"Tear-Stained Letter"
Single by Richard Thompson
from the album Hand of Kindness
B-side"Where the Wind Don't Whine"
ReleasedMay 1984
GenreFolk rock, zydeco
Length4:40
LabelHannibal
Songwriter(s)Richard Thompson
Producer(s)Joe Boyd
Richard Thompson singles chronology
"The Wrong Heartbeat"
(1983) 		"Tear-Stained Letter"
(1984) 		"When the Spell is Broken"
(1985)
Music video
"Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube

"Tear-Stained Letter" is the opening track from Richard Thompson's 1983 album Hand of Kindness. The song has been recorded by others, including a notable hit version by Jo-El Sonnier in 1988.

Content

With a strong zydeco feel, the song's length is 4 minutes and 40 seconds.[1] The main riff is performed on saxophones by Pete Thomas and Pete Zorn, who also performs the background vocals, and on accordion by John Kirkpatrick. The coda features a duet between a sax solo, accordion solo, and guitar solo by Richard Thompson.

The song is in the key of G major, with a fast tempo in 4/4 time. It uses a chord pattern of E7-A-E7-A-D-G on the verses, and B7-C-D-G twice on the chorus.[2]

The lyrics feature a narrator who has broken up with a tumultuous romantic partner: "Just when I thought that things would get better / Right through the door come a tear-stained letter".

Personnel

Jo-El Sonnier version

"Tear-Stained Letter"
Single by Jo-El Sonnier
from the album Come On Joe
B-side"Say You Love Me"[3]
ReleasedJuly 1988
GenreCountry
Length4:17
LabelRCA Nashville
Songwriter(s)Richard Thompson
Producer(s)Richard Bennett, Bill Halverson[4]
Jo-El Sonnier singles chronology
"No More One More Time"
(1988) 		"Tear-Stained Letter"
(1988) 		"Rainin' in My Heart"
(1988)
Music video
"Tear-Stained Letter” on YouTube

Country music singer Jo-El Sonnier covered the song on his 1988 album Come On Joe. His version was released as a single in 1988, reaching number nine on the Hot Country Songs charts.[3] Kenny Greenberg plays lead guitar on Sonnier's version.[4] Actor Judge Reinhold appears in the music video for the song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] 9
Canadian RPM Country Tracks[6] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1988) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] 89

Other versions

Patty Loveless covered the song on her 1996 album The Trouble with the Truth.[8]

Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes covered the song on their 2005 album Into the Harbour.[9]

Jimmy Buckley covered the song on his 2017 album California Cotton Fields.[10][11]

References

  1. ^ Hand of Kindness, Richard Thompson, Hannibal Records HNCD 1313, 1991 (CD sleeve)
  2. ^ "'Tear Stained Letter' sheet music". MusicNotes.com. 12 December 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2013.
  3. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 393. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  4. ^ a b Come On Joe (Cassette insert). Jo-El Sonnier. RCA Records. 1988. 6374-4-R.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^ "Jo-el Sonnier Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. ^ "RPM 100 Country Singles" (PDF). RPM. October 22, 1988.
  7. ^ "Hot Country Songs – Year-End 1988". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2021.
  8. ^ Patty Loveless - Trouble with the Truth Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
  9. ^ Southside Johnny, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes - Into the Harbour Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
  10. ^ Tear Stained Letter, retrieved 2024-01-26
  11. ^ Jimmy Buckley - California Cotton Fields Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-01-26
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