The song of the day for Saturday, February 4, 2017 is “Old Devil Moon.”
About This Song
“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”
About This Version
Tony Bennett has recorded “Old Devil Moon,” starting with his 1954 version for his first jazz album, Cloud 7. Today, however, we’re featuring his 1967 version from Tony Makes It Happen!, arranged by Marion Evans, our musical collaborator of the month. One of the things I love about Evans’ arrangements is that they always grab my attention from the very first notes — they make me want to listen. The violins at the beginning of this recording are a good example of this.
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.
About Today
Our Saturday video features Tony singing today’s song from his award-winning 1994 MTV Unplugged televised concert.
Leave a Reply