About the song
There’s a particular kind of ache that lingers in songs of lost love, and few voices have captured that ache with more clarity and conviction than **Linda Ronstadt**. In her soulful rendering of **“Tracks Of My Tears”**, she offers not just a cover of a beloved Motown classic, but a deeply personal interpretation that highlights her extraordinary emotional intelligence as a singer. Originally recorded in 1965 by **Smokey Robinson and the Miracles**, the song was already a masterclass in poetic sorrow. But when **Linda Ronstadt** revisited it in the 1970s, she gave it a new texture — one that was unmistakably hers: tender, aching, and quietly devastating.
What’s so compelling about **Linda Ronstadt – Tracks Of My Tears** is her ability to navigate the fine line between restraint and vulnerability. Her voice, at once clear and mournful, never slips into melodrama. Instead, she lets the pain simmer just beneath the surface. Every line — “Take a good look at my face / You’ll see my smile looks out of place” — becomes not just a lyric, but a confession. Where Robinson’s original was shaded with wistful charm, Ronstadt’s interpretation is marked by introspection and resilience. It’s a woman’s perspective, mature and deeply felt.
This track also exemplifies Ronstadt’s unique role in American music history. She had a knack for selecting songs that straddled genres — rock, country, pop, and R\&B — and making them feel entirely at home in her repertoire. With **“Tracks Of My Tears”**, she wasn’t simply covering a hit; she was carrying its emotional weight forward, connecting it to a new generation and to listeners who perhaps needed to hear heartbreak in a voice that sounded like their own.
Listening to **Linda Ronstadt – Tracks Of My Tears** today feels like opening a time capsule of human feeling. It’s a reminder that no matter how much time passes, some emotions — regret, longing, the quiet pain of putting on a brave face — remain profoundly relatable. And through Ronstadt’s voice, they become not just relatable, but unforgettable.
Video
Lyrics
People say I’m the life of the party
‘Cause I tell a joke or two
Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Deep inside I’m blue
So take a good look at my face
You know my smile looks out of place
If you look closer it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears
Oh I need you, (need you)
Need you (need you)
Since you left me if you see me with another guy
Looking like I’m having fun
Although he might be cute he’s just a substitute
Because you’re the permanent one
So take a good look at my face
You know my smile looks out of place
If you look closer it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears
I’m masquerading
(Inside) My hope is fading
(I’m just a clown) Since you put me down
My smile is my make-up, I wear since my break-up with you
Baby take a good look at my face
You know my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears
Woah baby, take a good look at my face
You know my smile looks out of place
If you look closer it’s easy to trace
The tracks of my tears
