The song of the day for Monday, March 31, 2014 is “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”
About This Song
“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was one of the hit songs from the 1940 musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Vivienne Segal. Notable recordings are by Benny Goodman, Mel Tormé, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder admired the lyric and the verse, but found the song “notey.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.
About This Version
Today’s version of this wonderful Rodgers and Hart song is from one my favorite of Tony Bennett’s albums: Tony Sings For Two. This album is just Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon on piano giving us a remarkable collection of the finest songs from the American Songbook and no one, and I mean no one, does these songs any better than they are on this album. There’s isn’t a single note on this album that I don’t love. “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” is one of the best of the best.
http://open.spotify.com/track/4Re3BBnTFrSppLM2M4iATX
“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.
Can you explain what “notey” means? Thanks.
Hello Linda,
I was quoting Alex Wilder here. I think he meant that there were too many notes in the song. It’s the same kind of criticism that is leveled at the music of Stephen Sondheim … there are just too many notes. But as I said, I think Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered is a wonderful song and I love every note in it.
Thanks for writing.
Suzanne