Song of the Day Archives | The Year of Tony Bennett

Song of the Day: From The Candy Store on the Corner To The Chapel On The Hill

July 22, 2017 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

The song of the day for Sunday, July 23, 2017 is “From The Candy Store on the Corner To The Chapel On The Hill.”

About This Song

“From The Candy Store on the Corner To The Chapel On The Hill” was written in 1956 by Bob Hilliard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “From The Candy Store on the Corner To The Chapel On The Hill” in 1956. It was arranged by Percy Faith and produced by Mitch Miller.

“From The Candy Store on the Corner To The Chapel On The Hill,” as well as all of the songs collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 4, is available from iTunes.

Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon

July 21, 2017 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

The song of the day for Saturday, July 22, 2017 is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song to “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Today I’m featuring that definitive 1965 version of “If I Ruled The World” from If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set. The arrangement is by Don Costa.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set, is available from iTunes.

About Today

For our Saturday video, here’s Tony singing today’s song on his 1994 appearance on MTV Unplugged.

Song of the Day: Blue and Sentimental

July 20, 2017 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

The song of the day for Friday, July 21, 2017 is “Blue and Sentimental.”

About This Song

“Blue and Sentimental” was written in 1938 by Count Basie, Jerry Livingston and Mack David. This song was initially recorded by the Count Basie Orchestra in 1938. It has since been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Kay Starr recorded “Blue and Sentimental” in 2001 for the album Playin’ With My Friends.

“Blue and Sentimental,” as well as Playin’ With My Friends, is available from iTunes.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett honors Kay Starr on the anniversary of her birth, July 21,1922.

Born as Katherine Laverne Starks in Oklahoma, Kay Starr got her start in Dallas, Texas when, at the age of seven, she sang on the radio station WRR. From that early start, she won the weekly talent shows so often that she was given her own 15-minute program, earning $3 a week. She soon made a name singing pop and hillbilly songs. By the age of 15, she was singing professionally with Joe Venuti and his orchestra. In 1947 signed a contract with Capitol Records. The label had a number of female singers signed up including Peggy Lee, Ella Mae Morse, Jo Stafford and Margaret Whiting and soon began her career as a jazz singer.

Miss Starr was an immensely versatile and popular singer. She performed, though sporadicly towards the end, well into the 21st century.

Kay Starr passed away in November, 2016 from complications from Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 94.

Song of the Day: Love Walked In

July 18, 2017 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 19, 2017 is “Love Walked In.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Love Walked In,” was written in 1930 by George and Ira Gershwin. Though the music was written in 1930, the lyrics weren’t added until 1937 for the movie The Goldwyn Follies, released in 1938. There have been many fine recordings, including those by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love Walked In” in 1956 for his album Tony, released in early 1957. The arrangement was written by Percy Faith. The album was produced by Mitch Miller.

“Love Walked In,” as well as Tony, is available from iTunes.