The song of the day for Friday, August 14, 2015 is “The Rules of the Road.”
About This Song
Today’s song, “The Rules of the Road,” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1961. While Coleman and Leigh are 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. That said, though, I think that Tony Bennett completely owns this song.
About This Version
Tony Bennett has recorded this song several times and I am fond of all of them. Today’s version is his first: from 1961 and first released on his 1962 album I Left My Heart In San Francisco. The muscular arrangement is from Ralph Burns, who Bennett had worked with in 1959 on Hometown, My Town.
About Today
Readers of this blog know that I have several weaknesses: just about anything by Rodgers and Hart, the two albums with Bill Evans, The Art of Romance and “The Rules of the Road.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve featured this song, but it doesn’t matter because I’ll continue to feature it when the mood hits. And the mood did hit this week. Enjoy.
“The Rules of the Road,” as well as I Left My Heart In San Francisco, is available from iTunes.
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