The song of the day for Saturday, November 9, 2024, is “What Good Does It Do.”
About This Song
“What Good Does It Do” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica, which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montálban; the principal dancer was Alvin Ailey. Yarburg had been blacklisted during the McCarthy period and was unable to work in film or TV from 1951 to 1962. Fortunately, producer David Merrick and Broadway welcomed Yarburg. Jamaica was nominated for major Tony Awards, including Best Musical, all the acting nominations and both scenic and costume design, though it lost to The Music Man.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “What Good Does It Do” live on June 9, 1962, at his concert at Carnegie Hall. An abbreviated recording on two LPs was released in August 1962 on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall; a more complete version was released on 4 CDs was released in 1997.
“What Good Does It Do,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.