Song of the Day: Always

The song of the day for Thursday, May 26, 2016 is “Always.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Always” in 1925 as a wedding gift to his second wife, Ellin Mackay, including all royalties (his first wife, Dorothy, died of typhoid fever in 1912, which she caught on their honeymoon). The song was to have been used in the Marx Brothers Broadway musical The Cocoanuts, but Berlin cut the song before the show opened. It is a very charming song and has been featured in numerous films over the years.

About This Version

While “Always” is typically sung as a ballad, our recording today has Mr. Bennett singing it as an up-tempo jazz number and it really works great. This recording is from Bennett’s legendary 1962 Carnegie Hall concert, captured on Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall. The arrangement is by his pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon.

“Always,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.