THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

494-Womack & Womack-Teardrops.

1988-Number 3 single.

Best Bit-At 0.58. If future generations of the Womack family appear on the television programme ‘Who Do You Think You Are,’ they will have their work cut out sorting this family tree.

Womack & Womack were the singing and songwriting partnership of Linda Womack, and her husband Cecil Womack, (1947-2013) they were musically active between 1983-2004, in the genres of ‘R&B,’ ‘Soul,’ ‘Funk,’ and ‘Dance.’ After travelling to Nigeria in the early 1990’s, the couple discovered that they had ancestral ties to the ‘Zekkariyas’ tribe, and from then on they both adopted African names. Cecil became known as ‘Zek,’ and Linda became known as ‘Zerilya,’ and for the release of their last five studio Albums, they were issued under the name ‘Zek,’ or ‘The Greater House of Zekkariyas.’ The discography of Womack & Womack includes 10 studio Albums released between 1983-2006, and 19 singles released between 1984-1997, there are also three official compilation Albums available. In America on Billboard, none of their Albums or singles have ever reached the top 100, although their debut studio Album ‘Love Wars’ did reach Number 34 on the Billboard ‘Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums’ chart. In the UK, their 1988 Album ‘Conscience’ is their only charting top 40 Album, making Number 4, while four of their singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Teardrops,’ peaking the highest at Number 3.

Cecil Dale Womack was born on September 25th, 1947, in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, he died of unknown causes in Johannesburg, South Africa, on January 25th, 2013, at the age 65. Cecil Womack was born into a very religious family, and he and his brothers, Bobby, (1944-2013) Harry, (1945-1974) Friendly, and Curtis, formed a ‘Gospel’ group in their formative years. In the mid 1950’s, they came to the attention of the American singer/songwriter Sam Cooke, (1931-1964) (see also best songs 156) and then in 1961 Cooke signed then to his record label ‘SAR,’ changing their name to the ‘Valentinos,’ and recording ‘the devils music,’ rather than sticking with their ‘Gospel’ roots. In 1965, 77 days after the death of Sam Cooke, Cecil’s brother Bobby Womack (see also best songs 221) married Cooke’s widow Barbra, who was 10 years his senior, which both the Womack and Cooke family both bitterly opposed. During the 1960’s, Cecil Womack made himself a name as a songwriter, forming a partnership with his first wife Mary Wells, (1943-1992) whom he had married in 1966, and co-writing many of the songs from around that period with her, that she sang on, including the Billboard R&B Number 22 hit ‘The Doctor,’ which Womack also sang backing vocals on. They divorced in 1977, after he discovered that she was having an affair with his brother Curtis Womack. Prior to ‘Teardrops,’ Cecil’s biggest success as a songwriter was with the song ‘Love T.K.O,’ which he co-wrote with Gip Noble Jr. and when recorded by Teddy Pendergrass, (1950-2010) reached Number 2 on the Billboard R&B chart in 1980. When Cecil married Linda Cooke, the daughter of Sam Cooke, this created an interesting family tree, because Cecil’s brother Bobby Womack had married Sam Cooke’s widow, who was Linda’s mother Barbara Campbell. Cecil and Linda had seven children together, and had homes in Africa and Thailand. After 1994, Cecil was known professionally and personally by the name ‘Zekkariyas,’ and he spent the final years of his life travelling the world with his wife and children, using his time to explore his African heritage, spirituality, and knowledge of the continent, as well as making music.

Linda Womack was born on April 25th, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, United States, she is the daughter of Sam Cooke. In December 1964, when she was 11 years old, her father was killed, and soon after, her mother married Sam Cooke’s protege Bobby Womack. In 1970, her mother Barbara shot at him after she discovered he was having an affair with Linda, who was 17-years-old at the time. According to Bobby Womack, Linda never spoke to her mother again after that incident.

‘Teardrops’ was the first of six singles released from Womack & Womack’s fourth studio Album ‘Conscience,’ from June 1988, the song was co-written by Cecil Womack, and Linda Womack, with the production being by them, and the legendary British record producer, and the founder of Island Records, Chris Blackwell (see also best songs 291 and 56.) In 1998 the British ‘UK Garage’ group ‘Lovestation’ took their cover version of ‘Teardrops’ to Number 14 on the UK top 40, in 2000 they issued several remixes, and it charted again at Number 24. Other notable remakes of the song are by the German girl group ‘No Angels,’ whose version as part of a medley with a track called ‘Amaze Me,’ reached Number 25 in their home country in 2007, and the Australian singer Kate Alexa featuring Baby Bash, who made Number 26 on the ‘Aria’ singles chart in 2008.

‘Teardrops’ is a song of regret, with the narrator having taken her partner for granted, and maybe even cheated on them, now wishing things could get back to the way that they used to be.

‘And the music don’t feel like it did when I felt it with you. Nothing that I do or feel, ever feels like I felt it with you.’