Tear-Stained Letter
| "Tear-Stained Letter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Richard Thompson | ||||
| from the album Hand of Kindness | ||||
| B-side | "Where the Wind Don't Whine" | |||
| Released | May 1984 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, zydeco | |||
| Length | 4:40 | |||
| Label | Hannibal | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Joe Boyd | |||
| Richard Thompson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube | ||||
"Tear-Stained Letter" is the opening track from Richard Thompson's 1983 album Hand of Kindness. The song has been recorded by others, including a notable hit version by Jo-El Sonnier in 1988.
Content[edit]
With a strong zydeco feel, the song's length is 4 minutes and 40 seconds.[1] The main riff is performed on saxophones by Pete Thomas and Pete Zorn, who also performs the background vocals, and on accordion by John Kirkpatrick. The coda features a duet between a sax solo, accordion solo, and guitar solo by Richard Thompson.
The song is in the key of G major, with a fast tempo in 4/4 time. It uses a chord pattern of E7-A-E7-A-D-G on the verses, and B7-C-D-G twice on the chorus.[2]
The lyrics feature a narrator who has broken up with a tumultuous romantic partner: "Just when I thought that things would get better / Right through the door come a tear-stained letter".
Personnel[edit]
- Richard Thompson - guitar, vocals
- Dave Pegg - bass guitar
- Dave Mattacks - drums
- Simon Nicol - guitar
- Pete Zorn - saxophone, backing vocals
- Pete Thomas - saxophone
- Clive Gregson - backing vocals
- John Kirkpatrick - accordion
Jo-El Sonnier version[edit]
| "Tear-Stained Letter" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Jo-El Sonnier | ||||
| from the album Come On Joe | ||||
| B-side | "Say You Love Me"[3] | |||
| Released | July 1988 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 4:17 | |||
| Label | RCA Nashville | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) | Richard Bennett, Bill Halverson[4] | |||
| Jo-El Sonnier singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube | ||||
Country music singer Jo-El Sonnier covered the song on his 1988 album Come On Joe. His version was released as a single in 1988, reaching number nine on the Hot Country Songs charts.[3] Kenny Greenberg plays lead guitar on Sonnier's version.[4] Actor Judge Reinhold appears in the music video for the song.
Charts[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 9 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks[6] | 5 |
Year-end charts[edit]
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 89 |
Other versions[edit]
Patty Loveless covered the song on her 1996 album The Trouble with the Truth.[8]
Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes covered the song on their 2005 album Into the Harbour.[9]
Jimmy Buckley covered the song on his 2017 album California Cotton Fields.[10][11]
References[edit]
- ^ Hand of Kindness, Richard Thompson, Hannibal Records HNCD 1313, 1991 (CD sleeve)
- ^ "'Tear Stained Letter' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 393. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
- ^ a b Come On Joe (Cassette insert). Jo-El Sonnier. RCA Records. 1988. 6374-4-R.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Jo-el Sonnier Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- ^ "RPM 100 Country Singles" (PDF). RPM. October 22, 1988.
- ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1988". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
- ^ Patty Loveless - Trouble with the Truth Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
- ^ Southside Johnny, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - Into the Harbour Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
- ^ Tear Stained Letter, retrieved 2024-01-26
- ^ Jimmy Buckley - California Cotton Fields Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26