The song of the day for Thursday, November 7, 2013 is “Keep Smiling At Trouble.”
About This Song
Today’s song, “Keep Smiling at Trouble (Trouble’s a Bubble)” was written in 1924, with music by Lewis Gensler and lyrics by Al Jolson and Buddy DeSylva, for the Broadway musical Big Boy. The first recording was by Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians, with Fred’s brother, Tom, on vocals. (Trivia point: Fred Waring invented and marketed the Waring Blender in 1933). Other recordings include those by Al Jolson, Ruby Braff, Bobby Hackett and Della Reese.
About This Version
Tony Bennett has recorded “Keep Smiling At Trouble” several times, starting with the 1963 album This Is All I Ask, followed by the 1967 version on For Once In My Life (which Mr. Bennett has selected for his 40/50/60 Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett box sets). Today’s version, though, is from his 1964 performance at the Sahara in Las Vegas, from the recently released Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964 album.
http://open.spotify.com/track/3XeJTG8qqE8nWGEEBrrMfv
“Keep Smiling At Trouble,” as well as the album Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964, is available from iTunes.
And even though it’s not YouTube Saturday, here’s Al Jolson singing his song:
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