The Flying Pickets was a British a cappella vocal group, known for a surpri… Read Full Bio ↴The Flying Pickets was a British a cappella vocal group, known for a surprise number one hit in 1983 on the U.K. singles chart with their cover of the Yazoo's track "Only You". Their version, having peaked around Christmastime, is remembered fondly by many radio stations during the season. The name 'Flying Pickets' refers to mobile strikers who travel in order to join a picket. The group of six was founded by Brian Hibbard in 1982 based off of a group of actors called the "7:84 Theatre group", a fringe theatre group who had sung a capella in their production of 'One Big Blow.

Said production was based on a previous U.K. miners' strike. "Only You", their debut single, was the British Christmas number one in 1983, spending a total of five weeks at the top, and it also did well around Europe. Ironically enough, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, fighting an acrimonious political battle with unions at the time, said that the single was one of her favorite songs. A second single, a cover of the soul classic "When You're Young and in Love" by Van McCoy, reached number seven, but their third, a cover of the Eurythmics' track "Who's That Girl?", barely charted at all.

Joining Hibbard in the Flying Pickets were Rick Lloyd, Gareth Williams, David Brett, Ken Gregson, and Red Stripe (real name David Gittins). They were internationally renowned for their appearances: Hibbard's huge sideburns, Stripes thick eyeliner, and four others showing off flamboyant suits and large hats. A group like the Pickets were very lucky to get into the charts at all, let alone a Christmas number one and a pleasing number seven afterwards.

Hibbard and Gittins tried desperately to stay in the music business, and they formed their own act called 'Brian and Stripe'. Unfortunately, their first and only single failed, and they returned to their separate acting careers. Other group members drifted into various careers.

Since the original Flying Pickets split, a new team of five ambitious men have tried to follow in the original's footsteps. Yet they have had no chart success. Still, they've toured around Europe in lots of small venues all year round, trying to at least touch the giddy heights of their predecessors.

Tracks Of My Tears
Flying Pickets Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

People say I'm the life of the party
Because 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'll see my smile looks out of place

If you look closer, it's easy to trace

The tracks of my tears
I need you, need you
Since you left me if you see me with another girl
Seeming like I'm having fun
Although she may be cute

She's just a substitute
Because you're the permanent one
So take a good look at my face
You'll see my smile looks out of place
If you look closer, it's easy to trace
The tracks of my tears

I need you, need you
Outside I'm masquerading
Inside my hope is fading
Just a clown oh yeah
Since you put me down
My smile is my make up

I wear since my break up with you
So take a good look at my face
You'll see my smile looks out of place

If you look closer, it's easy to trace
The tracks of my tears

Overall Meaning

The Flying Pickets' cover of "Tracks Of My Tears" is a soulful rendition that takes the listener through the internal turmoil of someone who may seem like the life of the party but is actually deeply heartbroken. The song starts by acknowledging how the singer is perceived by others - a jolly person who tells jokes, but their internal state betrays a different reality. The lyrics paint a picture of someone masking their true emotions with a smile, laughing loudly and appearing to be happy but is actually hiding the tracks of their tears. The next verse is a plea to a lost love, admitting that they need them and cannot replace them with someone else. The singer is aware that the person they are with is just a substitute and not the real thing. The singer asks the listener to take a closer look, to see the tracks of their tears.

The chorus of the song underlines the message, as the singer reiterates their need for their lost love and the fact that they are merely masquerading as someone happy-go-lucky. They are slowly losing hope, and their inner clown is merely a coverup for their true feelings. They are wearing a smile only to mask their deep pain.

Overall, "Tracks Of My Tears" is a poignant song that speaks to the universal feeling of trying to move on while still nursing a broken heart. It underlines the importance of not judging people based on what they let you see, but rather taking the time to understand what lies beneath the surface.

Line by Line Meaning

People say I'm the life of the party
People think I'm a happy-go-lucky person who enjoys parties and socializing

Because I tell a joke or two
I use humor to distract myself and others from the pain that I'm really feeling inside

Although I might be laughing loud and hearty
Even though I seem to be having a good time and am very energetic, my happiness is really just a façade

Deep inside I'm blue
Inside, I'm really sad and struggling to deal with my emotions

So take a good look at my face
If you look at me closely, you'll see that something is off with the way I'm presenting myself

You'll see my smile looks out of place
My smile doesn't quite match up with how I'm feeling on the inside

If you look closer, it's easy to trace
If you pay attention to my behavior and emotions, it's not hard to see that I'm hiding something

The tracks of my tears
The tears that I've been crying are evident in the way I'm behaving and presenting myself

I need you, need you
I'm still in love with you and miss you deeply

Since you left me if you see me with another girl
If you see me with someone else, it's not because I've moved on - it's because I'm trying to distract myself from my feelings for you

Seeming like I'm having fun
I'm pretending to be happy, but in reality I'm just trying to fill the void that you left behind

Although she may be cute
Even though the other girl I'm with might be attractive, she's not you

She's just a substitute
This other girl is just a temporary stand-in until I can be with you again

Because you're the permanent one
You're the person I truly want to be with forever

Outside I'm masquerading
I'm putting on a false front to pretend that everything is okay

Inside my hope is fading
My confidence and optimism are beginning to fade away as I struggle to move past losing you

Just a clown oh yeah
I'm putting on an act to try and make people believe that I'm happy when I'm really not

Since you put me down
Ever since you broke up with me, I've been struggling to come to terms with my emotions and deal with the hurt

My smile is my make up
I'm using my smile to cover up the pain that I'm feeling inside

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Marvin Tarplin, Smokey Robinson, Warren Moore, William Robinson Jr.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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