? & the Mysterians – 96 Tears

I absolutely love the organ riff that starts out this song. It was performed on a Vox Continental.

Well, it’s an original name I will say that much for the group…or the lead singer anyway. This song was written by “Question Mark,” the band’s frontman who wanted to be anonymous (he’s listed on the composer credits as (Rudy Martinez). At one point, he referred to the individual band members only by three-letter names (at one point, the band was known as XYZ). The mystery helped market the group, who wore dark glasses to add to the intrigue. He publicly stated that his soul had originated from Mars and that he once walked on Earth with the dinosaurs.

There’s a reason 96 Tears is often tagged as one of the first true garage rock hits, and even a proto-punk to what The Stooges and Ramones would soon torch the world with. It’s raw, it’s relentless, and it’s got attitude for days. It was recorded in Bay City, Michigan, by a band of mostly teenage Mexican-American kids, and it has that magical garage sound. No overthinking. Just a stomp and a sneer. 

The song was originally released on the tiny Pa-Go-Go label before being picked up by Cameo Records. Against all odds, it climbed all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Think about that: in a year dominated by the Beatles, stones, Motown, and the Beach Boys, this little three-chord song with an organ and a singer named Question Mark took the top spot.

The song peaked at #1 in the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #37 in the UK in 1966.  They were an American garage rock band of Mexican origins from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan who were initially active between 1962 and 1969.

It was later covered by Garlan Jefferies. 

96 Tears

Too many teardrops
For one heart to be crying
Too many teardrops
For one heart to carry on

You`re way on top now since you left me
You’re always laughing way down at me
But watch out now, I`m gonna get there
We`ll be together for just a little while
And then I`m gonna put you way down here
And you`ll start crying ninety-six tears
Cry, cry

And when the sun comes up, I`ll be on top
You`ll be way down there, looking up
And I might wave, come up here
But I don`t see you waving now
I`m way down here, wondering how
I`m gonna get you but I know now
I`ll just cry, cry, I`ll just cry

Too many teardrops
For one heart to be crying
Too many teardrops
For one heart to carry on

You’re gonna cry ninety-six tears
You’re gonna cry ninety-six tears
You’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry now
You’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry
Ninety-six tears

Come on and lemme hear you cry, now
Ninety-six tears, woo
I wanna hear you cry
Night and day, yeah, all night long

Uh, ninety-six tears, cry cry cry
Come on, baby
Let me hear you cry now, all night long
Uh, ninety-six tears, yeah, come on now
Uh, ninety-six tears

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

41 thoughts on “? & the Mysterians – 96 Tears”

  1. How many of us in 1966 pretended we could play keyboards because we could play the riff from this song? And reversing the black and white keys – how cool was that? Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, The Texas Tornadoes) still plays a Vox Continental.

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    1. I would have loved to hear this real time. It kinda opened the doors (no pun intended) for the Door’s sound that was soon coming. I love this…and yes I love the Vox Continental.

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  2. This song involves a man who was dumped by his woman, and all he can think about is putting her back in her place and making her “cry 96 tears”.  There is another way of looking at this song, as it could be about two people who are competitors not lovers, they are working in the same field, although whatever that is, I have no clue.  They are both ambitious and she got way ahead of him, and he is feeling remorse over that, and he wants revenge, because he is jealous of her success.  He vows that he will catch up to her and then he will surpass her.  He dreams of being on top of her and looking down at her.  He can’t accept that she is better than he is and he is fixated on becoming better than she is, but for the time being, all he can do is cry.  The only way he will ever be happy again, is when he can make her cry eight dozen, or 96 tears.  There is no reason for this guy to want to make this girl cry, as it is not her fault that she is better than he is.  Misery loves company and this deranged dude feels pain because she is successful and he is not, so he is lashing out against her.

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    1. From what I read…and I should have included it…they are still playing at least he is…and they released an album in 2020…I’m sure he did it as a gimmick…but it worked!

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  5. very cool flashback song. Like you, I love that organ sound through it. The Stranglers did quite a good cover of it around 1990 which charted, but they didn’t do all that much differently on it

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    1. Garland didn’t do a lot of different things either except punch it up a little…this is a type of song like Louie Louie that doesn’t need changing.

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    1. I was just telling Dave…it’s a type of song you cover but you don’t change it much…it doesn’t need it. The word raw again…comes into play with this one.

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      1. Our organist used a Farfisa and later a Vox and then a B3, so we got to experience them all. The Farfisa was the most versatile and easier to transport than the Hammond.

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  12. Wow, what a song. I was probably about 4 years old when this came out. My older siblings had this single. Before I had ever heard the words “lip sync”, or knew what it meant, I would mouth the words to this song every time it was playing. When it got to the bridge with “And when the sun comes up…” I would act it out throwing my arms in the air. When it was over, I would beg them to play it again, and they would until they got tired of it. I’ve never heard another song like it before or since. The organ is mesmerizing. Sorry for the ramble, but this song means a lot to me. Thanks for bringing back incredible memories.

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    1. No…I like the personal connection with songs…that is why 90 percent of my posts start off…”I remember this…” ….it’s fun to know.
      So glad you liked it and you are never too old to throw your arms up…again.

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  14. Not much to add. i’t’s all mostly been said. All I can add is someone at the record company or someone in/with authority decided ’96 Tears’ sounded more appropriate than ’69 Tears.’

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  15. Love that song, Max, and definitely heard it before – but didn’t know `anything about the group behind it. I have a lot of time for that cool Vox Continental sound – a match in heaven with psychedelic garage rock, as far as I’m concerned!

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