The song of the day for Wednesday, June 5, 2013, is “Solitude.”
About This Song
“Solitude” was written by Duke Ellington in 1934, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written this song in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were on 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
Today’s version is one my favorite numbers from his 1962 Carnegie Hall concert. It starts slow and quiet and builds steadily to the finish. Tony Bennett has said that he probably has sung this song more often than other, even “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” It was a popular request from his early (even pre-World War II) days as a singing waiter.
http://open.spotify.com/track/66xcBH2f8VNVIcwP0HRFPe
Solitude, as well as the entire Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall concert album, is available from iTunes.
This song is my favorite Benedetto show stopper! If any song was written for a singer, this song suits Tony’s marvelous voice to a ” T”. Ifs funny but in moist nightclubs when Tony sings this song you can hear a pin drop! He totally captures the audience’s attention!