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"96 Tears"
"96 Tears"
	One of side-A labels of US single release
Single by ? and the Mysterians
from the album 96 Tears
B-side	"Midnight Hour"
Released	August 1966
Recorded	1966 in Bay City, Michigan
Genre	Garage rock; pop rock; psychedelic rock;
Length	2:56
Label	Pa-Go-Go; Cameo-Parkway;
Songwriter	Rudy Martinez
Producer	Rudy Martinez
? and the Mysterians singles chronology

"96 Tears" is a song by the American garage rock band ? and the Mysterians released in August 1966. In October of that year, it was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.^[7] and on the RPM 100 in Canada.^[8] Billboard ranked the record as the #5 song for 1966.^[9] It was ranked #213 on the Rolling Stone list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. On November 11, 1966, the single was certified as gold by the RIAA.^[10]

Background

The song was written by Question Mark (Rudy Martinez) in 1962 in his manager's living room, and was recorded in Bay City, Michigan.^[11] Initially, Question Mark had to insist that "96 Tears" be the A-side over "Midnight Hour". Once the issue was settled, the band recorded the single for the small Pa-Go-Go label, owned by Lilly Gonzalez. She backed the band financially, and allowed access to her personal studio in her basement. When it began doing well locally, the band took a recording to Bob Dell, the radio director in Flint, Michigan. The song became the most requested, and wider radio play spread into Canada, where it was picked up by Cameo Records for national distribution.^[12]^[13]

Various reports have suggested that Question Mark first wrote the song under the title "Too Many Teardrops" and then "69 Tears", but then changed the title, fearing that radio stations would not play the song.^[14] However, Question Mark denied this in an interview, stating that the number 96 has a deep philosophical meaning for him.^[15]

Known for its signature organ riffs and bare-bones lyrics, "96 Tears" is recognized as one of the first garage band hits, and has even been given credit for starting the punk rock movement.^[16] In Vice Media, Legs McNeil said "96 Tears" is "a safe candidate for first punk rock song ever."^[12]

The song appeared on the band's album 96 Tears. The follow-up song, "I Need Somebody", peaked at #22 later that year, but no other U.S. Top 40 singles followed.^[17]

Chart history

Weekly charts

? and the Mysterians

Chart (1966)	Peak position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[18]	11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[19]	20
Brazil (O Globo)^[20]	3
Canada RPM Top Singles^[21]	1
France (IFOP)^[22]	7
UK Singles (OCC)^[23]	37
US Billboard Hot 100^[24]	1
US Cash Box Top 100^[25]	1
US Record World 100 Top Pops^[26]	1
West Germany (Media Control)^[27]	27

The Stranglers

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Ireland (IRMA)^[28]	9
UK	17

Year-end charts

Chart (1966)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100^[29]	5
U.S. Cash Box ^[30]	19

Personnel

Rudy Martinez (Question Mark) – vocals^[31]
Frank Rodriguez – Vox Continental organ
Bobby Balderrama – lead guitar
Frank Lugo – bass guitar
Eddie Serrato – drums

Other versions

A Spanish version of the song was also recorded by ? and the Mysterians.
Big Maybelle released a version of the song as a single in 1967 that reached #23 on the US R&B chart and #96 on the US pop chart.^[32]
Aretha Franklin released a version of the song on her second Atlantic studio album Aretha Arrives in 1967.
Jimmy Ruffin, older brother of David Ruffin, released a version of the song on his second Tamla/Motown studio album "Ruff'n Ready" in 1969.
Thelma Houston released a version of the song as a single in 1981 that reached #22 on the US dance chart and #76 on the US R&B chart.^[33]
Garland Jeffreys released a version of the song as a single and track from his album "Escape Artist" in 1981 that reached #5 on the US rock chart, #66 on the US pop chart, and #75 on the US dance chart.^[34]^[35]
Inspiral Carpets released a version on “Plane Crash EP” in 1988.
The Stranglers released a version that reached #17 in the UK Singles Chart in 1990.^[36]

Cultural references

In addition to its impact on music, "96 Tears" has influenced pop culture, including the naming of a bar in New York City’s East Village. The bar, also called "96 Tears", is inspired by the song and its iconic place in garage rock history.^[37]

The song is also mentioned on the B-52s song “Deadbeat Club”.

Andrew Eldtritch, lead singer / song-writer in the Sisters of Mercy, references 96 Tears in the line '96 below the waves' in his band's 1983 release, "Temple of Love".^[38]

References

^ Bill Dahl (28 February 2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs. Krause Publications. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4402-2783-7. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
^ Chris Morris (8 November 1997). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
^ Seward, Scott (2004). "Nuggets". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 918–919. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
^ Gary Hartman (8 March 2008). The History of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-60344-002-8. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
^ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2024. One of the most perfect one-off smashes in pop-rock history...
^ Tom Moon (28 August 2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company. p. 806. ISBN 978-0-7611-5385-6. Retrieved 16 October 2015.
^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" US chart position Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966
^ "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – 96 Tears". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
^ "Question Mark Bio". pharaohweb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31.
^ ^a ^b "The Making of 96 Tears". vice.com. 26 February 2014.
^ "Question". classicbands.com.
^ Best Classic Bands Staff. "Question Mark + the Mysterians' 96 Tears: The Riff". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
^ "96 Tears by ? & the Mysterians". songfacts.com.
^ Fred Bronson (October 1, 2003). Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books U.S. p. ?. ISBN 978-0823076772.
^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ "? (QUESTION MARK) & THE MYSTERIANS – 96 Tears" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
^ "? (Question Mark) & The Mysterians – 96 Tears" (in French). Ultratop 50.
^ "Billboard Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. No. January 21, 1967. p. 66.
^ Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1966-09-17. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
^ "Official Singles Chart on 7/12/1966 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.
^ "Question Mark The Mysterians Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 22, 1966
^ "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World (October 22, 1966).
^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 96 Tears". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
^ Musicoutfitters.com
^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
^ "Question Mark: Library of Congress copyright registrations indicate that his birth name is Rudy Martinez". 96tears.net. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
^ Big Maybelle, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ Thelma Houston, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ Garland Jeffreys, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015
^ "Escape Artist - Garland Jeffreys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.
^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
^ Bob Krasner (November 30, 2022). "New East Village bar 96 Tears full of rock-and-roll spirit". amNewYork.
^ Andrewspublished, Mark (2023-05-11). "The Sisters of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch thinks 'Fear of the Dark' by Iron Maiden is like a Sisters cover version". Louder. Retrieved 2026-01-18.

External links

Lyrics of this song
? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears on YouTube
The Stranglers - 96 Tears on YouTube
Official website of 96 Tears bar

[1] Bill Dahl (28 February 2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs. Krause Publications. p. 300. ISBN 978-1-4402-2783-7. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

[2] Chris Morris (8 November 1997). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 68. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

[RS_2004-3] Seward, Scott (2004). "Nuggets". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 918–919. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.

[4] Gary Hartman (8 March 2008). The History of Texas Music. Texas A&M University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-1-60344-002-8. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

[Billboard_Pop_500-5] Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2024. One of the most perfect one-off smashes in pop-rock history...

[6] Tom Moon (28 August 2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company. p. 806. ISBN 978-0-7611-5385-6. Retrieved 16 October 2015.

[7] Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" US chart position Retrieved July 1, 2015

[8] Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015

[9] Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1966

[10] "RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database – 96 Tears". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 16, 2015.

[11] "Question Mark Bio". pharaohweb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-31.

[vice-12] "The Making of 96 Tears". vice.com. 26 February 2014.

[13] "Question". classicbands.com.

[14] Best Classic Bands Staff. "Question Mark + the Mysterians' 96 Tears: The Riff". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2025-02-11.

[15] "96 Tears by ? & the Mysterians". songfacts.com.

[16] Fred Bronson (October 1, 2003). Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th ed.). Billboard Books U.S. p. ?. ISBN 978-0823076772.

[17] Question Mark & the Mysterians, chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015

[sc_Austria_?_(QUESTION_MARK)_&_THE_MYSTERIANS-18] "? (QUESTION MARK) & THE MYSTERIANS – 96 Tears" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.

[sc_Wallonia_?_(Question_Mark)_&_The_Mysterians-19] "? (Question Mark) & The Mysterians – 96 Tears" (in French). Ultratop 50.

[20] "Billboard Hits Of The World" (PDF). Billboard. No. January 21, 1967. p. 66.

[21] Question Mark & the Mysterians, "96 Tears" Canadian chart position Archived 2017-12-27 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 1, 2015

[22] "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. 1966-09-17. Retrieved 22 December 2019.

[sc_UK_?_(Question_Mark)_&_The_Mysterians-23] "Official Singles Chart on 7/12/1966 – Top 100". Official Charts Company.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Question_Mark_The_Mysterians-24] "Question Mark The Mysterians Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

[25] Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 22, 1966

[26] "100 Top Pops" (PDF). Record World (October 22, 1966).

[27] "Offizielle Deutsche Charts - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". www.offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2022-08-18.

[sc_Ireland2_-28] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 96 Tears". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved December 23, 2019.

[29] Musicoutfitters.com

[30] "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2019.

[31] "Question Mark: Library of Congress copyright registrations indicate that his birth name is Rudy Martinez". 96tears.net. Archived from the original on 2014-04-08. Retrieved 2014-04-08.

[32] Big Maybelle, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015

[33] Thelma Houston, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015

[34] Garland Jeffreys, "96 Tears" chart positions Retrieved July 1, 2015

[35] "Escape Artist - Garland Jeffreys | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved November 3, 2016.

[British_Hit_Singles_&_Albums-36] Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 535. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.

[37] Bob Krasner (November 30, 2022). "New East Village bar 96 Tears full of rock-and-roll spirit". amNewYork.

[38] Andrewspublished, Mark (2023-05-11). "The Sisters of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch thinks 'Fear of the Dark' by Iron Maiden is like a Sisters cover version". Louder. Retrieved 2026-01-18.

v t e Thelma Houston
Discography Filmography
Studio albums	Sunshower Thelma Houston (1972) I've Got the Music in Me Any Way You Like It Thelma & Jerry The Devil in Me Two to One Ready to Roll Ride to the Rainbow Reachin' All Around Breakwater Cat Never Gonna Be Another One Thelma Houston (1983) Qualifying Heat Throw You Down Thelma Houston (1994) A Woman's Touch
Collaboration albums	Tore Down House Well to the Bone
Associated albums	Good News in Hard Times
Soundtracks	The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings Thank God It's Friday Into the Night Lean on Me 54
Singles	"Baby Mine" "Jumpin' Jack Flash" "Save the Country" "Me and Bobby McGee" "Don't Leave Me This Way" "Love Machine" "Suspicious Minds" "96 Tears" "You Used to Hold Me So Tight" "Moonlight Serenade" "My Lucille" "Lean on Me" "Let It Be"
Related articles	Fame Divas of Disco Jerry Butler Scott Henderson Sisters of Glory

v t e The Stranglers
Jean-Jacques Burnel Baz Warne Jim Macaulay Toby Hounsham Jet Black Hugh Cornwell Hans Wärmling Dave Greenfield John Ellis Paul Roberts
Studio albums	Rattus Norvegicus No More Heroes Black and White The Raven The Gospel According to the Meninblack La folie Feline Aural Sculpture Dreamtime 10 Stranglers in the Night About Time Written in Red Coup de Grace Norfolk Coast Suite XVI Giants Dark Matters
Live albums	Live (X Cert) All Live and All of the Night Live at the Hope and Anchor Saturday Night, Sunday Morning The Stranglers and Friends – Live in Concert Friday the Thirteenth Live at the Hammersmith Odeon '81
Compilations	IV The Collection 1977–1982 Off the Beaten Track Singles (The UA Years) Greatest Hits 1977–1990 Peaches: The Very Best of The Stranglers Decades Apart
Singles	"(Get A) Grip (On Yourself)" "Peaches" "Something Better Change" "No More Heroes" "5 Minutes" "Nice 'n' Sleazy" "Walk On By" "Duchess" "Nuclear Device (The Wizard of Aus)" "Bear Cage" "Who Wants the World?" "Thrown Away" "Let Me Introduce You to the Family" "Golden Brown" "La Folie" "Strange Little Girl" "European Female" "Skin Deep" "No Mercy" "Always the Sun" "All Day and All of the Night" "96 Tears" "Always the Sun (Sunny Side Up Mix)"
Other songs	"Goodbye Toulouse" "Hanging Around" "Tramp"
DVD releases	The Collection 1977–1982 Friday the Thirteenth Euro Live On Stage on Screen Rattus at the Roundhouse
Related	Discography Soulsec
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