Timi Yuro (born Rosemary Yuro, August 4, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois - March … Read Full Bio ↴Timi Yuro (born Rosemary Yuro, August 4, 1940 in Chicago, Illinois - March 30, 2004 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American soul and R&B singer. She is considered to be one of the first blue-eyed soul stylists of the rock era.

According to her record label, Liberty Records, Yuro moved with her family to Los Angeles, United States. There, she sang in her parents' Italian restaurant and in local clubs before catching the eye and ear of record executives. Signed to Liberty, she had a U.S. Billboard No. 4 single in 1961 with "Hurt", an R&B ballad that had been an early success for Roy Hamilton. On "Hurt" and on her Billboard No. 12 follow-up in 1962, "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You?)", Yuro showed an emotional but elegant vocal style that owed a debt to Dinah Washington and other black jazz singers. Many listeners in the early 1960s thought Yuro was black. She opened for Frank Sinatra on his 1962 tour of Australia.

In 1963, Liberty released Make the World Go Away, an album of country and blues standards. The singer at her vocal peak, this recording includes a powerful title track of the same name, a beautifully understated version of Willie Nelson's "Permanently Lonely", and two different blues takes of "I'm Movin' On". Yuro was also known for soulful reworkings of popular American standards, such as "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", "Smile", and "I Apologize".

By the late 1960s, Yuro had performed in venues from London to Las Vegas. However, her career soon lost its early momentum, and she quit the music business altogether after her marriage in 1972. When Yuro began to sing again in the 1980s, her doctors detected throat cancer. Her larynx was eventually removed and in 2004 she succumbed to cancer. Her last recording was the 1984 CD Timi Yuro Sings Willie Nelson, produced by her old friend Nelson.

Yuro's work is admired in the United States as well as in Great Britain and the Netherlands. According to the obituary in the Las Vegas Sun, her hometown paper, Yuro's most famous fan was probably Elvis Presley, who commanded his own table at the casino where Yuro sang in the late 1960s. (Presley had a Top 10 country hit with his 1976 version of "Hurt".) In April 2004, Morrissey announced Yuro's death on his official website, describing her as his "favorite singer". (Morrissey also recorded a version of Yuro's "Interlude" with Siouxsie Sioux in 1995.) P.J.Proby knew Timi Yuro from their time in Hollywood, and often mentions it during his performances of "Hurt".

Yuro found success on the dance floors of northern Britain in the 1970s and 1980s when Northern Soul DJs championed her up-tempo tracks of "It'll Never Be Over for Me" and "What's a Matter Baby". The latter was rereleased on Kent Records in the 1980s.

Tears On My Pillow
Timi Yuro Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You don′t remember me
Oh but I remember you
Was not so long ago
You broke my heart in two

Tears on my pillow
Pain in my heart
Caused by you

If we could start anew
I wouldn't hesitate
I′d gladly take you back
And tempt the hand of fate

Love is not a gadget
Love is not a toy

When you find the one you love
You fill your heart with joy

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Timi Yuro's song "Tears On My Pillow" speaks about a heartbreak that the singer experienced, where they were left with tears on their pillow and a pain in their heart caused by their lover. The opening line of the song, "You don't remember me, oh but I remember you" shows that the singer's lover has moved on while they still remember the past love. The second line, "Was not so long ago, you broke my heart in two" confirms that the singer is still hurt by the breakup, and the wound is still fresh.

The chorus of the song, "Tears on my pillow, pain in my heart caused by you" further emphasizes the singer's heartbreak, and how their ex-lover is the cause of it. However, amidst the pain and hurt, the singer expresses their willingness to give the relationship another chance. The line, "If we could start anew, I wouldn't hesitate, I'd gladly take you back and tempt the hand of fate" shows their desire to try again, despite the risks of getting hurt once more.

The final verse of the song delivers a message about love. It says, "Love is not a gadget, love is not a toy, when you find the one you love, you fill your heart with joy." Here, the singer emphasizes that love is not something to be played with or taken for granted. Love is precious and should be treated with care. The lyrics of "Tears On My Pillow" express the pain of lost love, the desire for a second chance, and a message about the value of true love.

Line by Line Meaning

You don't remember me
I'm not significant enough to be memorable to you.

Oh but I remember you
I can't forget you despite you forgetting me.

Was not so long ago
It feels like only yesterday when you hurt me.

You broke my heart in two
You shattered my heart and caused me immense pain.

Tears on my pillow
I cry myself to sleep over you.

Pain in my heart
My heart aches because of the pain you caused me.

Caused by you
You are the sole reason for my heartache.

If we could start anew
If given the chance to start over.

I wouldn't hesitate
I wouldn't waste a moment in taking that chance.

I'd gladly take you back
I'd be happy to have you in my life again.

And tempt the hand of fate
I'd be willing to take a risk and see where our relationship takes us.