The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

Quote of the Day

We recorded fifteen more songs in 1951. Those sessions turned out to be a gold mine. “Cold, Cold Heart” would also hit Billboard’s number one spot, and three other songs for sessions were all in the top twenty: “I Won’t Cray Anymore,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Solitaire.” That was kind of moment of truth for me. All of a sudden I had to deliver, and I did. I felt the way I imagine a baseball player feels when he hits a home run when the bases are loaded.

Tony Bennett

Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

The song of the day for Saturday, April 15, 2026, is “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).” About This Song “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” was written in 1931 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics inspired by Bubber Miley. Miley played trumpet for Ellington’s orchestra […]

Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

The song of the day for Friday, August 14, 2026, is “Blue Velvet.” About This Song “Blue Velvet” was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. It seems that Wayne, while visiting Richmond, Virginia and staying at the Jefferson Hotel, was entranced by the sight of a woman wearing a blue velvet dress […]

Song of the Day: All The Things You Are

The song of the day for Thursday, August 13, 2026, is “All The Things You Are.” About This Song “All The Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it one of Kern’s finest songs, and with […]

Song of the Day: Rags To Riches

The song of the day for Wednesday, August 12, 2026, is “Rags To Riches.” About This Song “Rags to Riches” was written in 1953 by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. When Tony Bennett first heard “Rags to Riches,” he hated the song and was forced by Mitch Miller to record it. With a very nice […]