The song of the day for Wednesday, January 8, 2014 is “Last Night When We Were Young.”
About This Song
“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen with lyrics by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg. Arlen considered this song to be one of his favorite songs of those he wrote. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae and, of course, Tony Bennett.
About This Version
Tony Bennett first recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1959 for his album To My Wonderful One. Today’s version, however, is from his 1992 album Perfectly Frank, which consists of songs associated with Frank Sinatra. And, even though Bennett pays tribute to Sinatra in choosing these songs, this is in no way a cover album. It is completely Tony Bennett, at the very top of his form, singing some the greatest songs from the American Songbook, not the least of which is “Last Night When We Were Young.”
http://open.spotify.com/track/1qgQmCZ3fUkG2dNSYI6OvN
“When We Were Young Last Night,” as well as the album Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.
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