diff --git a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
index 6ebb81030d2d..f53708be95eb 100644
--- a/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
+++ b/include/asm-generic/vmlinux.lds.h
@@ -124,7 +124,8 @@
 #endif
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_EVENT_TRACING
-#define FTRACE_EVENTS()	VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start_ftrace_events) = .;	\
+#define FTRACE_EVENTS()	. = ALIGN(8);					\
+			VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__start_ftrace_events) = .;	\
 			*(_ftrace_events)				\
 			VMLINUX_SYMBOL(__stop_ftrace_events) = .;
 #else
@@ -179,9 +180,6 @@
 	TRACE_PRINTKS()							\
 									\
 	STRUCT_ALIGN();							\
-	FTRACE_EVENTS()							\
-									\
-	STRUCT_ALIGN();							\
 	TRACE_SYSCALLS()
 
 /*
@@ -482,6 +480,7 @@
 	KERNEL_CTORS()							\
 	*(.init.rodata)							\
 	MCOUNT_REC()							\
+	FTRACE_EVENTS()							\
 	DEV_DISCARD(init.rodata)					\
 	CPU_DISCARD(init.rodata)					\
 	MEM_DISCARD(init.rodata)					\
diff --git a/include/linux/module.h b/include/linux/module.h
index e7c6385c6683..7695a303bb55 100644
--- a/include/linux/module.h
+++ b/include/linux/module.h
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ struct module
 	unsigned int num_trace_bprintk_fmt;
 #endif
 #ifdef CONFIG_EVENT_TRACING
-	struct ftrace_event_call *trace_events;
+	struct ftrace_event_call **trace_events;
 	unsigned int num_trace_events;
 #endif
 #ifdef CONFIG_FTRACE_MCOUNT_RECORD
diff --git a/include/linux/syscalls.h b/include/linux/syscalls.h
index 18cd0684fc4e..45508fec366d 100644
--- a/include/linux/syscalls.h
+++ b/include/linux/syscalls.h
@@ -128,28 +128,30 @@ extern struct trace_event_functions exit_syscall_print_funcs;
 	static struct syscall_metadata					\
 	__attribute__((__aligned__(4))) __syscall_meta_##sname;		\
 	static struct ftrace_event_call __used				\
-	  __attribute__((__aligned__(4)))				\
-	  __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events")))			\
 	  event_enter_##sname = {					\
 		.name                   = "sys_enter"#sname,		\
 		.class			= &event_class_syscall_enter,	\
 		.event.funcs            = &enter_syscall_print_funcs,	\
 		.data			= (void *)&__syscall_meta_##sname,\
 	};								\
+	static struct ftrace_event_call __used				\
+	  __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events")))			\
+	 *__event_enter_##sname = &event_enter_##sname;			\
 	__TRACE_EVENT_FLAGS(enter_##sname, TRACE_EVENT_FL_CAP_ANY)
 
 #define SYSCALL_TRACE_EXIT_EVENT(sname)					\
 	static struct syscall_metadata					\
 	__attribute__((__aligned__(4))) __syscall_meta_##sname;		\
 	static struct ftrace_event_call __used				\
-	  __attribute__((__aligned__(4)))				\
-	  __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events")))			\
 	  event_exit_##sname = {					\
 		.name                   = "sys_exit"#sname,		\
 		.class			= &event_class_syscall_exit,	\
 		.event.funcs		= &exit_syscall_print_funcs,	\
 		.data			= (void *)&__syscall_meta_##sname,\
 	};								\
+	static struct ftrace_event_call __used				\
+	  __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events")))			\
+	*__event_exit_##sname = &event_exit_##sname;			\
 	__TRACE_EVENT_FLAGS(exit_##sname, TRACE_EVENT_FL_CAP_ANY)
 
 #define SYSCALL_METADATA(sname, nb)				\
diff --git a/include/trace/ftrace.h b/include/trace/ftrace.h
index e16610c208c9..3e68366d485a 100644
--- a/include/trace/ftrace.h
+++ b/include/trace/ftrace.h
@@ -446,14 +446,16 @@ static inline notrace int ftrace_get_offsets_##call(			\
  *	.reg			= ftrace_event_reg,
  * };
  *
- * static struct ftrace_event_call __used
- * __attribute__((__aligned__(4)))
- * __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) event_<call> = {
+ * static struct ftrace_event_call event_<call> = {
  *	.name			= "<call>",
  *	.class			= event_class_<template>,
  *	.event			= &ftrace_event_type_<call>,
  *	.print_fmt		= print_fmt_<call>,
  * };
+ * // its only safe to use pointers when doing linker tricks to
+ * // create an array.
+ * static struct ftrace_event_call __used
+ * __attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) *__event_<call> = &event_<call>;
  *
  */
 
@@ -579,28 +581,28 @@ static struct ftrace_event_class __used event_class_##call = {		\
 #undef DEFINE_EVENT
 #define DEFINE_EVENT(template, call, proto, args)			\
 									\
-static struct ftrace_event_call __used					\
-__attribute__((__aligned__(4)))						\
-__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) event_##call = {		\
+static struct ftrace_event_call __used event_##call = {			\
 	.name			= #call,				\
 	.class			= &event_class_##template,		\
 	.event.funcs		= &ftrace_event_type_funcs_##template,	\
 	.print_fmt		= print_fmt_##template,			\
-};
+};									\
+static struct ftrace_event_call __used					\
+__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) *__event_##call = &event_##call
 
 #undef DEFINE_EVENT_PRINT
 #define DEFINE_EVENT_PRINT(template, call, proto, args, print)		\
 									\
 static const char print_fmt_##call[] = print;				\
 									\
-static struct ftrace_event_call __used					\
-__attribute__((__aligned__(4)))						\
-__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) event_##call = {		\
+static struct ftrace_event_call __used event_##call = {			\
 	.name			= #call,				\
 	.class			= &event_class_##template,		\
 	.event.funcs		= &ftrace_event_type_funcs_##call,	\
 	.print_fmt		= print_fmt_##call,			\
-}
+};									\
+static struct ftrace_event_call __used					\
+__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) *__event_##call = &event_##call
 
 #include TRACE_INCLUDE(TRACE_INCLUDE_FILE)
 
diff --git a/kernel/trace/trace_events.c b/kernel/trace/trace_events.c
index 35fde09b81de..5f499e0438a4 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/trace_events.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/trace_events.c
@@ -1284,7 +1284,7 @@ trace_create_file_ops(struct module *mod)
 static void trace_module_add_events(struct module *mod)
 {
 	struct ftrace_module_file_ops *file_ops = NULL;
-	struct ftrace_event_call *call, *start, *end;
+	struct ftrace_event_call **call, **start, **end;
 
 	start = mod->trace_events;
 	end = mod->trace_events + mod->num_trace_events;
@@ -1297,7 +1297,7 @@ static void trace_module_add_events(struct module *mod)
 		return;
 
 	for_each_event(call, start, end) {
-		__trace_add_event_call(call, mod,
+		__trace_add_event_call(*call, mod,
 				       &file_ops->id, &file_ops->enable,
 				       &file_ops->filter, &file_ops->format);
 	}
@@ -1367,8 +1367,8 @@ static struct notifier_block trace_module_nb = {
 	.priority = 0,
 };
 
-extern struct ftrace_event_call __start_ftrace_events[];
-extern struct ftrace_event_call __stop_ftrace_events[];
+extern struct ftrace_event_call *__start_ftrace_events[];
+extern struct ftrace_event_call *__stop_ftrace_events[];
 
 static char bootup_event_buf[COMMAND_LINE_SIZE] __initdata;
 
@@ -1384,7 +1384,7 @@ __setup("trace_event=", setup_trace_event);
 
 static __init int event_trace_init(void)
 {
-	struct ftrace_event_call *call;
+	struct ftrace_event_call **call;
 	struct dentry *d_tracer;
 	struct dentry *entry;
 	struct dentry *d_events;
@@ -1430,7 +1430,7 @@ static __init int event_trace_init(void)
 		pr_warning("tracing: Failed to allocate common fields");
 
 	for_each_event(call, __start_ftrace_events, __stop_ftrace_events) {
-		__trace_add_event_call(call, NULL, &ftrace_event_id_fops,
+		__trace_add_event_call(*call, NULL, &ftrace_event_id_fops,
 				       &ftrace_enable_fops,
 				       &ftrace_event_filter_fops,
 				       &ftrace_event_format_fops);
diff --git a/kernel/trace/trace_export.c b/kernel/trace/trace_export.c
index 4b74d71705c0..bbeec31e0ae3 100644
--- a/kernel/trace/trace_export.c
+++ b/kernel/trace/trace_export.c
@@ -161,13 +161,13 @@ struct ftrace_event_class event_class_ftrace_##call = {			\
 	.fields			= LIST_HEAD_INIT(event_class_ftrace_##call.fields),\
 };									\
 									\
-struct ftrace_event_call __used						\
-__attribute__((__aligned__(4)))						\
-__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) event_##call = {		\
+struct ftrace_event_call __used event_##call = {			\
 	.name			= #call,				\
 	.event.type		= etype,				\
 	.class			= &event_class_ftrace_##call,		\
 	.print_fmt		= print,				\
 };									\
+struct ftrace_event_call __used						\
+__attribute__((section("_ftrace_events"))) *__event_##call = &event_##call;
 
 #include "trace_entries.h"