# Letter Full of Tears

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1961 single by Gladys Knight & the Pips

"Letter Full of Tears" Single by Gladys Knight & the Pips from the album Letter Full of Tears B-side "You Broke Your Promise" Released November 1961 (1961-11) Genre Soul R&B Length 2:45 Label Fury Songwriter Don Covay Producers Bobby Robinson Marshall Sehorn Gladys Knight & the Pips singles chronology "Guess Who" (1961) "Letter Full of Tears" (1961) "Operator" (1962)

"**Letter Full of Tears**" is a song written by American singer-songwriter [Don Covay](/source/Don_Covay) and released by [Gladys Knight & the Pips](/source/Gladys_Knight_%26_the_Pips) as a single in November 1961. It became their second top-20 hit, peaking at number 19 on the [*Billboard* Hot 100](/source/Billboard_Hot_100).[1] The song was covered the following year by English singer [Billy Fury](/source/Billy_Fury) who had a minor hit with it in the UK.

## Background

After the top-ten success of "[Every Beat of My Heart](/source/Every_Beat_of_My_Heart_(Gladys_Knight_%26_the_Pips_song))" earlier in 1961, subsequent releases of a re-recording of "Every Beat of My Heart" and a cover of the [Jesse Belvin](/source/Jesse_Belvin) song "Guess Who" had failed to continue the group's success. They then asked songwriter Don Covay, who had written [Chubby Checker's](/source/Chubby_Checker) number one hit "[Pony Time](/source/Pony_Time)", to write a song for them. The resulting song, "Letter Full of Tears", was then arranged by [Horace Ott](/source/Horace_Ott). [Bubba Knight](/source/Merald_%22Bubba%22_Knight) has said it "was the first time we had ever used a string section". However, producer [Bobby Robinson](/source/Bobby_Robinson_(record_producer)) "didn't really want to record strings, and [Marshall Sehorn](/source/Marshall_Sehorn) begged him to put strings on this song for us. Because during this time, when you used strings, it kind of made yourself a bit more sophisticated than the regular R&B thing".[2]

## Track listing

**7": Fury / 1054**

1. "Letter Full of Tears" – 2:45

1. "You Broke Your Promise" – 2:45

## Charts

Chart (1962) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100[1] 19 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3] 3 US Cash Box Top 100[4] 17 US Cash Box R&B Top 50[4] 6

## Billy Fury version

"Letter Full of Tears" Single by Billy Fury B-side "Magic Eyes" Released 23 February 1962 (1962-02-23) Recorded 14 November 1961[5] Studio Decca Studios, London Genre R&B Length 3:15 Label Decca Songwriter Don Covay Producers Dick Rowe Mike Smith Billy Fury singles chronology "I'd Never Find Another You" (1961) "Letter Full of Tears" (1962) "Last Night Was Made for Love" (1962)

### Release

"Letter Full of Tears" was a departure for Fury from his previous [rock and roll](/source/Rock_and_roll) and [pop ballad](/source/Sentimental_ballad) releases. It was his first [R&B](/source/Rhythm_and_blues) single, though he had been singing R&B songs on stage for a while.[6] It was recorded in November 1961, soon after the release of Gladys Knight & the Pips' version, and released in February 1962.[5] It was released with the B-side "Magic Eyes", written by Americans Dorian Burton and [Herb Bernstein](/source/Herb_Bernstein).

"Letter Full of Tears" was not particularly successful, especially given that Fury's previous three singles had all been top-five. However, Fury later said that "I had an awful lot of trouble with this song. I didn't want to do it because it wasn't my style and I find the vocal really difficult to do and I was really pressurised into doing it. And I didn't like the arrangement".[6] Whilst on the official *[Record Retailer](/source/Record_Retailer)* chart, the single only peaked at number 32, it did fare better on other music paper charts, such as *[Disc](/source/Disc_(magazine))* and *[New Musical Express](/source/NME),* both on which the single peaked at number 17.

### Track listing

**7": Decca / F 11437**

1. "I'm Lost Without You" – 2:28

1. "Magic Eyes" – 2:12

### Charts

Chart (1962) Peak position UK Disc Top 20[7] 17 UK New Musical Express Top 30[8] 17 UK Record Mirror Top 20[9] 20 UK Record Retailer Top 50[10] 32

## Other versions

- In 1974, [Millie Jackson](/source/Millie_Jackson) covered the song on her album *I Got to Try It One Time*.[11]

- In 1981, [Little Milton](/source/Little_Milton) covered the song on his album *Walkin' the Back Streets*.[12]

- In 1982, [Randy Crawford](/source/Randy_Crawford) covered the song on her album *Windsong*.[13]

- In 1993, Arlene Smith (former lead singer of [the Chantels](/source/The_Chantels)) and [Johnny Colla](/source/Johnny_Colla) (guitarist for [Huey Lewis and the News](/source/Huey_Lewis_and_the_News)) covered the song on the tribute album *Celebrating the Music of Don Covay – Back to the Streets*.[14]

- In 2012, a previously unreleased recording by [Esquerita](/source/Esquerita) from 1966 was included on the album *Sinner Man – The Lost Session*.[15]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Billboard_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Billboard_1-1) "[Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Hot 100)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Gladys-Knight-and-the-Pips/chart-history/HSI)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Dahl, Bill (2011-02-28). [*Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs*](https://books.google.com/books?id=qsCrDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT182). Penguin. p. 182. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-4402-2557-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-4402-2557-4).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-sc_Billboardrandbhiphop_Gladys_Knight_and_the_Pips_3-0)** "[Gladys Knight and the Pips Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)](https://www.billboard.com/artist/Gladys-Knight-and-the-Pips/chart-history/BSI)". *[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))*.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cashbox_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cashbox_4-1) ["Cash Box Top 100"](https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1962/CB-1962-02-03.pdf) (PDF). *[Cash Box](/source/Cashbox_(magazine))*. 3 February 1962. pp. 4, 28. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_5-1) ["Letter Full of Tears"](http://www.nic.fi/~nallew/pages/letter.html). *www.nic.fi*. Retrieved 2021-11-08.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_6-1) Stafford, David; Stafford, Caroline (2018). [*Halfway to Paradise: The Life of Billy Fury*](https://books.google.com/books?id=jmNRDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT187). Music Sales Group. pp. 186–187. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-78759-074-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78759-074-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Top Twenty"](https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1962/DISC-1962-03-24.pdf) (PDF). *[Disc](/source/Disc_(magazine))*. 24 March 1962. p. 3. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** "NME Music Charts". *[New Musical Express](/source/NME)*. 16 March 1962.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** "Britain's Top 20". *[Record Mirror](/source/Record_Mirror)*. 17 March 1962.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-uk_10-0)** ["Billy Fury | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company"](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6970/billy-fury/). *www.officialcharts.com*. Retrieved 2022-10-02.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Millie Jackson – I Got To Try It One Time (1974, Vinyl)"](https://www.discogs.com/release/2263980-Millie-Jackson-I-Got-To-Try-It-One-Time). *Discogs*. 1974. Retrieved 2021-11-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Little Milton – Walkin' The Back Streets (1981, Vinyl)"](https://www.discogs.com/release/3736428-Little-Milton-Walkin-The-Back-Streets). *Discogs*. October 1981. Retrieved 2021-11-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Randy Crawford – Windsong (1982, Light Grey Shell, Cassette)"](https://www.discogs.com/release/14563095-Randy-Crawford-Windsong). *[Discogs](/source/Discogs)*. 1982. Retrieved 2021-11-09.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Back To The Streets (1993, CD)"](https://www.discogs.com/release/7072168-Various-Celebrating-The-Music-Of-Don-Covay-Back-To-The-Streets), *Discogs*, 1993, retrieved 2021-11-09

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Esquerita – Sinner Man - The Lost Session (2012, Vinyl)"](https://www.discogs.com/release/3922218-Esquerita-Sinner-Man-The-Lost-Session). *Discogs*. Retrieved 2021-11-09.

v t e Gladys Knight & the Pips Gladys Knight Merald "Bubba" Knight William Guest Edward Patten Studio albums Gladys Knight and the Pips Everybody Needs Love Nitty Gritty If I Were Your Woman Neither One of Us All I Need Is Time Imagination I Feel a Song 2nd Anniversary The One and Only Visions All Our Love Soundtrack albums Claudine Compilation albums The Ultimate Collection Singles "Every Beat of My Heart" "Letter Full of Tears" "Giving Up" "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me" "Everybody Needs Love" "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" "The End of Our Road" "It Should Have Been Me" "I Wish It Would Rain" "The Nitty Gritty" "If I Were Your Woman" "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" "Help Me Make It Through the Night" "Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)" "The Look of Love" "Midnight Train to Georgia" "I've Got to Use My Imagination" "Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me" "On and On" "I Feel a Song (In My Heart)" "The Way We Were/Try to Remember" "Save the Overtime (For Me)" "Hero" "Love Overboard" "Baby, Don't Change Your Mind" Related topics Discography Barry Hankerson

v t e Billy Fury Studio albums The Sound of Fury Live albums We Want Billy! Singles "Maybe Tomorrow" "Colette" "That's Love" "Wondrous Place" "A Thousand Stars" "Halfway to Paradise" "Jealousy" "I'd Never Find Another You" "Letter Full of Tears" "Last Night Was Made for Love" "Once Upon a Dream" "Because of Love" "Like I've Never Been Gone" "When Will You Say I Love You" "In Summer" "Do You Really Love Me Too (Fool's Errand)" "I Will" "It's Only Make Believe" "The Hippy Hippy Shake" "I'm Lost Without You" "In Thoughts of You" "Run to My Lovin' Arms" "Give Me Your Word" "Loving You" "Lady" "Devil or Angel" "Forget Him"

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Letter Full of Tears](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_Full_of_Tears) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letter_Full_of_Tears?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.