The song of the day for Sunday, January 19, 2014 is “Come Rain Or Come Shine.”
About This Song
“Come Rain Or Come Shine” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for their 1946 musical St. Louis Woman. The song was introduced by Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas (his brother Fayard was also cast in the production). While the Arlen/Mercer score was widely praised, the production had a number of problems, ranging from a poor book to a rather depressing and serious story. The leading role had been originally intended for Lena Horne, but after the NAACP criticized the musical, she turned down the role. Other songs from St. Louis Woman include “Any Place I Hand My Hat Is Home” and “I Had Myself a True Love.”
About This Version
The Year of Tony Bennett crew (all two of us) sat down this evening and viewed the Johnny Mercer documentary The Dream’s On Me, produced by Clint Eastwood. We enjoyed it immensely — how can you not love the lyrics of Johnny Mercer, especially when paired with the music of Harold Arlen? I knew we had to feature a Johnny Mercer song; I also wanted to explore more the score of the musical they wrote together, St. Louis Woman.
Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1960 for the album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. All of the songs on the album were arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.
http://open.spotify.com/track/2FIt3D8ZMrnPx3vIoGpWZJ
“Come Rain Or Come Shine,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from iTunes.
I’ve always liked the “cry” in Tony’s voice on the last word “shine”. Great recording on a fabulous album!