Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Thursday, February 25, 2021, is “Dancing In The Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Dancing in the Dark” in 1962 for the album My Heart Sings. The Ralph Burns arrangement is wonderful. Bennett first worked with Burns on the 1959 Hometown, My Town and several singles, including Bennett’s first recording of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”

“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

The song, as an instrumental, was used in the 1953 film version of The Band Wagon, featuring the exquisite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The number is pure heaven; I particularly love the business with the bench (starts at 3:36). Michael Kidd choreographed the dance.