Try a Little Tenderness

Harry Woods

Today I find myself writing, after nearly four years of doing this column, about the least-covered song I’ve ever presented at Word & Song. How is this possible? I have some sources for my stories about songs and singers, and about who recorded what song and when. But this little gem has in fact been comercially recorded only twenty times .. and that’s counting two rounds by Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. The first time was in 1946, when Frank was young and had only recently cut loose — at great cost to himself and with great difficulty — from his contract with Tommy Dorsey. Dorsey didn’t want to lose his orchestra’s hit singer, who was a big box-office draw and then some. The agreement Sinatra signed to gain his release from Dorsey gave the bandleader 43% of Frank’s future earnings. Phew! What a cutthroat agreement that was. But often the times and the economy make or break entertainers. For Sinatra to become a solo act took guts and sacrifice. Frank recorded many great songs more than once, this one again in 1960. And he sang it at many live performances.

But today we are listening to his 1946 version for his album, The Voice. The war had ended in 1945, but the recording industry had been struggling through a long battle between radio broadcasters and ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers) over licensing fees for the first war years, and that was barely over, when a musicians’ strike began and persisted through most of the remaining war years. These three events, the World War and the two strikes, resulted to great changes in the recording industry. One big change was the rise of solo singers over the domination of the Big Band leaders who dominated and controlled popular music in the 1930’s. Frank Sinatra’s departure from the Dorsey Orchestra reflected the shift to solo singers and musicians which gave them more control over their music. At the same time many young musicians were drafted into military service, and this led to the rise of small singing groups recording in tight harmonies with little or no instrumental backup. Former big band musicians formed small jazz ensembles. And folk singers and country and Western music began to reach mainstream radio audiences.

And what does all of this have to do with today’s song? Well, the war shortages reduced new song production as well. All of the songs in The Voice — were written before the war. There was not one new song in Sinatra’s first album. And his first album was essentially the first album produced by an American recording company. As with all of his albums, Sinatra’s hand was significant on the song selection. The Voice, like all of the albums Sinatra would record, was a “concept” collection, with tunes chosen for compatibility of mood and content. This approach to recording an album was new, and set the standard high. The original release of The Voice came out in the form of four 78’s each with one song per side. Not long afterward, the studio released The Voice as the first-ever Long Playing album, on vinyl, the innovation Columbia Records had invested in of necessity to address the shellac shortage of the war years. At the same time, Columbia released the first-ever 12-inch vinyl record, launching their Classical Composers series. The release of these albums was a staggering event in 1948 and was announced to the world in a radio broadcast from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

I’m betting that some of you know at least a few other numbers by Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inductee, Harry Woods, the composer of “Try a Little Tenderness.” One of my childhood favorites was his “I’m Looking over a Four-Leaf Clover,” which I think I danced to in tap class. And how about “Side by Side,” or "When the Red, Red Robin (Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along)?” These songs from the Roaring Twenties had some staying power in their day.

But Sometimes a Song takes us back to .. the Great Depression .. to a time of hardship around the world, and to one writer’s suggestion of a way to make life a lot less dreary. I hope you will enjoy today's song, which includes the intro verse to set the tone.

Verse: In the hustle of the day, we're all inclined to miss
Little things that mean so much —
A word, a smile, and a kiss.
When a woman loves a man, he's a hero in her eyes,
And a hero he can always be if he'll just realize …

She may be weary, women do get weary
Wearing the same shabby dress.
And when she's weary, try a little tenderness.

She may be waiting, just anticipating,
Things she may never possess.
While she's without them, try a little tenderness.

It's not just sentimental. She has her grief and her care.
And a word that's soft and gentle makes it easier to bear.

You won't regret it, women don't forget it.
Love is their whole happiness.
And it's all so easy. Try a little tenderness.