Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 22, 2025, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Harold Arlen considered “Last Night When We Were Young” to be one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in June 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon, who led the Ralph Sharon Trio that accompanied Bennett for Perfectly Frank, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

Perfectly Frank won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

Yip Harburg spoke about “Last Night When We Were Young” on his 1979 appearance on They Write The Songs: