The song of the day for Tuesday, December 12, 2017 is “Darn That Dream.”
About This Song
“Darn That Dream” was written for the 1939 musical Swingin’ the Dream by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange. Swingin’ the Dream as 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.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “Darn That Dream” in 1955 for his first album Cloud 7.
After recording a string of hits for Columbia, in 1955 he was able to take complete creative control for this album. Not only was it his first full-length album but, more important to Bennett, it was a jazz album. Prominent jazz musicians that played on the album include Al Cohn (tenor sax), Ed Shaughnessy (drums), Gene DiNovi (piano) and Chuck Wayne (guitar). In addition to his guitar work, Wayne did most of the arrangements. Even after 60+ years, this album holds up very, very well and is certainly worth your time for a listen.
“Darn That Dream,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.
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