The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The song of the day for Sunday, October 25, 2026, is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. The song 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

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” live on April 12, 1994, for broadcast on MTV. The album of the concert, Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged, was released a few months later.

Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged won the 37th Annual Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I’m in Love Again

The song of the day for Saturday, October 24, 2026, is “I’m in Love Again.”

About This Song

“I’m in Love Again” was composed by Cy Coleman and Bill Schluger, with lyrics by Peggy Lee. Lee was the first to record her song for her album I’m In Love Again, released in February 1964, followed Blossom Dearie’s recording in May 1964.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’m in Love Again” in July 1995 for his album Here’s to the Ladies, which was released 31 years ago on October 24, 1995. The album celebrates the great women vocalists of the 20th century. “I’m in Love Again” his is tribute to Peggy Lee. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“I’m in Love Again,” as well as Here’s To the Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

We have Miss Peggy Lee’s recording of “I’m in Love Again.”

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Song of the Day: I Didn’t Know What Time It Was

The song of the day for Friday, October 23, 2025, is “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was.”

About This Song

“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1939 Broadway musical Too Many Girls; it was retained in the 1940 film version of Too Many Girls. It was used again in the 1957 film version of Pal Joey, where it was sung by Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “I Didn’t Know What Time It Was” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

“I Didn’t Know What Time It Was,” as well as Tony Sings For Two , is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got the scene from Pal Joey where Sinatra sings today’s song.

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Song of the Day: He Loves and She Loves

The song of the day for Thursday, October 22, 2026, is “He Loves and She Loves.”

About This Song

“He Loves and She Loves” was written in 1927 by George and Ira Gershwin. It was used in the 1927 Broadway musical Funny Face and was introduced by Adele Astaire and Allen Kerns. the song was used in the 1957 film Funny Face, starring Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn, where it sung by Fred Astaire.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “He Loves and She Loves” in June 1993 for tribute to Fred Astaire: Steppin’ Out. He was accompanied by The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums).

“He Loves and She Loves,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the scene from Funny Face with Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn.

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 21, 2026, is “The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On).”

About Today

Today we are celebrating Dizzy Gillespie who was born 109 years ago on October 21, 1917, in Cheraw, South Carolina.

Some years ago I was watching an Ask Me Anything interview that Tony Bennett was doing; his son and manager Danny was there as well, and Bennett told this story. Turns out that Gillespie had been a neighbor of Tony’s when he lived in Englewood, New Jersey. One day, the doorbell rang and young Danny answered it. Standing there was Dizzy Gillespie who said “I’m Dizzy!” Danny, who had never met Gillespie, asked him if he’d like to come in and have a glass of water. The adult Danny blushed a little bit and said something like “oh, Dad.” I love that story.

About This Song

“The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)” was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. Ruth Etting and Whispering Jack Smith both recorded it in 1928. The song references Ira Gershwin’s lyric in “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” in the line “the song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on.” Gershwin may have based his lyric on Berlin’s 1924 song “All Alone,” which has the line “Just like a melody that lingers on.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On)” in May 1987 for Bennett/Berlin. Dizzy Gillespie is featured on trumpet in this recording.

“The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On),” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

One thing I’ve discovered over the years of doing this blog is that Ruth Etting recorded just about every song written in the 1920s. Here’s her recording of “The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On).”