It’s one of the most iconic pop songs in music history, colorful, simple, and just a shade out of control. And it emanated from a group that featured one of the most unforgettable band monikers and yet was completely anonymous.
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Those two sentences only hint at the wild tale of “96 Tears”, the out-of-nowhere No. 1 hit in 1966 by ? And The Mysterians. It’s proof that attitude and originality can outdo just about any other quality you might imagine when it comes to music success.
Answer in the Form of a Question Mark
Here’s the thing about “99 Tears”: We can’t begin to know the exact truth about its creation and recording. The guy who sang it has always done a fabulous job of mythologizing both himself and the song. But we’re going to try and piece it together the best we can.
The band that would eventually be called The Mysterians had been playing together for a while in the early 60s in Michigan. All were sons of Mexicans who had come North to find work in the Midwest. They settled in playing covers of popular bands of the day while mixing in some surf rock influences. Only when they found a consistent, charismatic lead singer did they imagine making originals.
?, real name Rudy Martinez, came to the band because his brother Robert was already a member. That changed when Robert Martinez and another member of the band (Larry Borjas) enlisted in the Army instead of waiting to get drafted, which likely would have ensured that they’d serve in Vietnam.
Nonetheless, ? And The Mysterians kept after it. One of their newer members, organist Frank Rodriguez, started messing around one day on his Vox Continental, creating an iconic keyboard intro. ? remembered a poem that he’d written a few years back and turned them into lyrics. “96 Tears” was born.
“Tears” and Triumph
The origin of the song’s title is yet another element that’s long been up for debate. Most commonly, the story goes that the band started talking about how many tears would represent “too many teardrops,” as the lyrics state.
Being young guys, it wasn’t all that surprising that someone suggested 69 tears as a bit of a double entendre. They quickly realized that wouldn’t fly, so someone else came up with the idea that they simply reverse the number. That’s how they ended up at the seemingly random title of “96 Tears”.
The band recorded the song at the studio of local producer Lily Gonzalez, who, realizing the song’s potential, created a label (Pa-Go-Go) to distribute it. “96 Tears” grew out of its humble origins in Michigan and eventually went national. It didn’t stop until it hit the very top of the US pop charts in 1966.
Behind the Lyrics of “96 Tears”
? starts us off in medias res with the opening lyrics of “96 Tears”. “Too many teardrops for one heart to be crying,” he sings with a growl. “Too many teardrops for one heart to carry on.” From there, the song takes the form of a power struggle. The narrator vows to rise from his lowly, defeated state and turn the tables on the ex who put him there.
He suggests that her comeuppance is overdue. “You’re always laughing way down at me,” he sneers. Of course, all of this is merely what he anticipates happening. But there’s no evidence that he’ll be able to pull it off. “I’m way down here wondering how,” ? ponders. “I’m gonna get you, but I know now/I’ll just cry.”
Rudy Martinez still puts on his dark shades and assumes his alter ego ? now and again, often with members of the Mysterians alongside him. You can bet they’re going to trot out “96 Tears”, and that everybody within earshot will be shouting along to that unlikeliest of pop hits.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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