"Fanny (Be Tender with My Love)" is a song written and performed by the Bee Gees for their '' Main Course'' album in 1975. It was the third single release from the album, peaking at number 12 on the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and number two in Canada. According to Maurice Gibb, producer

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

called "Fanny" one of his favorite R&B songs of all time.

Inspiration and recording

It was written by

Barry Gibb Sir Barry Alan Crompton Gibb (born 1 September 1946) is a British musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He rose to worldwide fame as a member of the Bee Gees, one of the most commercially successful groups in the history of popula ...

, Robin Gibb and

Maurice Gibb Maurice Ernest Gibb (; 22 December 1949 – 12 January 2003) was a British musician. He achieved fame as a member of the pop group Bee Gees. Although his elder brother Barry Gibb and fraternal twin brother Robin Gibb were the group's main lea ...

. In a 2001 ''Billboard'' magazine interview with the Bee Gees, Barry claimed that:

"We had a housecleaner named Fanny when we stayed at 461 Ocean Blvd. n North Miami Beachduring the making of ''Main Course''. We were sitting in the lounge at Criteria tudioswriting the song with the lyric idea, 'Be tender with my love'. Maurice turned round and saw Fanny and said, 'Wouldn't it be a better song if it was a woman's name in there, and you're asking her to be tender?".

Recording for "Fanny" took place on 30 January, the same day as "

Jive Talkin' "Jive Talkin" is a song by the Bee Gees, released as a single in May 1975 by RSO Records. This was the lead single from the album ''Main Course'' (as well as a song on the 1977 ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack) and hit number one on the ''Bi ...

", "Songbird", and "All This Making Love". Additional recording took place in February when Barry Gibb began to use his falsetto as a lead vocal in addition to Robin using his falsetto as well sharing the lead on "Fanny" and on backing vocals. The result of this song repeats on the idea of contrasting slower section of "

Nights on Broadway "Nights on Broadway" is a song by the Bee Gees from the ''Main Course'' album released in 1975. The second single released from the album, it immediately followed their number-one hit "Jive Talkin'". This track was credited to Barry, Robin and ...

". The complexity of falsetto and natural harmonies would become a Bee Gees trademark culminating with 1979's ''

Spirits Having Flown ''Spirits Having Flown'' is the fifteenth album released by the Bee Gees. It was the group's first album after their collaboration on the ''Saturday Night Fever'' soundtrack. The album's first three tracks were released as singles and all reach ...

''. The key of this song in the end, was from keyboardist

Blue Weaver Derek John "Blue" Weaver (born 11 March 1947) is a Welsh rock keyboardist, session musician, songwriter and record producer. Career Weaver's career as a musician began as a co-founding member of 1960s Welsh rock band Amen Corner and its succ ...

. Weaver was influenced by

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

' 1973 LP ''

Abandoned Luncheonette ''Abandoned Luncheonette'' is the second studio album by the American pop rock duo Daryl Hall & John Oates, released in 1973, which combines folk, Philly soul, and acoustic soul. It is the most commercially successful of their Atlantic Re ...

'' as he later admits, "The key change in 'Fanny (Be Tender)' was a complete rip-off from ''Abandoned Luncheonette'' from ' She's Gone' lso produced by Mardin I only had it on tape, and I didn't know that Arif produced it".

Critical reception

'' Cash Box'' called it a "soulful composition" that "appears to be the third monster single in a row for these pop masters" off the ''Main Course'' album. The group did not perform "Fanny" live because of the layers of harmonies used to create the studio recording. A promotional film was made for distribution, the place was in the same as "

". In an interview for '' Billboard'' magazine on 14 November 2001, Maurice Gibb claims: "We all love that one, but it's just a bitch to sing". Bruce Eder of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

describes "Fanny" along with "Baby As You Turn Away" had the same exquisitely sung sense of romantic drama as " Lonely Days" and "

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" is a song released by the Bee Gees in 1971. It was written by Barry and Robin Gibb and was the first single on the group's 1971 album '' Trafalgar''. It was their first US No. 1 single and also reached No. 1 in ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Lyrics of this song
* {{authority control 1975 songs 1976 singles Bee Gees songs Songs written by Barry Gibb Songs written by Maurice Gibb Songs written by Robin Gibb RSO Records singles Song recordings produced by Arif Mardin British soft rock songs Pop ballads Soul ballads