The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Lazy Afternoon

The song of the day for Thursday, August 6, 2026, is “Lazy Afternoon.”

About This Song

“Lazy Afternoon” was written by Jerome Moross and John LaTouche for the 1954 musical The Golden Apple. The musical uses mythological Greek characters from Ulysses but is set in the state of Washington (at Mount Olympia, of course) in the United States. This song, as well as the entire score, is quite beautiful.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lazy Afternoon” on June 27, 1957, for The Beat of My Heart. Bennett invited many notable percussionists to play on the recordings; Chico Hamilton played for “Lazy Afternoon.” Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Lazy Afternoon,” as well as The Beat of My Heart is available on Apple Music

Here’s the recording of “Lazy Afternoon” from the original cast album of The Golden Apple. It’s sung by Kaye Ballard, who played Helen in the production.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Wednesday, August 5, 2026, is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. The song has become popular with jazz artists. Notable recordings include those by Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bill Evans, and Charles Lloyd.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” for Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, released in 1990. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Speak Low,” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available on Apple Music.

I was able to find a recording of Mary Martin and Kenny Baker singing “Speak Low” from One Touch of Venus.

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 4, 2026, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written in 1953 by Douglass Cross and George Cory. This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters were constantly giving Ralph Sharon copies of their songs. Cross and Cory had done that and Sharon had stuck the song in a drawer and forgotten all about it. In 1961, he and Bennett were heading out on tour, which included a stop in San Francisco at The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Sharon came across the music and thought it might be a nice local number for the San Francisco audience. After a performance in Hot Springs, Arkansas, they found a piano and started to work on the song a bit. An early fan was the bartender, who said that he’d buy the first copy if they ever decided to record it. Of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was a huge hit at the performance, and in January 1962, Bennett recorded it and released it on a 45 RPM record on the B-side to “Once Upon a Time.” But gradually, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” started getting all the airplay and it became a major hit for Bennett, winning him his first Grammy Award. It is his signature song and is beloved by all of his fans.

It’s notable that George Cory, who wrote the tune for I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” was born August 3, 1920.

Tony’s “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” won Record of the Year at the 5th Annual Grammy Awards.

About This Version

Today’s version of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” is from Duets: An American Classic. It’s just Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap on piano. It’s exquisite.

Duets: An American Classic won the 2007 Grammy award for Best Traditional Pop Album.

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available on Apple Music.

My favorite version of this song is Tony Bennett, with Judy Garland, singing “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” and was never released on a record. It was on Tony Bennett’s appearance on The Judy Garland Show on July 30, 1963.

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The Tony Bennett Discography is Back … sort of

Some readers may have noticed that the Tony Bennett discography has not been available for several months. It’s been a series of bad luck and unfortunate events that got it to this point.

The good news is that I’m in the process of rebuilding it and believe that it’s going to be better than ever. Much of the work effort ha revolved around choosing the best tools possible for a solid foundation.

We still have the same URL: https://discography.bloggingtonybennett.com

But I have created the album, song, and recording sessions topics up to Tony Sings For Two. The good news is that with all the early preparation, the rest should go faster.

The site is ready to use, with the following disclaimers:

  • I still have a lot of styling of the content to do
  • There’s work to be done on the images displayed for songs
  • I need to start on songs not on albums, the singles and raritities, outtakes and other delights
  • I’ll continue to do quality assurance on everything

There’s a contact form on the site. If you find errors, have complaints or suggestions, experience poor performance, or just want to comments, please do so. I want to make the site work for everyone.

Thank you,
Suzanne Chiles

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Song of the Day: Some Other Time

The song of the day on Tony Bennett’s birthday, August 3, 2026, is “Some Other Time.”

About This Song

“Some Other Time” was written by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, for the 1944 Broadway musical On The Town, the story of three sailors on leave in New York City and their romantic adventures. This song is sung at the end by two of the couples. Inexplicably, this beautiful song was cut from the 1949 film version.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “Some Other Time” in June 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album. If any recording can be called perfect, it’s this one.

“Some Other Time,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available on Apple Music.