Browne was born in Heidelberg, Germany, where American serviceman father was stationed. Browne moved to the Highland Park district of Los Angeles, California at an early age and soon began singing folk music locally. In 1966, his major career began as a part of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Often mixing catchy melodies with reflective, moody, and sometimes melancholic lyrics, some of his most popular hit singles include "Doctor My Eyes", "Running on Empty", and "Somebody's Baby". Considered a precociously-talented songwriter by many peers, Browne's solo career got its legs when he signed a publishing contract with Nina Music. His work have been performed by several artists such as Bonnie Raitt, Joan Baez, Larry Norman, Linda Ronstadt, Nico, and Tom Rush, among many others.
After moving to Greenwich Village, New York, Browne worked, for a brief period, in Tim Buckley's back-up band and on Nico's Chelsea Girl. This album includes two of Jackson's songs and the pair were reputedly lovers for awhile. After leaving New York City, Browne formed a folk band with Ned Doheny and Jack Wilce.
In 1971, Browne signed with Asylum Records and released Jackson Browne (1972), which included "Doctor My Eyes", a major hit and later coverec by the Jackson Five . He didn't sustain pop success, though, and his next album, For Everyman (1973), while considered of high quality, was a commercial failure.
Late for the Sky (1974) established a significant audience for Browne, and fans and critics often consider this Browne's best album. Highlights include the searching title song, the elegiac "For a Dancer" and apocalyptic "Before the Deluge", the pure arrangements featuring David Lindley's evocative violin and guitar playing, and the Magritte-inspired cover. The title track was also featured in Martin Scorsese's film, Taxi Driver.
Browne released his breakthrough album, The Pretender (1976) soon after the suicide of his wife, Phyllis. Featuring livelier production by Jon Landau, the title song is a vividly described account of trying to maintain one's ideals in the struggle against the realities of day-to-day life.
During this time, Browne produced and played on Warren Zevon's first two Asylum albums.
Browne began recording his next LP while on tour, and Running on Empty (1977) became his biggest commercial success. Breaking the usual conventions for a live album, it was truly made on the road, including tracks recorded on buses and in hotel rooms, with none of the songs having appeared on any of his prior albums. Running on Empty contains many renowned songs, such as the propulsive title track (Browne's biggest hit single), "The Road", "Rosie", and "The Load-Out/Stay" (Browne's affectionate and knowing send-off to his concert audiences).
In 1979, Browne was a founding member of Musicians United for Safe Energy.
Browne achieved less critical acclaim with Hold Out (1980), although it was commercially successful--his only number 1 record, and with his hit single "Somebody's Baby" from the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack. Lawyers in Love followed in 1983 and contained hints of a more political focus, especially in the mysteriously satirical title track.
Political protest came out full force in Lives in the Balance (1986), an overt condemnation of Reaganism and American policy in Central America. Flavored with new instrumental textures, it was a huge success with Browne fans, though not with mainstream audiences. World in Motion (1989) was even more politically-oriented and polarizing. Browne frequently played for causes he believed in, including Amnesty International (making several appearances on the 1986 A Conspiracy of Hope Tour), Farm Aid, and the Christic Institute.
After four years of silence and a break-up with his girlfriend, actress Daryl Hannah, Browne returned with I'm Alive, a critically acclaimed album with a more personal perspective that sold respectably, the title track being a modest radio hit. Looking East (1996) was released soon after, but was not as successful critically or commercially. The Naked Ride Home was released in 2002. On 11 May 2003, Jackson Browne made a celebrity guest star debut on the FOX series The Simpsons.
As a whole, Browne's work is marked by compelling melodies, simple, honest, and insightful lyrics, and a flair for composition rarely seen in the world of rock and roll. He is often referred to as "a thinking man's rock star."
Browne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004. He also participated in the Vote for Change tour in October 2004, playing a series of concerts in American swing states. These concerts were organized by MoveOn.org with the general goal of mobilizing people to vote in that year's Presidential campaign. Browne's appearances were joint performances with Bonnie Raitt and Keb' Mo', and in one instance with Bruce Springsteen. Three of Browne's albums were selected by Rolling Stone magazine as among its choices for the 500 best albums of all time.
Browne released "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1"in 2005 and "Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2" in 2008, both on Inside Recordings. The "Vol. 1" album consists of live recordings of eleven previously released tracks and "The Birds of St. Marks," a song that does not appear on any of Browne's studio albums. The "Vol. 2" album contains roughly the same mix of twelve songs (popular hits vs. deep cuts). Interestingly, both albums also contain separately tracked "intros" to some songs, giving a brief glimpse of the intimacy between artist and audience at the shows where the songs were recorded.
"No one gives a shit but Jackson Browne." - Randy Newman in "A Piece Of The Pie"
Website: www.jacksonbrowne.com
Tender Is the Night
Jackson Browne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the houses filling up with light
Between the stillness in my heart
And the roar of the approaching night
Somebody's calling after somebody
Somebody turns the corner out of sight
Looking for somebody
Somewhere in the night
Tender, when you hold your baby tight
Tender, tender are the motions, tender is the night
Between a life that we expected
And the way it's always been
I can't walk back in again
After the way we fight
When just outside there are people laughing
Living lives we used to lead
Chasing down the love they need
Somewhere in the night
Tender is the night
Tender, and the benediction of the neon light
Tender, tender are the hunters, tender is the night
You're gonna want me tonight
When you're ready to surrender
Forget about who's right
When you're ready to remember
It's another world at night
When you're ready to be tender
Tender, tender tender
Tender, tender tender
Tender
And in the hard light of an angry sun
No one remembers what was said or done
Tender are the words they choose
You win, I win, we lose
Tender
Tender is the night
Tender
The benediction of the neon light
Tender
Tender are the hunters
Tender is the night
When they hold each other tight
Tender
Tender are the undercover
Tender
The stranger and the secret lover
Tender
Tender are the motions
Tender is the night
When you hold your baby tight
Tender, tender, tender
Tender, tender, tender
The song "Tender is the Night" by Jackson Browne portrays a melancholic atmosphere of an individual in the dark, intermittently witnessing the joys and struggles of relationships. The opening lines set up a peaceful and calm background with shadowy streets and flickering lights. Brown develops an image of loneliness through the stillness in his heart, while his heart seems confused with the nearby noise of the whole evening. He highlights a sense of searching or longing for someone, something, or somewhere, which is emphasized through the repetition of "somebody" and "somewhere" that then sets the tone for a yearning emotion.
As the song progresses, Brown juxtaposes the life lived versus the dreamed life, indicating a bit of nostalgia. He seems to have given up on something, recalling a past spent "chasing down the love," and now finds himself on the outside, looking in. Brown reminisces on past memories of chasing love that is now fading away into the past. The song also suggests the inevitability of time passing, and how the night erases all chasms and conflicts. At the same moment, that lovelorn narrator of the song hopes for a time when they will be reconciled with their lover. The song ends on the idea of the tender night, perhaps signifying an opportunity for healing, inviting us to hold someone tenderly and feel a connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Between the darkness on the street
Amidst the gloomy surrounding around the street
And the houses filling up with light
And brightly lit houses nearby
Between the stillness in my heart
Amidst the silent emotions within me
And the roar of the approaching night
And the loud sounds of the upcoming lonely night
Somebody's calling after somebody
People calling out to others
Somebody turns the corner out of sight
Somebody goes around the street corner and disappeared from sight
Looking for somebody
Searching for somebody dearly
Somewhere in the night
Somewhere in the darkness of the night
Tender is the night
The night is gentle and kind
Tender, when you hold your baby tight
It becomes tender when you embrace your beloved tightly
Tender, tender are the motions, tender is the night
Gentle, expressive behavior and love make the night gentle too
Between a life that we expected
Standing in between a life that we always wanted
And the way it's always been
And the way life has always been
I can't walk back in again
Can't go back to that life anymore
After the way we fight
After every conflict we faced
When just outside there are people laughing
While outside people are happily spending time together
Living lives we used to lead
Living the kind of lives we used to live before
Chasing down the love they need
Pursuing the romantic love they seek
Somewhere in the night
Somewhere in the darkness of the night
Tender is the night
The night is gentle and kind
Tender, and the benediction of the neon light
The neon light offers a blessing and tenderness
Tender, tender are the hunters, tender is the night
Even hunters are gentle and soft during the tender night
You're gonna want me tonight
You will desire me tonight
When you're ready to surrender
When you are prepared to give up
Forget about who's right
Just forget the right and wrong for now
When you're ready to remember
When you are prepared to remember the good times
It's another world at night
Night brings a new world
When you're ready to be tender
When you're ready to express softness
Tender, tender tender
Tender, affectionate and loving
And in the hard light of an angry sun
Under the harsh and angry sunlight
No one remembers what was said or done
No one remembers the past arguments or conflicts
Tender are the words they choose
The words they choose are gentle now
You win, I win, we lose
We both win, yet somehow fail
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
Tender is the night
The night is gentle and kind
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
The benediction of the neon light
The neon light blesses with tenderness
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
Tender are the hunters
Even hunters are gentle
Tender is the night
The night is gentle and kind
When they hold each other tight
When they embrace each other gently
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
Tender are the undercover
Even undercover agents are gentle
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
The stranger and the secret lover
Loving strangers and secret lovers both are affectionate and caring
Tender
Gentle, soft, loving
Tender are the motions
Even the motions showcase tenderness
Tender is the night
The night is gentle and kind
When you hold your baby tight
When you hug your beloved tightly with love and tenderness
Tender, tender, tender
Tender, affectionate and loving
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DANNY KORTCHMAR, JACKSON BROWNE, RUSS KUNKEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
bleep77
There are certain 80’s songs that give me an overwhelmingly painful and bittersweet sense of nostalgia. This is definitely one of them.
Horst Geißler
Yes.
Steven Klose
A freaking Musical genius that's all I can say. Thank you Jackson Brown for some of the greatest songs to ever grow up with and party too.
Aladdin Sane
Perfectly said.
I agree with every word.
thomas Melzow Jr
Amen to a musical god
me
At 51, listening to this song, close my eyes and taking a big deep breath recalling my teenage years just beginning then with this song and realizing nothing can ever replace or erase those times...great memories to last a lifetime.❤
Avenger Nemesis
Here, here..
I am so delighted that i was a teenager in the late 60's.
My daughter at the time who was at primary school played this album till it wore out.
Australia 😘 🇦🇺
Hank Summers
Will be 55 19th December 2022.
Hank Summers
@Avenger Nemesis Cheers from Suburban Charlotte North Carolina USA.
Avenger Nemesis
@Hank Summers
Howdy ...so nice to get your hello.
Greetings
From Adelaide Australia 🇦🇺 ❤️