The song of the day for Friday, September 11, 2015 is “Lost In The Stars.”

About This Song

“Lost in the Stars” was composed in 1949 by Kurt Weill with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson. The song is from the 1949 musical of the same name, based on the 1948 novel by Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country. Set in South Africa in an era when apartheid seemed as if it would never end, the plot concerns a black priest whose son, in a robbery attempt, kills a white man who is a friend of his father. The priest sings this song at the end of the first act, in a complete crisis of faith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded this song many times and all of the versions are wonderful. Today’s version is his first recording of “Lost In the Stars” and was recorded on June 6, 1956. This song was conducted by Ray Conniff. The arrangement is, I believe, from the uncredited Marion Evans. Other songs on the album were arranged by Neal Hefti, Gil Evans and Don Costa. “Lost In The Stars” was released in January 1957 on Bennett’s second full-length album, Tony.

“Lost In The Stars,” as well as Tony, is available from iTunes.