The song of the day for Friday, March 21, 2014 is “The Right To Love.”
About This Song
“The Right To Love” was composed by Lalo Schifrin with lyrics by Gene Lees. According to the website filmscoremonthly, this song has an interesting history. It was first recorded, without lyrics, in 1963 on an album called Reflections by Stan Getz and Lalo Schifrin. Tony Bennett liked the song from the beginning and suggested that Gene Lees write the lyrics. The resulting song is an anthem for “forbidden” love. At that time, most people associated the song with interracial relationships; in later years, it has been sung by gay singers. In addition to Bennett’s recording, this song has been recorded by Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and k.d. lang.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “The Right To Love” in 1965 for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set. It was arranged and conducted by Don Costa and features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. The great Al Cohn plays tenor saxophone for this recording.
http://open.spotify.com/track/3g5Sm60hsiJQOes3RHlQqb
“The Right To Love,” as well as the album If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set, is available from iTunes.
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