"Is That a Tear" is a song written by

John Jarrard John Jarrard (May 7, 1953 February 1, 2001) was an American country music songwriter. He wrote songs for Alabama, George Strait, Don Williams, and others. Biography John Jarrard was born in Gainesville, Georgia on May 7, 1953. He worked as a di ...

and

Kenny Beard Kenny Beard (February 26, 1959 - October 1, 2017) was an American country music songwriter. He wrote songs for Trace Adkins, Tracy Lawrence, and Aaron Tippin. Biography Beard moved to Nashville, Tennessee, in 1986, where he began working as a so ...

, and recorded by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

artist

Tracy Lawrence Tracy Lee Lawrence (born January 27, 1968) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. Born in Atlanta, Texas, and raised in Foreman, Arkansas, Lawrence began performing at age 15 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 19 ...

. It was released on November 26, 1996 as the fourth and final single from his album ''

Time Marches On ''Time Marches On'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Tracy Lawrence. It was released on January 23, 1996, by Atlantic Records. The title track spent three weeks at Number One on the ''Billboard'' country charts in 1996, ...

''. It peaked at number two on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, while it was a number-one hit in Canada.

Content

"Is That a Tear" is a mid-tempo song prominently featuring the

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

and

steel guitar A steel guitar () is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conventional guitar i ...

. It begins when the narrator finds an unexpected message on his phone from an estranged lover. In the message, she says she's sorry she missed him and that she's doing fine. He plays the message over and over again, swearing he heard sadness and regret, or "a tear" in her voice. The song ends with the narrator contemplating whether he should call her back.

Music video

The music video was directed by Marc Ball, and premiered on CMT on November 28, 1996. Beginning with the ending of the video for "Texas Tornado", then it leads into Lawrence driving a taxicab, and helping a woman follow a group of men for an undisclosed purpose. It was the last video to feature Lawrence's trademark mullet and mustache, which he sported from 1991 to 1996.

Chart positions

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Is That A Tear 1996 songs Tracy Lawrence songs 1996 singles Songs written by John Jarrard Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Kenny Beard