Song of the Day: I Could Write a Book

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, is “I Could Write a Book.”

About This Song

“I Could Write a Book” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the Broadway musical Pal Joey (based on the 1940 novel by John O’Hara), where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. This has always been an interesting song. Today it’s considered a lovely romantic number, but in the context of the musical, it’s sung as a phony love song in order to woo the innocent ingenue. It’s been widely recorded by artists including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Carter, Anita O’Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Chez Joey, a reimagining of the Rodgers and Hart classic Pal Joey is in previews at the Arena Theatre in Washington, D.C. The score not only contains the original songs from the Broadway musical, but also more from the 1957 film of Pal Joey. The original book has been heavily revised, including moving the location to Chicago’s South Side.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Could Write a Book” in July 1973 with the The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet: (Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass). It was initially released in 1973 on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs.

“I Could Write a Book,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.