The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Poor Butterfly

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 8, 2013 is Poor Butterfly.

About This Song

This beautiful song was written in 1916 by Raymond Hubble, with lyrics by John Golden, for the Broadway musical The Big Show. The song was, of course, inspired by the Giacomo Puccini opera Madame Butterfly. It’s been a popular song since 1917 and for good reason; it’s a beautiful song. It’s been recorded by Julie Andrews (in Thoroughly Modern Millie), Deanna Durbin, Errol Garner, Benny Goodman, Al Hirt, Susannah McCorkle, Frank Sinatra with Duke Ellington, and Sarah Vaughan.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded Poor Butterfly for his 1995 Grammy Award winning album, Here’s To The Ladies. In this album, he picked songs strongly associated the great female jazz singers; this song is for Sarah Vaughan.

In his liner notes for Here’s To The Ladies, Tony Bennett wrote:

I first heard Sarah sing at the Waldorf Astoria. Being one of Sarah’s biggest fans, I was transported right up to heaven whenever I heard her perform this song.

I know the feeling; I was transported the moment I heard this song this evening. I had picked another song from the album as song for the day. My habit is to listen to the rest of the album while I write the topic for the song each day. A few seconds into Poor Butterfly I started thinking that I couldn’t remember when I’d heard a more beautiful song. And so here is Poor Butterfly.

Poor Butterfly

Listen to Poor Butterfly on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1995

Poor Butterfly, as well as the full Here’s To The Ladies, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Tuesday, May 7, 2013, is By Myself.

About This Song

Written by the team of Howard Dietz and Arthur Schwarz, By Myself was written for the 1937 musical Between The Devil, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. The song proved more popular than the production, with recordings by Eileen Farrell, Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald and even Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s delightful tribute to Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out. The arrangement is very effective, with just Bennett and Cameron with his famous brushes, as befits a song that ends with “by myself, alone.”

Fred Astaire sung this song in the film Band Wagon.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1mDaRJufal4j8Hgg7PFb6d
By Myself, as well as the full Steppin’ Out album, is available from iTunes.

Here’s a bit of Fred Astaire from Band Wagon, singing By Myself:

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Song of the Day: I’m Glad There Is You

The song of the day for Monday, May 6, 2013 is I’m Glad There Is You.

About This Song

I’m Glad There Is You was written in 1941 by Jimmy Dorsey with lyrics by Paul Madeira (sometimes credited as Paul Mertz). Dorsey first recorded this song with his orchestra, with vocals by Bob Eberly. The review of the recording in Billboard (March 21, 1942) said that “It’s a love song, with the story seeped in philosophical thoughts rather June-moon wordage.” That complexity of thought, combined with the interesting and relatively unusual melody, makes for a somewhat sad, but evocative love song.

It’s been a very popular jazz love song, with recordings by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae, Rosemary Clooney and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this I’m Glad There Is You for his 1992 tribute album to Frank Sinatra, Perfectly Frank. It’s nicely arranged by Robert Farnon and accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/445SF4I1u83hR49ubrukQf
I’m Glad There Is You, as well as the full Perfectly Frank album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Sunday, May 5, 2013, is Moonglow.

About This Song

Moonglow was written in 1933 by Will Hudson and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. First recorded in 1933 by Joe Venuti and his Orchestra, Moonglow has remained popular over the years. It has been recorded by Art Tatum, Billie Holiday, Ethel Waters and Benny Goodman.

About This Version

This recording of Moonglow is the first time that Tony Bennett and k.d. lang sang together. The duet was beautiful and has led to the two performers working together on several albums, including A Wonderful World.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2K0zDMWf0q0jg05QRnwCPU
Moonglow, as well as the full MTV Unplugged live album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: In A Sentimental Mood

The song of the day for Saturday, May 4, is In A Sentimental Mood.

This song closes out Duke Ellington Week at the Year of Tony Bennett. It has been a privilege to research and learn about the life and career of Duke Ellington and to share that with our readers. It’s been difficult to choose songs to feature as well, as there were so many to choose from, but we hope that you have enjoyed them as much as we have.

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote In A Sentimental Mood in 1935 and recorded the instrumental version with his orchestra that same year. Lyrics were later written by Irving Mills and Manny Kurtz. The song is one of Ellington’s most popular songs and has been recorded frequently and used in film scores many times. Alec Wilder was a big fan of the song, calling it a “lovely song” in spite of the lyrics, “as the words certainly don’t fall very fluidly.”

About This Version

Bennett recorded In A Sentimental Mood for his 1999 tribute album to Ellington. It’s a sweet and lovely version of this very nice song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2T51ApFJKY5J2vvJmqKFpm
In A Sentimental Mood, as well as the entire Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool album, is available from iTunes.