The song of the day for Friday, January 30, 2015 is “Darn That Dream.”
About This Song
Written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange, “Darn That Dream” was written for the 1939 musical Swingin’ the Dream, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The cast had many big names: Louis Armstrong playing Bottom, Maxine Sullivan as Titania, Bill Bailey and Dorothy Dandridge. It only ran for 13 performances and is considered to be a flop. Fortunately, “Darn That Dream” proved to be a big hit and earned some money for the investors. Billie Holiday recorded “Darn That Dream” in 1957.
About This Version
“Darn That Dream” is the 10th and final song on our album of the month, Cloud 7. It is my personal favorite from this album. Perhaps it has to do with working on several productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream during my career in theater, but when I imagine Louis Armstrong, in the role of Bottom, singing this song, I swoon. Tony Bennett sings this song perfectly; I completely believe that dream. The very effective arrangement is by Chuck Wayne.
About Today
Today concludes our examination of Cloud 7, Tony Bennett’s first full-length album. Watch for February’s album of the month to be announced on Sunday.
“Darn That Dream,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.
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