Born to a working-class family, Ferry studied fine art and taught at a secondary school before pursuing a career in music. In 1970 he began to assemble the rock band Roxy Music with a group of friends and acquaintances in London, and took the role of lead singer and main songwriter. The band achieved immediate international success with the release of their eponymous debut album in 1972, containing a rich multitude of sounds, which reflected Ferry's interest in exploring different genres of music. Their second album, For Your Pleasure (1973), further cultivated the band's unique sound and visual image that would establish Ferry as a leading cultural icon over the next decade.
Ferry began a parallel solo career in 1973 by releasing These Foolish Things, which popularized for the first time the concept of a contemporary musician releasing an album covering standard songs and was a drastic departure from his ongoing work with Roxy Music. His second album, Another Time, Another Place (1974), featured as its cover image Ferry posing by a pool in a white dinner jacket and represented one of his most impactful fashion statements. Over the next two years, Roxy Music released a trilogy of albums, Stranded (1973), Country Life (1974) and Siren (1975), which broadened the band's appeal internationally and saw Ferry take greater interest in the role of a live performer, reinventing himself in stage costumes ranging from gaucho to military uniforms.
Ferry disbanded Roxy Music following the release of their best-selling album Avalon in 1982 to concentrate on his solo career, releasing further singles such as "Slave to Love" and "Don't Stop the Dance" and the UK no. 1 album Boys and Girls in 1985. Including his work with Roxy Music, Ferry has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
As well as being a prolific songwriter, Ferry has recorded many cover versions, including standards from the Great American Songbook, in albums such as These Foolish Things (1973), Another Time, Another Place (1974), Let's Stick Together (1976), Taxi (1993) and As Time Goes By (1999), as well as Dylanesque (2007), an album of Bob Dylan covers. In 2019, Ferry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Roxy Music.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryan_Ferry
Studio albums
These Foolish Things (1973)
Another Time, Another Place (1974)
Let's Stick Together (1976)
In Your Mind (1977)
The Bride Stripped Bare (1978)
Boys and Girls (1985)
Bête Noire (1987)
Taxi (1993)
Mamouna (1994)
As Time Goes By (1999)
Frantic (2002)
Dylanesque (2007)
Olympia (2010)
The Jazz Age (2012)
Avonmore (2014)
Bitter-Sweet (2018)
Tender Is the Night
Bryan Ferry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In an ideal world I see the likes of you
Such as it is, babes in the wood
At the best of times I feel misunderstood
No work, no play
A million miles away
I'm frantic today
No play
A million miles away
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
It makes no sense, you'd think of me
I'm out of place in your society
I want to be, where strangers meet
I want to hold you at the dark end of the street
No work, no play
A million miles away
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
No play
A million miles away
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
Is this the end, then let me know
Are you wanting me to stay, or should I go?
Your fancy words, all fast and loose
I'm too tongue-tied for the company you choose
No work and no play
A million miles away
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
No play
A million miles away
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
Tender is the night
I'm frantic today
In "Tender Is The Night", Bryan Ferry paints a picture of feeling out of place and misunderstood in society. He is yearning to be in a place where he can connect with people who are strangers to him, and he can be himself without feeling out of place. He talks about how he is too tongue-tied around the people his companion chooses to surround themselves with, and how he yearns to be with them at the dark end of the street, to hold them. He reflects on the fact that he feels a million miles away from where he truly wants to be.
Ferry seems to be struggling with the fancy language and manner of conversation his companion uses, and he feels he can't connect with them. He questions if he should stay or go, and he wonders if this is the end of their relationship. The repeated refrain of "Tender is the night, I'm frantic today" reflects a sense of disorientation and confusion that he feels in his current state, and his longing for something simpler and more tender.
Line by Line Meaning
Now picture this, my point of view
Imagine how I see things from my perspective
In an ideal world I see the likes of you
I envision you as someone I want to be around in a perfect world
Such as it is, babes in the wood
However, the reality is that we're both lost and vulnerable
At the best of times I feel misunderstood
Even in the best of moments, you don't comprehend my true intentions
No work, no play
Without occupation or pleasure
A million miles away
Feeling emotionally remote
Tender is the night
The night is soft and vulnerable
I'm frantic today
Today, I'm feeling anxious and panicked
It makes no sense, you'd think of me
You don't see how we could make sense together
I'm out of place in your society
I don't belong in your circle
I want to be, where strangers meet
I desire to be in a place where I can encounter new people
I want to hold you at the dark end of the street
I want to be with you in a private space away from everyone else
Is this the end, then let me know
If our relationship is over, please tell me
Are you wanting me to stay, or should I go?
Are you deciding whether or not you still want me around?
Your fancy words, all fast and loose
Your eloquent speech is not pulling me in
I'm too tongue-tied for the company you choose
I'm not comfortable around the people you surround yourself with
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: BRYAN FERRY, DAVE STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind