Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Thursday, February 4, 2016 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Rules of the Road,” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While Coleman and Leigh may be best-known for their scores for Broadway musicals, such as Little Me and Wildcat, “The Rules of the Road” was not written for a show. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, the song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Well, here we are a full 4 1/2 weeks into the new year and I have yet to feature my favorite song: “The Rules of the Road.” Today, I’m featuring Bennett’s first recording, made in 1961 and released in 1962 on his album I Left My Heart In San Francisco, which also features another pretty popular song from Tony Bennett. “The Rules of the Road” was arranged by Ralph Burns and features a great big band, which included Milt Hinton on bass, Urbie Green on trombone and Eddie Costa on vibes. It’s a terrific, bold and muscular arrangement.

“The Rules of the Road,” as well as I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is available from iTunes.