Razão de Viver, known in English as A Little Tear, is a Brazilian tune written by Eumir Deodato and Paulo Sérgio Valle. It was first released in 1964 by Os Gatos as Razão de viver. The English version with lyrics by Ray Gilbert, titled A Little Tear, appeared in 1967 and was recorded by The Girls from Bahia. Over the years the song has been covered and adapted by many artists across genres, from Brazilian groups like Os Catedráticos and Sambalanço Trio to Leila Maria on her 2005 Off Key album, and a 2018 Os Catedraticos release on the Ataque project. The track sits at the crossroads of MPB, bossa nova, jazz and Latin disco, and has notable English language covers by Willie Bobo (1977) and Sarah Vaughan (1978). Eumir Deodato, the composer and arranger, later became an internationally renowned producer and pianist with multiple platinum albums and a Grammy win.
