What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

Recorded in February 1966 at Hitsville USA (Studio A) in Detroit. Jimmy Ruffin’s lead vocal was backed by Motown’s Funk Brothers, with the Originals and the Andantes on backing vocals; the session was produced by William Weatherspoon and William "Mickey" Stevenson. Released as Ruffin’s breakthrough single on Motown’s Soul label, the track became his only Top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and a major crossover success. It established him as a singular voice in the Motown catalog and became one of the label’s defining heartbreak ballads. The song remained Ruffin’s best-known recording and one of Motown’s most durable standards. It has been widely covered and reused in film and television, keeping it present in popular culture long after its original release.