Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 5, 2016 is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night The We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Arlen considered “Last Night When We Were Young” to be one of his favorite songs. 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 Tony Bennett.

About This Version

This beautiful version of “Last Night The We Were Young” was recorded in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. The lovely arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

“Last Night The We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.