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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

October 20, 2016 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Swinging on a Star

The song of the day for Thursday, October 20, 2016 is “Swinging on a Star.”

About This Song

“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in 1998 for his album for children called The Playground. I remember hearing this song on the radio when I couldn’t have been more than three years old and it’s the first song I ever remember singing out loud. What three-year old isn’t enchanted by a lyric with “or would you rather be a mule”?

Swinging On A Star

Listen to Swinging On A Star on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1998.


“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

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Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Going My Way, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, The Playground

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