• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

June 1, 2017 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Penthouse Serenade

The song of the day for Friday, June 2, 2017 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. It is one the classic Depression-era songs with the yearning for the glamorous Manhattan apartment by the poor, yet romantic, couple. The first known use of “Penthouse Serenade” was for the 1933 animated short Betty Boop’s Penthouse, where it was sung by Mae Questel. On a more serious note, “Penthouse Serenade” has had exceptional recordings: Nat King Cole recorded it in 1952 as a piano solo for an album of the same name and Tony Bennett’s recording for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town is really wonderful with a brilliant arrangement by Ralph Burns.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Penthouse Serenade” in 1958 for his concept album Hometown, My Town. I love everything about this album; with just six songs, Tony Bennett tells a marvelous story about a young man setting out to make his place in Manhattan. I see this album as a companion to the 1990 Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, recorded some 30-plus years later. This album is a real favorite of mine and is a minor masterpiece by the young artist. In fact, if you consider Cloud 7, The Beat of My Heart, and Hometown, My Town, all recorded between 1955 and 1958, you can see the genius of Tony Bennett at the start of his career.

Penthouse Serenade

Listen to Penthouse Serenade on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1959.


“Penthouse Serenade,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today we kick off our tribute to this month’s musical collaborator of the month, the arranger Ralph Burns.

Share this:

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Print
  • More
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Hometown My Town, Ralph Burns, Tony Bennett, Val Burton, Will Jason

Please feel free to leave a comment Cancel reply

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites

  • Song of the Day: Shaking the Blues Away
  • Song of the Day: Yesterday I Heard The Rain
  • Song of the Day: Where Do You Start
  • Song of the Day: Look For The Silver Lining
  • Song of the Day: Make Someone Happy
  • Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress