Songfacts®:

• The songwriter Will Lamartine Thompson composed and wrote this gospel hymn, which details how Jesus is "softly and tenderly" calling for the souls that have gone astray from His ways. Dwight L. Moody and singer Ira D. Sankey used it as an invitation hymn in the late 19th century evangelistic meetings they conducted in the United States and Great Britain.
• Thompson was a member of the Churches of Christ, which sought a return to the original teachings and practices of the New Testament. He began composing in his teens and after a successful career in secular music, Thompson increasingly devoted his talents to Christian hymns. "Softly and Tenderly," which he composed in 1880, is his most enduring composition with translations into countless languages.
• Will L Thompson and Dwight L. Moody were good friends and when the songwriter had word that the evangelist was dying, he visited him in hospital. Moody whispered to him: "Will, I would rather have written 'Softly and Tenderly Jesus Is Calling' than anything I have been able to do in my whole life."
• This has featured in several movies. They include:
  
  John Travolta's character, Bud, sang "Softly and Tenderly" at his uncle's funeral in the 1980 western Urban Cowboy.
  
  The hymn features several times in the 1985 drama The Trip to Bountiful, particularly a recording by gospel singer Cynthia Clawson.
  
  Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin sang it in the 2006 musical comedy A Prairie Home Companion.
• Some of the many artists that have recorded the hymn include The Andrews Singers, Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney, Anne Murray, Amy Grant, Alan Jackson and the trio of Reba McEntire, Trisha Yearwood, and Kelly Clarkson for Reba's 2017 album Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope.
• Carrie Underwood performed the hymn in November 2017 at the 51st annual CMA Awards as the soundtrack to the In Memoriam segment. The country star choked up when it culminated in a tribute to the 58 victims of the Route 91 mass shooting.
• "Softly And Tenderly" was one of 13 tracks Underwood recorded for her My Savior album, which consists of covers of traditional gospel songs she grew up singing. The Oklahoma native released Will L Thompson's classic hymn as a single on February 12, 2021.