What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

Album: Greatest 64 Motown Hits (1966)
Charted: 4 7
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  • As I walk this land with broken dreams
    I have visions of many things
    But happiness is just an illusion
    Filled with sadness and confusion
    What becomes of the broken-hearted
    Who had love that's now departed?
    I know I've got to find
    Some kind of peace of mind
    Maybe

    The roots of love grow all around
    But for me they come a-tumblin' down
    Every day heartaches grow a little stronger
    I can't stand this pain much longer
    I walk in shadowsm searching for light
    Cold and alone, no comfort in sight
    Hoping and praying for someone who care
    Always moving and goin' nowhere
    What becomes of the broken-hearted
    Who had love that's now departed?
    I know I've got to find
    Some kind of peace of mind
    Help me

    I'm searching, though I don't succeed
    But someone look, there's a growing need
    All is lost, there's no place for beginning
    All that's left is an unhappy ending
    Now, becomes of the broken-hearted
    Who had love that's now departed?
    I know I've got to find
    Some kind of peace of mind

    I'll be searching everywhere
    Just to find someone to care
    I'll be looking everyday, I know I'm gonna find a way
    Nothing's gonna stop me now
    I'll find a way somehow
    And I'll be searching everywhere
    I know I gotta find a way
    I'll be looking Writer/s: James Anthony Dean, Paul Riser, William Henry Witherspoonn
    Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
    Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 16

  • Doghouse Riley from Dumas, TexasJoan Osborne did it best in "Standing in the Shadows of Motown." 17 million views on YouTube, 1 million of which are me.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn this day in 1966 {November 19th} Jimmy Ruffin performed "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program 'American Bandstand'...
    At the time "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" was at position #17 on Billboard's Best-Selling R&B Singles chart, seven weeks earlier it had peaked at #6 {for 1 week}...
    It reached #7 on Billboard's Top 100 chart...
    And on the same 'Bandstand' show he also performed "I've Passed This Way Before", it peaked at #10 on the Best-Selling R&B Singles chart...
    Besides the above two records, the Collinsville, Mississippi native at four other records on the Billboard's R&B chart, "Gonna Give Her All The Love I've Got" {#14 in 1967}, "Don't You Miss Me A Little Bit Baby" {#27 in 1967}, "Tell Me What You Want" {#42 in 1974}, and "Hold On (To My Love)" {#29 in 1980}...
    Jimmy Lee Ruffin passed away at the age of #78 on November 17th, 2014...
    May he R.I.P.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyJimmy Ruffin passed away on November 17th, 2014 in Las Vegas at the age of 78...
    Exactly forty-eight years earlier on November 17th, 1966 "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was at #18 on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; twenty-seven days earlier on October 23rd, 1966 it peaked at #7 {for 2 weeks} on the Top 100 chart...
    May he R.I.P.
    (See next post below}.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn August 14th 1966, "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #87; and on October 23rd, 1966 it peaked at #7 {for 2 weeks} and spent 17 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #6 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...
    The week it peaked at #7 on the Top 100 his brother David's group, The Temptations, were at #37 with "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep" and David Ruffin was the lead singer...
    Between 1966 and 1980 Jimmy Ruffin had seven Top 100 records, with two making the Top 10, his other Top 10 record was "Hold On to My Love", it peaked at #10 {for 2 weeks} on April 27th, 1980...
    Jimmy Lee Ruffin celebrated his 75th birthday three months ago on May 7th, 2014..
  • Kent from Greensburg, PaA Whitney Houston version would have sounded great!
  • D. from Dallas, TxJoan Osbourne did a awesome cover of this in the documentary,"Standing In The Shadows Of Motown." In my opinion,hers was the best performance in the whole show-hands down!!!
  • Tk from Aylesbury, United KingdomDuring an interview Jimmy Ruffin said that his favourite cover of this song was by Dave Stewart with vocals by Colin Blunstone, this was released in the UK in 1981 and reached 13 in the charts. His reason he said for liking it was because they just did it and kept it simple.
  • Howard from Wakefield, United KingdomThe best Motown performance ever! (better than
    'heard it through the grapevine' even!).
  • Trina from New York, Nyoh this song rocks, if you block out the lyrics and just listen to the beat you can just tell that this is a lamenting song, lamenting his lost love, lamenting all the others in his situation. oh this is so good!!
  • John from Nashville, TnJimmy Ruffin had another top 10 hit in 1980 with the Robin Gibb-produced "Hold On to My Love".
  • Kristin from Bessemer, AlGREAT INTRO ON THIS SONG, with the "boom (drum) boom-boom (drum) boom (drum) boom-boom (drum) boom (drum) boom-boom" - sounds great when it was on transistor radio!
  • Ron from Denver, CoP A Young
  • Brad from Cleveland, OhActually, it was The Supremes who orginally recorded the song. Motown was going to release it as a single for them, but Jimmy Ruffin liked the song so much and begged Motown that he record it. Motown like his version better and released it while Motown took The Supremes version and released in 1969 as an album filler for their album "Let The Sunshine In"
  • Henry from Kingston, NyA great Motown song. Another place to get it is on "Motown: Gold" or something like that.
  • Rich from Elkins, WvThis is a classic Motown tune..Great lyrics , soulful vocals, tight production and melody..
    They don't make 'em like this anymore
  • Deana from Indianapolis, InI think Johnny Rivers covered this
see more comments

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