this song. It has had a deep and profound impact on me and I could listen to it all day.
The most amazing fact about this song is that it was only released as a single 3 years after it had been recorded. Originally, the song had just been part of The Miracles 1967 album Make It Happen, and the only reason why it was released was because Motown executives in the UK were looking for a new hit single from the group. However, the group was on the verge of breaking up, and so they released The Tears Of A Clown from their previous album. Surprisingly, it became a number 1 hit in the UK. As a result, the song was also released in the US where it also became a number 1 hit.
This song could have been lost forever if it hadn’t been released. I’m sure we are all grateful that was released and achieved the success that it did.
The music for the song was written by Hank Cosby and a teenage Stevie Wonder in 1966. Unfortunately, they couldn’t come up with lyrics to fit the music. Subsequently, they showed Smokey Robinson what they had come up with, and he used the circus-sounding motif to write the lyrics.
As I said earlier, the lyrics in The Tears Of A Clown are some of the most touching lyrics I’ve ever seen. I think it’s because I can largely relate to them. The lyrics deal with the idea that people tend to cover their sadness by putting on a happy face with an empty smile. In the song, the singer is letting his former lover know that she shouldn’t let his smile fool her about he is really feeling about the breakup. He goes on to say that there is nothing sadder than the tears of a clown.
I have to admit that I have put on a happy face on many occasions despite feeling sad and down about something. While it has worked in the short term, it has typically led to me crying quietly when there’s no one around. In fact, just listening to this song can start to get me teary-eyed.
Overall, The Tears Of A Clown is an absolutely memorable and meaningful song that will forever remain a classic from the Motown era.
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