Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Thursday, April 5, 2018 is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by 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.” Yip 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 wonderful 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 has recorded this song twice. The first was in 1959 and released in 1960 on the album To My Wonderful One, featuring an arrangement by Frank DeVol. His second recording was made in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank, which is the version I’m featuring today.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.