Love For Tender

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You won't take my love for tender
You can put your money where your mouth is
But you're so unsure
I could be a miser or a big spender
But you might get much more than you bargained for

Checking on a checkmate
Grassing on a classmate
So beautiful and fortunate
You're the one who hates to love
But he's the one who loves to hate
He can fix you all for good
Because he is the neighbourhood
You can get money for blood
Blood money for doing no good

Better tell me now, have you made your selection?
Are you ready for correction?
'Cause the wages of sin are an expensive infection
It'll make you bankrupt
Better pay up now, don't interrupt
So in love, I'm so sincere
Just like a well-known financier
You know I've never been corrupt

I'll pay you a compliment
And you'll think I am innocent
You can total up the balance sheet
And never know if I'm a counterfeit
You won't take my love for tender...

Love For Tender
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byNick Lowe
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedOctober 1979, Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands and/or Eden Studios, London
ReleasedFebruary 1980
AlbumsGet Happy!!, 1980
SinglesHigh Fidelity, 1980 (France)
PromosGet Happy!! (Promo Album), 1980
Eleven Years And Counting: Spring '94 Collection, 1994
Punch The Clock, Trust & Get Happy!! Sampler, 2003
VideosThe Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The Videos, 2005
Length1:57

First known performance:
December 10, 1979, Cannes, France
Last known performance:
January 4, 1981, Vancouver, BC, Canada
     (5 known performances)


Eye.jpg
“‘Love For Tender’ (itself a re-working of the Armed Forces outtake ‘Clean Money’) made use of the same ‘You Can't Hurry Love’ riff that The Jam would take to the top of the UK charts three years later with the vastly superior song, ‘Town Called Malice’.” Get Happy!! (Rhino/Edsel reissue) liner notes, 2003.

Alternate versions

Love For Tender (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, all instruments
Recorded1979, Archipelago Studios, London
ReleasedApril 29, 1994
AlbumsGet Happy!! (Rykodisc/Demon reissue), 1994 (cuts off abruptly at 1:39)
Get Happy!! (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2003 (complete)
Length2:05
Get Happy!!GH album cover large.jpg

Eleven Years And Counting: Spring '94 CollectionEleven Years And Counting album cover.jpg

The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The VideosTRS dvd cover.jpg

Covers

Elastic No-No Band Every Elvis Has His Army: ENB Does EC 2005 website with download
Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2014 YouTube
Would-Be Train Robbers performed live, Costello Tribute, 2017-03-16, Harlow's Sacramento, CA 2017 YouTube

Internal links

External links