The Tears of a Clown
Smokey Robinson & the Miracles | Artist Essentials
First released: 1967 (year verified)
Original 1967 Make It Happen studio album presentation
MusicAtlas editorial note: The original album arrangement balances its bright recurring instrumental figure against the smoother vocal line.
YouTube opens a title-and-artist search. The selected recording and date are identified below.
Release evidence and recording details
First released: 1967 (year verified)
The original studio recording was released in 1967 and belongs to the original Make It Happen program. Year precision does not assign an album day to a single or a later reissue.
Recording: Original 1967 Make It Happen studio album presentation
Credit: Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Role in this collection: Primary artist
Original album: Make It Happen
Original album association; the supported year is not an exact worldwide release day.
Make It Happen - original licensed Miracles program
The original album program identifies the selected Miracles performances and the original 1967 album association. Individual earlier single years are retained where established. Remaster years, expanded-edition bonuses, later solo Smokey Robinson tracks and alternate mixes are not original release events. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
The Tears of a Clown - original album and later single history
The label-owned account explicitly distinguishes the original Make It Happen album track in 1967 from the 1970 UK and US singles. The selected original album presentation is not silently identified with an edition-unspecified annual single. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
Annual version match under review
The selected recording has release evidence, but its version has not been matched to the retained annual entry. It is omitted from Beyond the yearly lists until this match is resolved.
The original 1967 album presentation is selected. The actual 1970 annual title is in the later single context and does not resolve the original album versus later single edition. The actual retained candidate remains provisional and is excluded from Beyond.
Make It Happen - original licensed Miracles program
The original album program identifies the selected Miracles performances and the original 1967 album association. Individual earlier single years are retained where established. Remaster years, expanded-edition bonuses, later solo Smokey Robinson tracks and alternate mixes are not original release events. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
The Tears of a Clown - original album and later single history
The label-owned account explicitly distinguishes the original Make It Happen album track in 1967 from the 1970 UK and US singles. The selected original album presentation is not silently identified with an edition-unspecified annual single. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
The 35th Anniversary Collection - recording-specific original-year fields
The licensed retrospective separately dates Bad Girl to 1959, I Second That Emotion to 1967 and Love Machine Part 1 to 1975. Only these specifically scoped original-recording fields are used. Other inherited 1994, 1992 and anomalous 1900 fields are not accepted as first release dates. | Reviewed 2026-10-18
About The Miracles
The Miracles were among the earliest vocal groups associated with Berry Gordy's recording enterprise. Their original lineup included Smokey Robinson, Claudette Robinson, Pete Moore, Bobby Rogers and Ronnie White, with guitarist Marv Tarplin closely involved in their sound. Songs such as Shop Around, The Tracks of My Tears and Ooo Baby Baby joined group singing with carefully crafted songwriting. Members also wrote for other Motown performers. After Smokey Robinson began a solo career, Billy Griffin led recordings including Do It Baby and Love Machine.
Artist background sources
Motown Museum: The Miracles
Supports group and contributor identities, named repertoire, songwriting for other acts and Griffin succession; disputed release/departure years are omitted and solo Robinson credits stay separate. | Retrieved 2026-10-17
Profile reviewed: 2026-10-17. Artist background does not establish a song's creative origin or release date.
Continue listening
Recommended positions express one editorial listening sequence. They are not measured quality scores.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.