Song of the Day: Being Alive

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 22, 2022, is “Being Alive.”

About Today

Today, March 22, 2022, would have been Stephen Sondheim’s 92nd birthday. We are proud to honor him today with one of songs he composed.

About This Song

“Being Alive” was written by Stephen Sondheim for his groundbreaking 1970 Broadway musical, Company. That original production was the first show I saw on Broadway and holds a very special place in my heart.

“Being Alive” is the closing song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which ran on Broadway for 705 performances. Company was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince), Best Book of a Musical (George Furth), Best Original Music and Best Original Lyrics as well as Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). D.A. Pennebaker made a documentary of the recording of the original cast album, recorded by Columbia Records at the 30th Street Studio, that was released in 2006.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Being Alive” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement.

“Being Alive,” as well as The Art of Romance is available on Apple Music.

I found this clip from the Pennebaker documentary of Dean Jones singing “Being Alive.”