"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.
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 YorkdeejayAlan 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 performed the song on numerous TV programs, including The Dick Clark Show 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.
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 sings the song repeatedly on the street in an effort to raise money for a motel room.
Kylie Minogue version
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, and reached No. 35 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary Chart.
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:
