Tears on My Pillow was Johnny Tillotson's first album in two years, released by Amos Records. The title track, a cover version of Little Anthony and the Imperials' 1958 doo-wop hit, was released as a single the same year of the album's release; neither the single nor the album charted. The album is mainly a collection of covers, including versions of Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again," Carole King & Gerry Goffin's "Hey Girl," Roy Orbison's "Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)," and Buddy Holly's "Raining in My Heart."