The song of the day for Tuesday, July 25, 2023, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”
About This Song
“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting.
Dorothy Fields remarked:
The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.
It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded this song (in only one take, it’s said) for the 1997 movie My Best Friend’s Wedding. This recording is included in Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, which was included in the 2011 Complete Collection box set.
“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.
We’ve also got Fred Astaire’s introduction of “The Way You Look Tonight” from Swing Time. Note that Astaire doesn’t dance to this number. Instead, he sits at the piano and sings it to Ginger Rogers.
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