Throwing back to the week of May 24, 1975, we find Earth, Wind & Fire atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Shining Star,’ the band’s only chart-topping hit. I posted that song during my Decades look at the albums of 1975.
At #2 that week was ‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls’ by Freddy Fender, an American Tejano singer. Fender started his career in 1960 but was sidelined when a marijuana possession charge landed him in jail for three years. My lord!
This song, a cover of a 1967 recording by Duane Dee, topped both the Country chart and the Hot 100, making it one of six tracks to do so in 1975.
Fender’s twist on the tune, which was covered by more than two dozen artists, was to sing one verse in Spanish. He recorded another version entirely in Spanish, but it was this one that gave him his biggest hit.
If he brings you happiness
Then I wish you all the best
It’s your happiness that matters most of all
But if he ever breaks your heart
If the teardrops ever start
I’ll be there before the next teardrop falls
[Verse 2]
Si te quiere de verdad
Y te da felicidad
Te deseo lo mas bueno pa’ los dos
Pero si te hace llorar
A mí me puedes hablar
Y estaré contigo cuando triste estás
[Verse 3]
I’ll be there anytime
You need me by your side
To dry away every teardrop that you cried
And if he ever leaves you blue
Just remember, I love you
And I’ll be there before the next teardrop falls
[Outro]
And I’ll be there before the next teardrop falls
Meet Me In Montauk 
In looking up the times the song has been covered, I discovered that it was performed by actor Liza Colón-Zayas in Season 2, Episode 5, of The Bear with Liza’s character Tina Marrero singing the song at a karaoke bar.
imagine 3 years for something that is now pretty much legal 😢 talk about tears falling