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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

March 3, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)

The song of the day for Saturday, March 4, 2023, is “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

About This Song

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” was written in 1931 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills. This song was one of the first songs to use the word “swing” in the title and this song certainly defined what it meant to swing. Ellington recorded the song with Ivie Anderson on vocals and it was an immediate hit. It has been widely recorded since it was written and the song is a lot of fun to play and listen to. Significant recordings include those by Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Gigi Gryce, Tony Bennett, and Thelonious Monk.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek. Marion Evans wrote the excellent arrangement. It features Joe Lovano on tenor sax and George Rabbi on trumpet.

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” as well as Cheek To Cheek is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the original Duke Ellington recording, with vocals by Ivie Anderson:

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Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Cheek to Cheek, Duke Ellington, George Rabbi, Irving Mills, Ivie Anderson, Joe Lovano, Lady Gaga, Marion Evans, Tony Bennett

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