Tender Years

1961 single by George Jones

"Tender Years"

Single by George Jones
from the album  Greatest Hits
B-side| "Battle of Love"
Released| April 1961
Recorded| February 8, 1961
Studio| Bradley Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre| Country
Length| 2:30
Label| Mercury
Songwriter(s)| George Jones, Darrell Edwards
Producer(s)| Shelby Singleton
George Jones singles chronology
| "Family Bible"
(1961)  | "Tender Years"
(1961)  | "Did I Ever Tell You"
(1961)

|
|

Audio
"Tender Years" on YouTube

"Tender Years" is a song written by American country music artist George Jones and Darrell Edwards, recorded and released in 1961. It became Jones' second #1 country hit. The song also spawned two successful foreign language versions two years later in 1963, First in French by Johnny Hallyday ("Tes tendres années"), and in Dutch by singer and actress Willeke Alberti ("Spiegelbeeld "), being adapted from the former French version. Both versions have been covered by many others since.

## Background

[edit]

"Tender Years" spent seven non consecutive weeks at #1 and a total of 32 weeks on the country chart.[1] "Tender Years" also made it to the Hot 100, peaking at number 76. Like his previous singles "Family Bible" and "Window Up Above," the recording displayed a more mature, restrained vocal approach from the one that had established him on earlier honky tonk hits such as "Why Baby Why" and "White Lightning". In the liner notes to the 1994 Mercury compilation Cup of Loneliness: The Classic Mercury Years, country music historian Colin Escott argues that "Tender Years" "just about defined the territory he carved out as his own in the years ahead. 'Window Up Above,' 'Color of the Blues,' and 'Accidentally on Purpose' had all hinted at the same direction, but on 'Tender Years' the song, the production, and the performance came together in a statement of soon-to-be classic George Jones." Music journalist Rich Kienzle concurs, observing in his essay for The Essential George Jones: The Spirit of Country, "Here, his singing voice, which so far had been high and nasal, began to deepen. His restrained delivery and the smoother, 'Nashville Sound' production (complete with muted accompaniment and a vocal chorus) produced a smoother, but no less expressive George Jones." Years later Jones would perform the song with Faron Young and Marty Robbins during a segment on Robbins' television show (the video is available on YouTube).

The famous French singer Johnny Hallyday recorded the song during a Nashville session and afterward he recorded a French version ("Tes Tendres Années"). This French rendition was used as a basis for the 1963 Dutch hit Spiegelbeeld written by Lodewijk Post and sung by Dutch singer Willeke Alberti.

## Chart performance

[edit]

Chart (1961)  | Peak
position

|

U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides  | 1
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] | 76

## Johnny Hallyday version (in French)

[edit]

"Tes tendres années"

Single by Johnny Hallyday
from the album  Les Bras en croix
English title| Your tender years
B-side| "Les Bras en croix"
Released| March 1, 1963
Recorded| February 1962
Studio| Bradley Recording Studio, Nashville
Studio DMS, Paris
Genre| Country, rock and roll
Length| 2:22
Label| Philips
Songwriter(s)| Ralph Bernet, Darrell Edwards
Producer(s)| Lee Hallyday
Johnny Hallyday singles chronology
| "Elle est terrible"
(1962)  | "Tes tendres années"
(1963)  | "Les Bras en croix" / "Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède" / "Quitte-moi doucement" / "Quand un air vous possède" / "Dis-moi oui"
(1963)

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|

Alternative cover
Audio
"Tes tendres années" on YouTube

The song was covered in French by Johnny Hallyday. His version (titled "Tes tendres années") was released in March 1963 in France and reached no. 1 in the Netherlands. In Wallonia (French Belgium) his single spent 28 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2, in Flanders (Dutch Belgium) – 12 weeks peaking at number 9.[3] Hallyday's version would later be released in the Netherlands on July 1, 1963, four months after its initial release in France.

### Charts

[edit]

Chart (1963)  | Peak
position

|

Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 2
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[5] | 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] | 1

## Sylvie Vartan version

[edit]

"Tes tendres années"

Single by Sylvie Vartan
from the album  Sessions acoustiques
B-side| "Sur tes lèvres"
Released| September 11, 1993 (live version / single)
1994 (studio version)
Recorded| June 14, 1993 (live version / single)
Venue| Parc des Princes (live version / single)
Genre| A capella (live version / single)
Chanson (album version)
Label| Philips
Songwriter(s)| Ralph Bernet, Darrell Edwards
Sylvie Vartan singles chronology
| "Qui tu es"
(1992)  | "Tes tendres années"
(1993)  | "Moi je Pense Encore A Toi"
(1994)

|
|

Music video
"Tes tendres années" (Live) on YouTube

In 1993, Hallyday held three concerts at the Parc des Princes, the occasion for a few duets with relatives of the singers, Michel Sardou, Eddy Mitchell, but also his son David Hallyday and his ex-wife Sylvie Vartan. Since their divorce in 1980, this is the first time that the couple has been reunited on stage 13 years since their divorce, coinciding with Hallyday's fiftieth birthday.[7] Vartan (who performs two duet titles), for her entrance on stage, sang the song in front of Johnny; a very noted and acclaimed a capella interpretation which leaves a lasting impression. Vartan's version was released as a CD single a few months later and recorded the song in the studio in 1994, in a new version, this time acoustic, similar to Hallyday's.

### Charts

[edit]

Chart (1993)  | Peak
position

|

France (SNEP)[8] | 18

## Willeke Alberti version (in Dutch)

[edit]

"Spiegelbeeld"

Single by Willeke Alberti
from the album  Willeke Internationaal
Language| Dutch
English title| Reflection
B-side| "Toen Je Me Kuste"
Released| November 1963
Recorded| Summer–winter 1963
Genre| Pop, schlager
Length| 2:24
Label| Philips
Songwriter(s)| Ralph Bernet, Lodewijk Post
Willeke Alberti singles chronology
| "Nee Jongen, Ik Trouw Niet Met Jou"
(1963)  | "Spiegelbeeld"
(1963)  | "De Winter Was Lang"
(1964)

|
|

Music video
"Spiegelbeeld" on YouTube

In late 1963, the song was covered in Dutch by Willeke Alberti, daughter of Willy Alberti. Her version (titled "Spiegelbeeld", meaning "Reflection") was adapted from Johnny Hallyday's French version (which was a number one hit in the with Netherlands earlier that year), with Dutch lyrics written by Lodewijk Post in a Pop-schlager rendition. The song peaked at number 2 in the Dutch charts in early 1964, one position lower than the performance of Hallyday's French version.[9] The single's b-side is a Dutch adaption of the Crystals's "And Then He Kissed Me", titled "Toen Je Me Kuste" ("When you kissed me")

### Charts

[edit]

Chart (1963–1964)  | Peak
position

|

Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[10] | 2

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 180.
2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 443.
3. ^ "ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - Tes tendres années". Ultratop. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
4. ^ "Johnny Hallyday – Tes tendres années" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
5. ^ "Johnny Hallyday – Tes tendres années" (in French). Ultratop 50.
6. ^ "Johnny Hallyday – Tes tendres années" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
7. ^ "Johnny Hallyday. Fin de la route pour le dernier géant du rock'n'roll - L'Humanité". www.humanite.fr (in French). December 7, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
8. ^ "SYLVIE VARTAN - TES TENDRES ANNÉES (LIVE) (CHANSON)". lescharts.com.
9. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Willeke Alberti - Spiegelbeeld". hitparade.ch. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
10. ^ Hung, Steffen. "Willeke Alberti - Spiegelbeeld". hitparade.ch. Retrieved May 11, 2024.

* v
* t
* e

George Jones singles

* Albums
* Singles
* Discography with Tammy Wynette
* Awards

1950s|

* "No Money in This Deal"
* "Play It Cool, Man"
* "You All Goodnight"
* "Why Baby Why"
* "What Am I Worth"
* "I'm Ragged But I'm Right"
* "Rock It"
* "You Gotta Be My Baby"
* "Just One More"
* "Don't Stop the Music"
* "Too Much Water"
* "Tall, Tall Trees"
* "Seasons of My Heart"
* "Too Much Water"
* "Treasure of Love"
* "White Lightning"
* "Who Shot Sam"
* "Big Harlan Taylor"

1960s|

* "Accidentally on Purpose"
* "Out of Control"
* "The Window Up Above"
* "Family Bible"
* "Tender Years"
* "Aching, Breaking Heart"
* "She Thinks I Still Care"
* "Open Pit Mine"
* "A Girl I Used to Know"
* "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was on the Right)"
* "I'll Share My World with You
* "The Race Is On"
* "Love Bug"
* "Take Me"
* "I'm a People"
* "Walk Through This World with Me"
* "I Can't Get There from Here"
* "If My Heart Had Windows"
* "Say It's Not You"
* "Small Time Laboring Man"
* "As Long as I Live"
* "Milwaukee, Here I Come" (with Brenda Carter)
* "When the Grass Grows Over Me"
* "I'll Share My World with You"
* "If Not for You"
* "She's Mine"

1970s|

* "Where Grass Won't Grow"
* "Tell Me My Lying Eyes Are Wrong"
* "A Good Year for the Roses"
* "Sometimes You Just Can't Win"
* "Right Won't Touch a Hand"
* "I'll Follow You (Up to Our Cloud)"
* "We Can Make It"
* "Loving You Could Never Be Better"
* "A Picture of Me (Without You)"
* "What My Woman Can't Do"
* "Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)"
* "Once You've Had the Best"
* "The Grand Tour"
* "The Door"
* "These Days (I Barely Get By)"
* "Memories of Us"
* "The Battle"
* "You Always Look Your Best (Here in My Arms)"
* "Her Name Is"
* "Old King Kong"
* "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)"
* "Bartender's Blues"
* "I'll Just Take It Out in Love"
* "Someday My Day Will Come"

1980s|

* "He Stopped Loving Her Today"
* "I'm Not Ready Yet"
* "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)"
* "Still Doin' Time"
* "Same Ole Me"
* "Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me)"
* "I Always Get Lucky with You"
* "Tennessee Whiskey"
* "You've Still Got a Place in My Heart"
* "She's My Rock"
* "Hallelujah, I Love You So" (with Brenda Lee)
* "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" (with Lacy J. Dalton)
* "The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)"
* "Somebody Wants Me Out of the Way"
* "Wine Colored Roses"
* "The Right Left Hand"
* "I Turn to You"
* "The Bird"
* "I'm a Survivor"
* "The Old Man No One Loves"
* "If I Could Bottle This Up" (with Shelby Lynne)
* "I'm a One Woman Man"
* "The King Is Gone (So Are You)"
* "Writing on the Wall"
* "Radio Lover"

1990s|

* "You Couldn't Get the Picture"
* "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair"
* "Honky Tonk Song"
* "Choices"

As a collaborative artist|

* "Yearning" (with Jeanette Hicks)
* "Did I Ever Tell You" (with Margie Singleton)
* "Waltz of the Angels" (with Margie Singleton)
* "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "Let's Invite Them Over" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "Please Be My Love" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "Things Have Gone to Pieces" (with Gene Pitney)
* "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" (with Gene Pitney)
* "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "That's All It Took (with Gene Pitney)
* "Maybellene" (with Johnny Paycheck)
* "You Can Have Her" (with Johnny Paycheck)
* "When You're Ugly Like Us (You Just Naturally Got to Be Cool)" (with Johnny Paycheck)
* "You Better Move On" (with Johnny Paycheck)
* "Yesterday's Wine" (with Merle Haggard)
* "C.C. Waterback" (with Merle Haggard)

As a featured artist|

* "We Didn't See a Thing" (Ray Charles with Chet Atkins and George Jones)
* "A Few Ole Country Boys" (Randy Travis featuring George Jones)
* "You Don't Seem to Miss Me" (Patty Loveless with George Jones)
* "A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K version)" (Chad Brock featuring George Jones and Hank Williams, Jr.)
* "Country Boy" (Aaron Lewis featuring Charlie Daniels and George Jones)

Promotional singles|

* "Wrong Number"

Other charted songs|

* "Money to Burn"
* "Big Fool of the Year"
* "I Saw Me"
* "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery)
* "My Tears Are Overdue"
* "I Just Don't Give a Damn"
* "He Stopped Loving Her Today"

* v
* t
* e

Johnny Hallyday

Studio albums|

* Salut les copains
* Les Bras en croix
* Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime
* Derrière l'amour
* Hamlet
* Solitudes à deux
* Hollywood
* À partir de maintenant
* En pièces détachées
* Quelque part un aigle
* La Peur
* Entre Violence et Violon
* Nashville en direct
* Rock'n'Roll Attitude
* Gang
* Cadillac
* Ça ne change pas un homme
* Rough Town
* Lorada
* Ce que je sais
* Sang pour sang
* À la vie, à la mort !
* Ma vérité
* Le Cœur d'un homme

Singles|

* "T'aimer follement"
* "Souvenirs, souvenirs"
* "Itsy bitsy petit bikini"
* "Kili Watch"
* "Viens danser le twist"
* "Retiens la nuit"
* "Ya ya twist"
* "Elle est terrible"
* "Tes tendres années"
* "Les Bras en croix" (c/w "Quitte-moi doucement" and "Dis-moi oui" on the EP)
* "Da dou ron ron"
* "Ma guitare"
* "Pour moi la vie va commencer"
* "Le Pénitencier"
* "Un ami ça n'a pas de prix"
* "Quand revient la nuit"
* "Cheveux longs et idées courtes"
* "Noir c'est noir"
* "Si j'étais un charpentier"
* "Hey Joe"
* "Petite fille"
* "San Francisco"
* "À tout casser"
* "Cours plus vite Charlie"
* "Que je t'aime"
* "Ceux que l'amour a blessés"
* "Jésus Christ"
* "Deux amis pour un amour"
* "Essayez"
* "Oh! Ma jolie Sarah"
* "Comme un corbeau blanc"
* "J'ai un problème" (with Sylvie Vartan)
* "Noël interdit"
* "Prends ma vie"
* "Je t'aime, je t'aime, je t'aime"
* "Johnny Rider"
* "La Fille de l'été dernier"
* "La Terre promise"
* "Requiem pour un fou"
* "Derrière l'amour" (c/w "Joue pas de rock'n'roll pour moi")
* "Gabrielle"
* "Ne me quitte pas" (live)
* "Quelque chose de Tennessee"
* "L'Envie" (live)
* "Que je t'aime" (live)
* "Mirador"
* "Je ne suis pas un héros"
* "Diego libre dans sa tête"
* "Ça ne change pas un homme"
* "Tous ensemble"
* "Marie"
* "Mon plus beau Noël"
* "Ça n'finira jamais"

Films|

* Tales of Paris
* D'où viens-tu Johnny?
* Cherchez l'idole
* À tout casser
* The Specialists
* Point de chute
* L'aventure, c'est l'aventure
* L'Animal
* Détective
* Terminus
* The Iron Triangle
* Why Not Me?
* The Man on the Train
* Crime Spree
* Crimson Rivers II: Angels of the Apocalypse
* Quartier V.I.P.
* Jean-Philippe
* Vengeance
* The Pink Panther 2
* Titeuf
* Salaud, on t'aime
* Rock'n Roll
* Chacun sa vie et son intime conviction

Family|

* Sylvie Vartan
* David Hallyday
* Laura Smet

Related articles|

* Johnny Hallyday discography

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

|

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