"Try a Little Tenderness" | |
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Song by Ray Noble Orchestra | |
Published | November 4, 1932 Campbell, Connelly & Co., Ltd. [1] |
Recorded | December 8, 1932 |
Songwriter(s) | Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, Henry Woods |
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly, and Harry M. Woods.
It was first recorded on December 8, 1932, by the Ray Noble Orchestra, with vocals by Val Rosing. Another version, also recorded in 1932, was made by Charlie Palloy & his Orchestra. [2] Ted Lewis (Columbia 2748 D) and Ruth Etting (Melotone 12625) had hits with it in 1933. [3] Bing Crosby also recorded it on January 9, 1933, for Brunswick Records. [4] A version by Bob and Alf Pearson was also released in 1933. The song appeared on Frank Sinatra's debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra , in 1946. [5]
"Try a Little Tenderness" | ||||
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![]() West German picture sleeve | ||||
Single by Otis Redding | ||||
from the album Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul | ||||
B-side | "I'm Sick Y'all" | |||
Released | November 14, 1966 | |||
Recorded | 1966 | |||
Studio | Stax, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
Genre | Soul, jazz | |||
Length | 3:51 (Album version) 3:20 (Single version) | |||
Label | Volt/Atco V-141 | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Stewart, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.'s | |||
Otis Redding singles chronology | ||||
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A popular version in an entirely new form was recorded by soul artist Otis Redding in 1966. Redding was backed on his version by Booker T. & the M.G.'s, and Stax staff producer Isaac Hayes worked on the arrangement. [6] Redding's recording features a slow, soulful opening that eventually builds into a frenetic R&B conclusion, incorporating elements from the Duke Ellington–Lee Gaines song "Just Squeeze Me (But Please Don't Tease Me)" as well as the words "sock it to me." In early 1967, it peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100. [7] 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 136th position on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest songs of all time as of the list's 2021 update. [8] A live version performed in 1967 at the Monterey International Pop Festival was also recorded.
In the 1991 Irish film, The Commitments, the band performs the song in the style of Otis Redding. The version by The Commitments reached No. 13 in the Irish chart. [9] Redding's version was also sampled in the song "Otis", recorded by rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, from their album Watch the Throne . Additionally, it appears in the film Pretty in Pink , and was sung briefly by Eddie Murphy as Donkey in Shrek . D-TV set the Otis Redding version to Cinderella . Sam Cooke performed it live on his "Live at the Copa" album in July 1964 [10]
In 2015, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. [11]
Chart (1967) | Peak position |
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Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [12] | 23 |
UK Singles (OCC) [13] | 46 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [14] | 4 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] | 25 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [16] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Three Dog Night released a version of the song, which peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Top 100 in 1969, and number 19 in Canada. [18] It borrows stylistically from Redding's interpretation of the song, including the coda that was added in Redding's version.
An instrumental version of the song is played during the opening credits of the 1964 film Dr. Strangelove over authentic footage of in-flight refueling of a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber.
Paul Samuel Whiteman was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
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"White Christmas" is an Irving Berlin song reminiscing about an old-fashioned Christmas setting. The song was written by Berlin for the 1942 musical film Holiday Inn. The composition won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 15th Academy Awards. Bing Crosby's record topped the Billboard chart for 11 weeks in 1942 and returned to the number one position again in December 1943 and 1944. His version would return to the top 40 a dozen times in subsequent years.
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"Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" is a show tune written by American composer Jerome Kern and lyricist Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical comedy Roberta. The song was sung in the Broadway show by Tamara Drasin. Its first recorded performance was by Gertrude Niesen, who recorded the song with orchestral direction from Ray Sinatra, Frank Sinatra's second cousin, on October 13, 1933. Niesen's recording of the song was released by Victor, with the B-side, "Jealousy", featuring Isham Jones and his Orchestra. The line — When your heart's on fire, smoke gets in your eyes — apparently comes from a Russian proverb.
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"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written and composed by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a number 2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, which consisted of Samuel "Sam" Moore and David "Dave" Prater. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. It was No. 463 in "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2010 and No. 458 in 2004.
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"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a song by songwriter Johnny Marks based on the 1939 story Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer published by the Montgomery Ward Company. Gene Autry's recording hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts the week of Christmas 1949.
Otis Ray Redding Jr. was an American singer and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. Nicknamed the "King of Soul", Redding's style of singing gained inspiration from the gospel music that preceded the genre. His singing style influenced many other soul artists of the 1960s.
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Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul, or simply Dictionary of Soul, is the fifth studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Otis Redding and his last solo studio album released before his death. The successful Otis Blue and the following performance at Whisky a Go Go led to his rising fame across the United States. The first side of the album mainly contains cover versions, and the second songs mainly written by Redding.
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