Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Friday, February 5, 2021, is Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short (Ted Gioia in Jazz Standards). It’s a very strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Billy Eckstine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Solitude” in 1959 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the album In Person! The name of the album is kind of odd. The songs were originally recorded live, but the tape was unusuable. So they went to studio and re-recorded it all over again.

“Solitude,” as well as In Person, is available from Apple Music.