"Tender" is a song by English alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Blur

Blur (band)

Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...

. It is the first track on Blur's sixth album 13

13 (Blur album)

13 is the sixth album by English band Blur, released in March 1999. The album reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and number 80 in the US Billboard 200. 13 spawned three hit singles: "Tender", "Coffee & TV" and "No Distance Left to Run"...

and was also released as the lead single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 before the album's release. The single reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 - kept off #1 by Britney Spears

Britney Spears

Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...

' "...Baby One More Time".

The song's lyrics were written by Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn is an English singer-songwriter and record producer who has been involved in many high profile projects, coming to prominence as the frontman and primary songwriter of Britpop band Blur...

 and Graham Coxon

Graham Coxon

Graham Leslie Coxon is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and painter. He came to prominence as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of rock band Blur, and is also a critically acclaimed solo artist, having recorded seven solo albums...

 and the vocals are shared on the track with backing vocals provided by the London Community Gospel Choir

London Community Gospel Choir

The London Community Gospel Choir is a successful gospel choir located in the United Kingdom.-History:The London Community Gospel Choir was founded in 1982 by the Reverend Bazil Meade with the assistance of Lawrence Johnson, Delroy Powell and John Francis.Initially the idea was for a single concert...

. During Coxon's hiatus from the group, Blur continued to perform the song live with Albarn asking the audience to sing Coxon's lines; "Oh my baby/Oh my baby/Oh why?/Oh my". At Blur's headline appearance at 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."

In July 2009 when Blur reformed, Coxon's lines in Tender were repeated and sung powerfully by the audience to call Blur back to stage at Glastonbury, Hyde Park and T in the Park.

The video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

 for the song is a live studio performance, filmed in black-and-white

Black-and-white

Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...

, featuring the band and a group of backing singers. An official video for this track was recorded by Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller

Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...

 (director of the promo videos for "Beetlebum

Beetlebum

"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released as the lead single for the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur...

" and "Song 2

Song 2

"Song 2" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, the second track on and second single released from their fifth album Blur in April 1997...

"), but it was never released as the band simply didn't 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

Cornelius (musician)

Cornelius is a Japanese recording artist and producer.-Career:Oyamada's first claim to fame was as a member of the pop duo Flipper's Guitar, one of the key groups of the Tokyo Shibuya-kei scene...

 was released on the "No Distance Left to Run

No Distance Left to Run

"No Distance Left to Run" is a song by Blur. It is on their 1999 album 13 and was also released as the third and final single from the album, reaching #14 in the UK Singles Chart...

" single.

Track listing

• Blue 7"

1. "Tender"
2. "All We Want"

• CD1

1. "Tender"
2. "All We Want"
3. "Mellow Jam"

• CD2

1. "Tender"
2. "French Song"
3. "Song 2
   Song 2
   "Song 2" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, the second track on and second single released from their fifth album Blur in April 1997...
   
   "
4. "Song 2
   Song 2
   "Song 2" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur, the second track on and second single released from their fifth album Blur in April 1997...
   
   " (video)

• Japan CD

1. "Tender"
2. "Swamp song"
3. "Mellow Jam"
4. "French Song"

Production credits

• "Tender", "Mellow Jam", "French Song" and "Swamp Song" produced by William Orbit
• "All We Want" and "Song 2" produced by Stephen Street
  Stephen Street
  Stephen Street is an English music producer best known for his work with The Smiths in the 1980s, as well as Blur and The Cranberries in the 1990s. Street also collaborated with Morrissey on some of his most popular work after The Smiths broke up, playing instruments and co-writing songs...