Tender (song)

"Tender" is a 1999 song by English rock band Blur. Written by the four band members about Damon Albarn's breakup with Justine Frischmann, the song became Blur's eleventh top-ten hit on the UK Singles Chart, debuting and peaking at number two on 28 February 1999. It also reached the top 20 in Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Spain.

For the song by Feeder, see Shatter (song).

"Tender"
Single by Blur
from the album 13
B-side"All We Want"
Released22 February 1999
Recorded1998
Genre
Length
  • 7:40 (album version)
  • 4:30 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)William Orbit
Blur singles chronology
"M.O.R."
(1997)		 "Tender"
(1999)		 "Coffee & TV"
(1999)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Tender" on YouTube

Background, lyric and live performances

The song's lyric, by Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon, describes the break-up between Albarn and Justine Frischmann, then the singer in Britpop band Elastica. Frischmann told the British newspaper The Observer she cried the first time she heard the song, then felt embarrassed and angered before she calmed down.[3] The writers share the singing, with backing vocals by the London Community Gospel Choir. The line "Tender is the night", and the name of the song, refer to the novel Tender Is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose title was in turn a quotation from Keats' "Ode to a Nightingale".

"I remember walking into the studio feeling like shit, for reasons I won't go into, and hearing the vocal to 'Tender' and feeling better again. That's the anodyne quality of some music, assuaging your feelings of guilt and horror. Fortunately, we had it nailed early on. And that makes a really big difference when you've got an obvious global number one. That takes the pressure off." – Alex James, bassist[4]

During Coxon's hiatus from the group, Blur continued to perform the song, with Albarn asking audiences to sing Coxon's lines, "Oh my baby/Oh my baby/Oh why?/Oh my". At Blur's headline appearance at the Reading Festival in 2003, he introduced the song by saying: "I don't want, for one moment, to be a sentimental but… Graham wrote this song as well… You know the bits he sings and I want you to sing them as loudly as you possibly can. Everyone needs to sing this song." Drummer Dave Rowntree would also sing Coxon's lines on occasion. In July 2009, when Blur re-formed, Coxon's lines in were repeated powerfully by the audience to call Blur back to the stage at Glastonbury, Hyde Park and T in the Park.

In March 2013, Albarn, Coxon, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher performed the song at the Teenage Cancer Trust charity event.[5]

Release and reception

It is the first track on Blur's sixth album 13 and was also released as the lead single before the album's release. The single reached number two on the UK Singles Chart[6] – kept off number one by Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time". The single had first-week sales of 176,000 and had an initial lead over Spears in the early part of the week, though "...Baby One More Time" would sell an additional 55,000 units over "Tender" to maintain the number one position.[7] The song's release date had been brought forward to challenge a concern over Japanese imports.[8]

The song was awarded "Single Of The Fortnight" in Smash Hits, writing: "At seven-and-three-quarter minutes, Tender is at least two too long, but it's still the best skiffle-folk hymn of the year so far!"[9] Chuck Taylor of Billboard called it a "huge departure" for the band and a "stellar piece of work," whose sound is reminiscent of the late-'60s and early-'70s. He wrote: "it's simply a polished, well-produced tip of the hat to a time when British pop stars could sing... and play tinny guitar solos without irony.[10] Sarah Davis of Dotmusic called it a "breath of fresh air" and a "beautiful hymn of consolation," while noting its similarity to "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon.[8] "Tender" was nominated in the category of Best British Single at the 2000 BRIT Awards. However, the award was won by Robbie Williams for "She's the One".

Video, B-side and remix

The video for the song is a live studio performance, filmed in black-and-white, featuring the band and a group of backing singers. Like Blur's earlier video for "End of a Century", it does not use the studio version's audio track. An official video for this track was recorded by Sophie Muller (director of the promo videos for "Beetlebum" and "Song 2"), but it was never released as the band simply did not like it. Initially, the track "Swamp Song" was slated to appear as one of the single's B-sides, but was promoted to the parent album 13. The appearance of "Song 2" on the single was a last-minute substitution. A remix of the song by Cornelius was released on the "No Distance Left to Run" single.

Track listings

Production credits

Charts and certifications

The song is featured during the ending credits of the movie Southland Tales (2007) by Richard Kelly.

In December 2017, a cover version of the song featured in a Christmas advert for Co-op.[32]

The song is featured in the 2018 Showtime Limited miniseries drama, Patrick Melrose, in the end credits of the fifth and final episode.

References
  1. Sharp, Stephanie (24 February 2013). "10 Great Songs with Gospel Choirs". Paste. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  2. Barker, Emily (31 January 2014). "The 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time - 200-101". NME. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  3. "Tender by Blur Songfacts". Songfacts. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
  4. "Your guide to the best tracks from the best albums of 1999". Q (160): 3. January 2000.
  5. Sullivan, Caroline (24 March 2013). "Noel Gallagher; Damon Albarn & Graham Coxon – review" – via www.theguardian.com.
  6. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. Jones, Alan (6 March 1999). "The Official UK Chart: Singles - 6 March 1999". Music Week. p. 13.
  8. Davis, Sarah (15 February 1999). "Blur – Tender (Food)". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on 15 August 2000.
  9. "Singles". Smash Hits. No. 527. 24 February 1999. p. 51.
  10. Taylor, Chuck (13 March 1999). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 11. p. 29. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  11. "Australian-charts.com – Blur – Tender". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  12. Tender (UK CD1 liner notes). Blur. Food Records. 1999. CDFOODS117, 7243 886632 2 9.CS1 maint: others (link)
  13. Tender (UK CD2 cover). Blur. Food Records. 1999. CDFOOD117, 7243 886633 0 4.CS1 maint: others (link)
  14. Tender (Australian enhanced CD single cover). Blur. EMI Records. 1999. 7243 8 86735 0 1.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. Tender (Japanese CD single liner notes). Blur. Food Records, EMI Records, Parlophone. 1999. TOCP-40109.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. "Ultratop.be – Blur – Tender" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  17. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 11. 13 March 1999. p. 14. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Blur – Tender". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  19. "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16 no. 15. 10 April 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  20. "Íslenski Listinn (9.4–16.4. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 9 April 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  21. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Tender". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  22. "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 111 no. 15. 10 April 1999. p. 48. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  23. "Dutchcharts.nl – Blur – Tender" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  24. "Charts.nz – Blur – Tender". Top 40 Singles.
  25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Blur – Tender". VG-lista.
  26. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  27. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  28. "Swedishcharts.com – Blur – Tender". Singles Top 100.
  29. "Swisscharts.com – Blur – Tender". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. London, England: United Business Media. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
  31. "British single certifications – Blur – Tender". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  32. "Retail news | FMCG news | Grocery news". The Grocer.
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