With deep, funky grooves and a pop sensibility, Henderson was one of the first notable bassists of the fusion era as well as being one of the most influential jazz and soul musicians of the past 40 years. In addition to Miles, he has played and recorded with Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, the Dramatics, Doctor John, and others. He is considered to be one of the three greatest motown bassists, along with Bob Babbitt and his primary influence, James Jamerson.
Before working with Miles, Henderson had been touring with Stevie Wonder, whom he met at the Regal in Chicago while warming up for a gig. Miles Davis saw the young Henderson performing at the Copacabana (nightclub) in New York in early 1970 and reportedly said to Wonder simply "I'm takin' your fuckin' bass player."
After almost seven years with Miles, Henderson focused on songwriting and singing in a solo career that produced multiple hit songs and albums for Arista Records until his retirement in 1986. Although known primarily for ballads, he was an influential funk player whose riffs and songs have been widely covered.
In a resurgence in popularity, many of his bass riffs have been imitated by players seeking the fat, deep grooves of the Motown sound. His bass riffs, from such hits as "Valentine Love" and "You are my Starship," have been sampled by the likes of Snoop Dogg and L.L. Cool J, and his songs have been covered by Rick James, Wayman Tisdale, and Sugar Ray, and many more!
He continued to play shows intermittently with classic Michael Henderson music such as the very funky "WIDE RECEIVER" "GEEK YOU UP" "YOU ARE MY STARSHIP" "VALENTINE LOVE" "BE MY GIRL" LET ME LOVE YOU" the famous duets IE., Roberta Flack, "AT THE CONCERT" "Phyllis Hyman "CAN'T WE FALL IN LOVE AGAIN" Rena Scott "TAKE ME, I'M YOURS" Jean Carne on "VALENTINE LOVE" and additional tracks ranging from great Bass Instrumentals to Sexy Ballads to the very Funky.
Tin Soldier
Michael Henderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Running scared with my tail on fire
But Destiny played its final trick on me
What was so near now seems out of reach
Blind worship was my downfall
But you were optimistic
I thought we lost it all
Now I see, you′re that special entity
Then you did what no one could do
(Did what no could do)
Made a tin soldier feel love the first time
In the back of my mind, love was there all the time
In my heart I just couldn′t believe
That you did what no one else could do
(Did what no else could do)
Made a tin soldier feel so new
No clouds in the sky
To put tears in my eyes
I never thought this could happen to me
Relentless in the pursuit, of just staying happy
And girl so were you
But I was drowning in my on emotions
I never saw the storm that you were fighting inside of me
It's better that I forget
It only makes me angry, to know I treated you like that
Now I see inside you, runs a spark of me
In a zillion years I never thought it'd happen to me
Yeahhhhhh babyyyyy
Then you did what no one could do
(Did what no could do)
Made a tin soldier feel love the first time
In the back of my mind, love was there all the time
In my heart I just couldn′t believe
That you did what no one else could do
(Did what no else could do)
Made a tin soldier feel so new
No clouds in the sky
To put tears in my eyes
I never thought this could happen to me
You made my rusty hear shine so new
Right off the shelf I′m coming to you
No disbelieving in myself
Or putting down anybody else
Where you are is where I want to be
Cause you did what no one could do
(Did what no could do)
Made a tin soldier feel love the first time
In the back of my mind, love was there all the time
In my heart I just couldn't believe
That you did what no one else could do
(Did what no else could do)
Made a tin soldier feel so new
No clouds in the sky
To put tears in my eyes
I never thought this could happen to me
The song "Tin Soldier" by Michael Henderson speaks about a man who was once weak and felt like a paper tiger running scared with his tail on fire. Destiny played its trick on him, making his hopes seem out of reach. He had blind worship, which was his downfall until he met someone optimistic who gave him a new perspective in life. He did not believe love was possible until his special someone arrived, making him feel love the first time as if he was a tin soldier transformed by the magic of love. He realized what he had been missing all along and was grateful for his newfound happiness.
In the pursuit of staying happy, he realized that he had been drowning in his emotions and never saw the struggles and storms of his partner. He regrets treating her badly and acknowledges that they share a spark. He expresses his desire to be where she is and wants to be with her.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby at first i was a paper tiger
At first, I was weak and timid like a paper tiger
Running scared with my tail on fire
I was extremely fearful and anxious
But Destiny played its final trick on me
Fate had one last surprise in store for me
What was so near now seems out of reach
Something I thought was easily attainable now seems unattainable
Blind worship was my downfall
My excessive devotion to something was ultimately my downfall
But you were optimistic
But you were hopeful and positive
I thought we lost it all
I believed that everything was lost
Now I see, you′re that special entity
Now I understand that you are a unique and valuable person
In a zillion years I never thought it'd happen to me
I never thought something like this could happen to me in a million years
Then you did what no one could do
You did something that no one else could do
(Did what no could do)
Repeating the previous line
Made a tin soldier feel love the first time
You made someone like me, who was emotionally closed off, feel love for the first time
In the back of my mind, love was there all the time
I always had the capacity to love, but didn't realize it until you came along
In my heart I just couldn′t believe
I had a hard time accepting that I was capable of feeling love
That you did what no one else could do
That you accomplished something that no one else was able to do
Made a tin soldier feel so new
You made me, someone who was emotionally closed off, feel revitalized and rejuvenated
No clouds in the sky
There are no obstacles or hindrances in my way
To put tears in my eyes
To make me emotional or upset
Relentless in the pursuit, of just staying happy
I was determined to be happy no matter what
And girl so were you
And you were just as determined to be happy
But I was drowning in my on emotions
However, I was overwhelmed by my own feelings
I never saw the storm that you were fighting inside of me
I was oblivious to the internal struggle you were dealing with because of me
It's better that I forget
It's best if I let go and move on
It only makes me angry, to know I treated you like that
It upsets me to think about how badly I treated you
Now I see inside you, runs a spark of me
Now I realize that we have something in common
Yeahhhhhh babyyyyy
Exclamation of joy and excitement
You made my rusty hear shine so new
You made my old and damaged heart feel brand new
Right off the shelf I′m coming to you
I'm coming to you eagerly and immediately
No disbelieving in myself
I no longer doubt myself or my abilities
Or putting down anybody else
I'm no longer belittling others or their abilities
Where you are is where I want to be
I want to be with you no matter where you are in life
Made a tin soldier feel love the first time
You made someone like me, who was emotionally closed off, feel love for the first time
In the back of my mind, love was there all the time
I always had the capacity to love, but didn't realize it until you came along
In my heart I just couldn't believe
I had a hard time accepting that I was capable of feeling love
That you did what no one else could do
That you accomplished something that no one else was able to do
Made a tin soldier feel so new
You made me, someone who was emotionally closed off, feel revitalized and rejuvenated
No clouds in the sky
There are no obstacles or hindrances in my way
To put tears in my eyes
To make me emotional or upset
I never thought this could happen to me
I never believed that someone like me could experience such strong emotions
Writer(s): Michael Henderson
Contributed by Isabella D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Theodore Pendergrass
I can't believe no comments. The definition of a balladeer. not only is he's a great singer, also a great Bass player.
Eric Brogden
I bought the tape for this one song, one of my favorite songs !!!!
Toron M
great song the video was a hit but the radio stations slept on it Michael Henderson still the man today
Toron M
great song the video was a hit but the radio stations slept on it Michael Henderson still the man today
Toron M
great song the video was a hit but the radio stations slept on it Michael Henderson still the man today