Softly & Tenderly Melanie Verner

Softly & Tenderly

This song was made famous by soloist Cynthia Clawson who performed the song for the Movie, "The Trip to Bountiful," in 1985.

The Bountiful of the title is a fictitious, nonexistent Texas town. Although set in Houston, Texas (as was the original play), the movie was filmed by director Peter Masterson in Dallas.

The film features an all-star cast including John Heard and Geraldine Page and a soundtrack by J.A.C. Redford featuring "Softly and Tenderly" sung by Grammy-award winner Cynthia Clawson. The film won the Academy Award for Best Actress (Page) and was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

The lead character in the movie, Carrie Watts, lives with her only surviving son and daughter-in-law in a small Houston apartment that is a challenge for everyone involved.

The film, set in the 1940s, tells the story of an elderly woman, Carrie Watts (Page), who longs to return home to the small town where she grew up, but is frequently stopped from leaving Houston by her daughter-in-law and an overprotective son who won't let her travel alone.

Old Mrs. Watts is determined to outwit her son and bossy daughter-in-law, and sets out to catch a train, only to find that trains don't go to Bountiful anymore. She eventually boards a bus to a town near her childhood home in a dress that doesn't fit and in possession of her pension check. On the journey, she befriends a girl traveling alone (DeMornay) and reminisces about her younger years and grieves for her lost relatives. Her son and daughter-in-law eventually track her down, with the help of the local police force. However, Mrs. Watts is determined. The local sheriff, moved by her yearning to visit her girlhood home, offers to drive her out to what remains of Bountiful. The village is deserted, and the few remaining houses are derelict. Mrs. Watts is moved to tears as she surveys her father's land and the remains of the family home. Her son arrives on the scene and drives her back to Houston.

This version of the song, not the traditional melody, features a transcription for organ accompaniment by Allen Youngblood and Liberty Soprano Melanie Verner. I hope you enjoy!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Johannus
• Opus
• 37
• Gospel
• Hymn
• Softly
• Tenderly
• Melanie
• Verner