The Tracks of My Tears The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. In 1967, Johnny Rivers covered the song and his version was a number 10 hit on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Linda Ronstadt recorded a hit cover of her own in 1975 that reached number 25 on the Hot 100 chart. Numerous other artists have recorded the song over the years. "The Tracks of My Tears" was written by
Flow, my tears (London, 1600). The song begins with a falling tear motif, starting on an A and descending to an E by step on the text "Flow, my tears". This may have been borrowed from an Orlande de Lassus motet or Luca Marenzio madrigal (this type of motif was common in Elizabethan music to signify grief), in addition to other borrowings in the piece. Anthony Boden calls the song "probably the most widely known English song of the early 17th century." There have been many instrumental versions of this song, most entitled "Lachrimae" (or "Lachrymae", literally "tears"). In this case the instrumental