The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Friday, February 25, 2021, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written in 1929 by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu. The song was written for the Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns.

More Than You Know

Listen to More Than You Know on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Thursday, February 25, 2021, is “Dancing In The Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Dancing in the Dark” in 1962 for the album My Heart Sings. The Ralph Burns arrangement is wonderful. Bennett first worked with Burns on the 1959 Hometown, My Town and several singles, including Bennett’s first recording of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”

Dancing in the Dark

Listen to Dancing in the Dark on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

The song, as an instrumental, was used in the 1953 film version of The Band Wagon, featuring the exquisite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The number is pure heaven; I particularly love the business with the bench (starts at 3:36). Michael Kidd choreographed the dance.

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Song of the Day: That Ole Devil Called Love

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 24, 2021, is “That Ole Devil Called Love.”

About This Song

“That Ole Devil Called Love” was written in 1945 by Doris Fisher and Allan Roberts. Fisher, daughter of songwriter Fred Fisher, was so popular in the 1940s that she was called ‘Queen of the Jukebox.’ She often wrote with Allan Roberts. She was also a talented singer and performer. Other of her songs include “You Always Hurt The One You Love.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “That Ole Devil Called Love” for his 1997 album Tony Bennett On Holiday, a tribute to the singer Billie Holiday.

That Ole Devil Called Love

Listen to That Ole Devil Called Love on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1997.

“That Ole Devil Called Love,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s Billie Holiday’s 1945 recording:

That Ole Devil Called Love

Listen to That Ole Devil Called Love on Spotify. Billie Holiday · Song · 2017.

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Song of the Day: Poor Butterfly

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 23, 2021, is “Poor Butterfly.”

About This Song

“Poor Butterfly” was written in 1916 by Raymond Hubbell and John Golden. The song was inspired by Giacomo Puccini’s opera, Madame Butterfly; the verse references the Puccini melody briefly.The song was written for a 1916 Broadway show called The Big Show, where it was introduced by Sophie Bernard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Poor Butterfly” for his 1960 album Alone Together. Frank DeVol wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

Poor Butterfly – 2011 Remaster

Listen to Poor Butterfly – 2011 Remaster on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Poor Butterfly,” as well as Alone Together, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: We’ll Be Together Again

The song of the day for Monday, February 22, 2021, is “We’ll Be Together Again.”

About This Song

“We’ll Be Together Again” was written by Carl T. Fischer in 1945, who was Frankie Laine’s pianist and musical director. Fischer asked Laine to write the lyrics, which he, quite nicely. In addition to the recording by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, this song has been recorded by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra and, of course, Frankie Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “We’ll Be Together Again” in June 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

We’ll Be Together Again

Listen to We’ll Be Together Again on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1975.

“We’ll Be Together Again,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from Apple Music.

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