In the early 1940’s pianist Walter Gross wrote a tune, known informally as “Walter’s Melody,” that he played for friends and at club dates. One of Gross’ friends, singer Margaret Whiting, introduced the pianist to lyricist Jack Lawrence who, in turn, wrote lyrics for the tune. Gross initially objected to “Tenderly” for the title, arguing that it sounded like direction for a performer, but he eventually came around.

In 1946 Gross took a position as A&R (artists and repertoire) director with Musicraft, an independent record label with which Sarah Vaughan had already signed her first long-term contract. In 1947, at Gross’s request, Vaughan recorded “Tenderly,” accompanied by (husband/manager) George Treadwell and His Orchestra. It was a modest hit which rose to number twenty-seven on the pop charts.

In 1950 the Lynn Hope Quartet’s recording of the song rose to number nineteen, but it was Rosemary Clooney’s 1952 recording, accompanied by Percy Faith and His Orchestra, that popularized “Tenderly.” Clooney would later comment that “Technically it’s the most satisfying record I ever made.” Satisfying financially as well, Clooney’s recording climbed to number seventeen and went on to become a million seller. The 1953 Billboard Disc Jockey poll voted “Tenderly” the number six all-time record.

In 1961, German Orchestra leader and composer (“Strangers in the Night”) Bert Kaempfert’s recording of “Tenderly” entered the pop charts briefly, climbing to number thirty-one.

Despite the song’s subsequent popularity, Vaughan is credited with bringing “Tenderly” into the world of jazz. It was her first solo hit and has been credited as marking her transition from jazz artist to popular singing star. Vaughan would record two more hits with Musicraft in 1948, “Nature Boy” and “It’s Magic,” before moving on to recording with the major labels, including Columbia and Mercury.

Jack Lawrence’s lyrics tell the story of love found, while reflecting the tone of Gross’s composition within an atmosphere of warmth and vulnerability. He cleverly created a series of inner rhymes using paired phrases such as “evening breeze caressed the trees,” “trembling trees embraced the breeze,” that drew attention away from the fact that the lines are repeatedly ending with the title, “Tenderly,” a word he hopes the listener will never forget.

In 1953 “Tenderly” made a memorable appearance on the soundtrack of the MGM musical, Torch Song. Joan Crawford plays a Broadway star, hell-bent on success, who falls in love with blind piano player (Michael Wilding). A recipient of the Harvard Lampoon Worst Films Award for 1953, the movie, shot in 18 days, is now sought after for its “camp” appeal, especially Crawford’s vicious character and her performance (in blackface) of the Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwartz “Two-Faced Woman,” which Clive Hirschhorn, in his book Hollywood Musicals, says is “one of the worst production numbers ever put on film.” Critic Pauline Kael comments, “The viewer is asked to admire Joan Crawford’s legs and her acting, which consists of pushing her mouth into positions meant to suggest suffering. The first is easy; the second impossible.” Crawford’s vocals, including “Tenderly,” are dubbed by India Adams.