The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Where Do You Start?

The song of the day for Thursday, October 14, 2020, is “Where Do You Start.”

About This Song

“Where Do You Start?” was written in 1987 by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. This song has had many beautiful recordings: Nancy Lamott, Shirley Horn, Rosemary Clooney, Barbra Streisand, the Brad Mehldau Trio, Annie Ross, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Where Do You Start?” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. Johnny Mandel, the composer, arranged and conducted the orchestra. The album won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Where Do You Start?”, as well as The Art of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Just One Of Those Things

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 14, 2020, is “Just One Of Those Things.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Just One of Those Things” for the 1935 musical Jubilee. It’s one of Porter’s most popular songs and has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder in “American Popular Song” spoke of the lyric as ‘a trip to the moon on gossamer wings’ and “that it seems impossible that it wasn’t sitting on his piano, waiting for Porter even before he wrote the lyric.” It has certain literary fame as well: Holden Caulfied, in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye likes the song and notes that even the “stinking band” in the hotel lounge “couldn’t ruin it entirely.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just One Of Those Things” 63 years ago today–October 14, 1957, for the album The Beat of My Heart. The band was fantastic: Ralph Sharon (musical director and piano), Nat Adderly (trumpet), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Milt Hinton (bass), and Art Blakey (drums). It’s a wonderful recording.

“Just One Of Those Things,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Wanna Be Around

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 13, 2020, is “I Wanna Be Around.”

About This Song

“I Wanna Be Around” was written in 1959 by Sadie Vimmerstedt and Johnny Mercer.

The story of “I Wanna Be Around” is legendary in the music business. Sadie Vimmerstedt, who lived in Youngstown, Ohio, was a big fan of Johnny Mercer’s music. She wrote the opening line ‘I want to be around to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks yours heart’ and felt it sounded like a Johnny Mercer song. She mailed a letter to ‘Johnny Mercer, Songwriter, New York.’ The post office forwarded the letter to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers), who got the letter to Mercer. Mercer wrote the melody himself and completed the lyrics for “I Wanna Be Around” in 1959 and asked Tony Bennett to record it, which he did in 1962. Mercer gave 50% of the profits to Ms. Vimmerstedt, which made her a wealthy woman and enabled her to retire and travel the world. It is one of the great songs in the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Wanna Be Around” on October 12, 1962, with an arrangement by Marty Manning. It was released in 1963 on the album I Wanna Be Around.

“I Wanna Be Around,” as well as the album I Wanna Be Around, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Could Write a Book

The song of the day for Friday, October 9, 2020, is “I Could Write a Book.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart wrote “I Could Write a Book” in 1940 for the Broadway musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. This has always been an interesting song. Today it’s considered a lovely romantic number, but in the context of the musical, it’s sung as a phony love song in order to woo the innocent ingenue. It’s been widely recorded by artists including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Carter, Anita O’Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Could Write a Book” in July 1973 for Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs, released in 1976 on Bennett’s Improv label. The Rodgers and Hart recordings were made with the Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, which featured Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. It’s a lovely sound for these songs, even though without piano or drums.

“I Could Write a Book,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Revolvin’ Jones

The song of the day for Thursday, October 8, 2020, is “Revolvin’ Jones.”

About This Song

“Revolvin’ Jones” was written in 1940 by Willard Robison. Other well-known Robison songs include “A Cottage For Sale” and “Don’t Smoke in Bed.” In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder wrote:

Everybody loved him and many tried to help him, among them John Mercer. Mildred Bailey revered him and sang every song of his she could lay her hands on. I became aware of him in the late twenties when he recorded for Perfect Records. He did manage, during his almost euphoric life, to write a few successful songs, but generally, his songs were known only to a few singers and lovers of the off-beat and the non-urban song. He had a special flair for gentleness and childhood, the lost and the religious. I suppose it’s not part of the growth of popular music, nor perhaps were any of Robison’s songs. But if they could so much bolster John Mercer’s conviction that there was more to write lyrics about than city life, that the world of memory, of remembered sayings and scenes, was as evocative as the whispered words of lovers, then he did make a contribution.

Today I was listening to Diana Krall’s new album, This Dream Of You, which includes a lovely rendition of “Don’t Smoke In Bed” and so I decided to feature this song by Willard Robison.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Revolvin’ Jones” for the album On The Glory Road, which was all set for release in 1962: it had been manufactured and was ready to ship, but Columbia canceled the release at the very last minute. Some of the songs on the album were included on subsequent albums. Thankfully, the album was included in the 2011 Complete Collection box set.

Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Revolvin’ Jones,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from Apple Music.

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites