Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Sunday, June 10, 2018 is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Last Night When We Were Young,” was written in 1934 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. 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 and Carmen McRae, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. It features an arrangement by Ralph Sharon.

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

About Today

Bennett’s good friend, Judy Garland, was born on June 10, 1922. She died much too young at the age of 47 on June 22, 1969.

Garland loved to sing “Last Night When We Were Young.” We remember Judy Garland and honor the body of her work, both as a performer and an actress, on the anniversary of her birth with her 1956 recording of today’s song on her 1956 album Judy.