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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

January 9, 2018 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Penthouse Serenade

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 10, 2018 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. The song 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

Today, the blog got a comment from a reader who expressed his admiration for this particular recording and the wonderful pairing of Tony Bennett and Ralph Burns, who did the arrangements for the 1959 Hometown, My Town, including today’s song “Penthouse Serenade.” Regular readers may already know of my love for this short album–in just six songs, Bennett and Burns give us a rich, nuanced, and almost biographical experience of starting life in Manhattan, full of talent, dreams, joy and heartbreak.

Penthouse Serenade

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


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

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

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