Be Tender with Me Baby

"Be Tender with Me Baby"
Single by Tina Turner
from the album Foreign Affair
B-side	"You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)"
Released	October 1, 1990 (1990-10-01)[1]
Genre	Rock
Length	4:18
Label	Capitol
Songwriter(s)	Albert Hammond Holly Knight
Producer(s)	Dan Hartman
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Foreign Affair" (1990) "Be Tender with Me Baby" (1990) "It Takes Two" (1990)
Music video
"Be Tender With Me Baby" (live) on YouTube

"Be Tender with Me Baby" is a song by recording artist Tina Turner. Written by Albert Hammond and Holly Knight and produced by Dan Hartman, it was released as a single from Turner's seventh solo studio album, Foreign Affair (1989), in October 1990. Released as a single in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and continental Europe only, it reached number four in Portugal, number 18 in Ireland, number 28 in the UK, and number 35 in the Netherlands. The accompanying music video depicts Turner performing the track at a 1990 concert at Woburn Abbey during her Foreign Affair Tour as an encore, and the seven-minute live version was also included on the single.

Critical reception

Greg Kot from Chicago Tribune felt that Turner adopts the "pleading style of '60s soul greats" like Sam Cooke and Percy Sledge on the song.^[2] In a retrospective review, Pop Rescue stated that "Be Tender with Me Baby" "gives Tina a bit of a rock ballad to play with", adding that she "gets plenty of time and space to show off her vocals, which she really does – from a softer vocal near the start, to winning the battle with the soaring strings and electric guitar." The reviewer also noted the "heartfelt ending" of the song.^[3]

Track listings

• UK 7-inch and cassette single^[4][5]

1. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (LP version) – 4:18
2. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (live edit) – 4:03

• UK 12-inch single^[6]

1. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (LP version) – 4:18
2. "You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)" (LP version) – 3:45
3. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (live) – 7:04

• UK CD single^[7]

1. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (LP version) – 4:18
2. "Be Tender with Me Baby" (live) – 7:04
3. "You Know Who (Is Doing You Know What)" (LP version) – 3:45

Charts

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[8]	75
Ireland (IRMA)[9]	18
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[10]	10
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11]	35
Portugal (AFP)[12]	4
UK Singles (OCC)[13]	28

References

1. "New Singles". Music Week. September 29, 1990. p. 31.
2. Kot, Greg (September 17, 1989). "'Foreign Affair' lets Turner head home". Chicago Tribune.
3. "Review: 'Foreign Affair' by Tina Turner (CD, 1989)". Pop Rescue. September 30, 2015. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
4. Be Tender with Me Baby (UK 7-inch single vinyl disc). Tina Turner. Capitol Records. 1990. CL 593, 20 4075 7.
5. Be Tender with Me Baby (UK cassette single sleeve). Tina Turner. Capitol Records. 1990. TCCL 593, 20 4075 4.
6. Be Tender with Me Baby (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Tina Turner. Capitol Records. 1990. 12CL 593.
7. Be Tender with Me Baby (UK CD single liner notes). Tina Turner. Capitol Records. 1990. CDCL 593, 20 4075 2.
8. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 7, no. 43. October 27, 1990. p. IV.
9. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Be Tender with Me". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
10. "Tipparade-lijst van week 46, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
11. "Tina Turner – Be Tender with Me Baby" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
12. "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 9. March 2, 1991. p. 25. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
13. "Tina Turner: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 30, 2020.