"Softly and Tenderly" is a Christian hymn. It was composed and written by Will L. Thompson in 1880.[1] It is based on the Bible verse Mark 10:49.[2]
| Softly and Tenderly | |
|---|---|
| by Will Lamartine Thompson | |
| Genre | Hymn |
| Written | 1880 |
| Based on | Matthew 11:28 |
| Meter | 11.7.11.7 with refrain |
Dwight L. Moody used "Softly and Tenderly" in many of his evangelistic rallies in America and Britain. When he was in the hospital and barred from seeing visitors, Thompson had arrived to see him; Moody insisted that Thompson be let in and told him:
- Will, I would rather have written "Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling" than anything I have been able to do in my whole life.[3][4]
Thompson was a member of the Churches of Christ, where several of his hymns and gospel songs continue in use. "Softly and Tenderly" is the most widely known of his compositions and has circulated far beyond its origins in the American Restoration Movement. It is among the most prolifically translated gospel songs and is used throughout many denominations of Christianity.[5]
This hymn was sung at the funeral of Martin Luther King Junior.[6]
Selected recordings
edit- The Andrews Sisters - recorded on February 2, 1950 for Decca Records.[7]
| "Softly and Tenderly" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Reba McEntire with Kelly Clarkson and Trisha Yearwood | ||||
| from the album Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope | ||||
| Released | December 16, 2016 | |||
| Genre | Christian country | |||
| Length | 4:02 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Will Lamartine Thompson | |||
| Producer(s) |
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| Reba McEntire singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
- The Million Dollar Quartet recorded the song in 1956.[8]
- Pat Boone - included in his album Hymns We Love (1957).[9]
- Rosemary Clooney - for her album Hymns from the Heart (1958).[10]
- Daniel Johnston - for his album 1990 (1990)
- The Martins - in their CD album An A Cappella Hymn Collection (1997)
- Amy Grant recorded a version of the song which appears on her 2002 studio album Legacy... Hymns and Faith,[11] and later on her 2015 compilation album Be Still and Know... Hymns & Faith.
- Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, and Kelly Clarkson recorded the song for Reba's Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope (2017) +
- Carrie Underwood recorded the song for her album of Gospel covers, My Savior (2021).
Use in modern culture
editThe song was featured in the film Urban Cowboy at Bud's (John Travolta's character) uncle's funeral.[12][13]
The film The Trip to Bountiful makes recurrent use of the song, particularly a recording of it by Cynthia Clawson.[14]
An a cappella version is sung by Alessandro Nivola in the film Junebug.[15]
In the movie Walk the Line the song is played in the church that June Carter Cash takes Johnny Cash to for his first time out of the house after stopping his drug use.
The melody appears twice in the movie Abrupt Decision, released 2011.
The song is performed in A Prairie Home Companion.[16]
In November 2017, Carrie Underwood performed the hymn as part of the In Memoriam segment, which culminated in a tribute to the fifty-eight Route 91 shooting victims, at the 51st annual CMA Awards.[17]
It was performed at the funeral of Adele Stackhouse (Sookie's Granny), in True Blood.[16]
It was also performed in the film Tender Mercies.[18]
External links
editReferences
edit- ^ Bye, P.C. (1982). Family Hymn Book: Chords Given for Guitar and Autoharp. Mel Bay Publications. p. 86. ISBN 9780871667137.
- ^ Bible Gateway Mark 10:49 "And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; He calleth thee."
- ^ "2002 class of inductees announced". Lou Holtz / Upper Ohio Valley Hall of Fame. East Liverpool, Ohio. 2000. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
- ^ Evelyn Bence, Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns, (Grand Rapids, MI:Zondervan, 1997/ p. 248
- ^ Finley, Gene C. (1980). Our garden of song: A book of biography of song writers of the Church of Christ. West Monroe, Louisiana: Howard. pp. 479–418.
- ^ The Tabernacle Choir website
- ^ Sforza, John (2000). The Andrews Sisters Story - Swing It!. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 239. ISBN 0-8131-2136-1.
- ^ Million Dollar Quartet, "Softly and Tenderly" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wN-kHHKAOY
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- ^ "Discogs.com". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 23, 2018.
- ^ New Release Today website
- ^ "Behind the Hymn: Softly and Tenderly ⋆ Diana Leagh Matthews". 16 September 2018.
- ^ "SoundtrackINFO: Urban Cowboy Soundtrack".
- ^ Workshop Songs Online website
- ^ IMDB website
- ^ a b Hymn For The Day website
- ^ Good Morning American website
- ^ "Softly and Tenderly by Tom Kimmel".