“Try A Little Tenderness” before and after Otis Redding

[luisam]

In its original form, “Try A Little Tenderness” was anything but “so soulful.” Written by James Campbell, Reginald Connelly and Harry M. Woods, it was recorded in 1932 by Ray Noble and his Orchestra. Many great things happened during the Swing Era, but “Tenderness” was not one of them. Mawkish, stilted and perfectly forgettable, it comes off as a courting lesson on how to gain permission to put hand on knee and stare just a little too long.

 

Since then, many covers were made, including those by Bing Crosby, Ruth Ething, Etta James, Nancy Wilson, Tom Jones even by notable soul interpreters like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin but if anything, “Try A Little Tenderness” just remained as part of a strategy to reach consumers who still clung to the song’s goofy pedigree.

 

The definitive soulful version of the song was recorded by Otis Redding in 1966. It's a milestone, estabishing a "before" and an "after".

 

Redding was backed on his version by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and Stax staff producer Isaac Hayes worked on the arrangement. Redding's recording features a slow, soulful opening that eventually builds into a frenetic R&B conclusion, complete with horns, organ, and an uninhibited vocal that builds in intensity as the song progresses.

Initially Ortis Redding has been performing it live; “Tenderness” took its own soaring independent live and developed its own ritual, as the audience moved along with the performer even as he called on it for strength and support. The studio version of “Tenderness” was an experiment. Redding did not want to record this song, but Stax Records executives and his friends wore him down with a constant barrage of requests. When he finally recorded it, he did it with a pleading vocal that he was "sure" would not be released. The ploy didn't work. Redding's version of "Try a Little Tenderness" became his signature song and the biggest-selling of the records released before the posthumous "Sittinig on the dock of the Bay". just after his death.  This version peaked at #25 on the Billboard Hot 100.

 

It has been named on a number of "best songs of all time" lists, including those from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is in the 204th position on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. A live version performed in 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival was also recorded.

Three Dog Night released a version of the song, which peaked at #29 on the Billboard Top 100 in 1969. It is a copy of Redding's interpretation of the song, including the coda that was added in Redding's version.

Also some "after", soulful versions were recorded by Lulu, Percy Sledge and Tina Turner.

 

 

[dMog]

ain't nobody ever gonna sing try a little tenderness and sitting on the dock by the bay better that Ottis Redding