The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Monday, September 19, 2016 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

“The Man That Got Away” is one of many fine recordings by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon on the 1961 album Tony Sings For Two.

The Man That Got Away

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Why “The Man That Got Away”?

Well, today is your author’s birthday and what better way to celebrate it than featuring my favorite song from my favorite Tony Bennett album, that it also from my favorite film? It had to be “The Man That Got Away.”

As a birthday present to myself, here’s the great Judy Garland from A Star Is Born.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Monday, February 15, 2015 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, in 1953 for the Judy Garland version of A Star Is Born, co-starring James Mason. Garland’s performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

The song is ranked #11 on the American Film Institute’s list of best movie songs. For reasons that completely evade me, “Three Coins In A Fountain” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Oh well, to each his/her own.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” in 1959 with Ralph Sharon on their extraordinary album of standards Tony Sings For Two. Recorded in one session, with just Bennett and Sharon and a briefcase of sheet music, one of the greatest albums of songs from the American Songbook was recorded. Every time I listen to this album, which I do frequently, I am amazed all over again by the artistry and heart in every note.

The Man That Got Away

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Harold Arlen

Harold Arlen was born 111 years ago today on February 15, 1905 in Buffalo, New York and was son of a cantor. Rather than summarize his life and amazing career, I would like to point you to his official website haroldarlen.com, managed by his son Sam Arlen. The site has many wonderful resources and information about our songwriter of the month.

So far this year, we’ve looked at Jerome Kern, born in 1885, and Harold Arlen, born in 1905. I can only speak for myself, but the songs by these two greats sound, in almost all cases, just as fresh and relevant and they did when they were written some 50 to 80 years ago. I grew up listening to these songs (thanks Mom) and except for a brief college flirtation with late 1960s rock music, the American Songbook has been my touchstone for my entire life.

Naturally, it’s no wonder that I fell in love with the voice of Tony Bennett, who has devoted his professional life to these wonderful songs that I, and many others, love so much.

So, Happy Birthday to Harold Arlen.

As our song of the day is “The Man That Got Away,” here’s a little something special.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Saturday, January 9, 2016 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written for Judy Garland by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

We return today to the great 1961 album Tony Sings For Two for Tony’s recording of “The Man That Got Away.” This is truly one of my Desert Island discs.

The Man That Got Away

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

About Today

The video for this Saturday is Judy Garland’s performance of today’s song from the 1954 film A Star Is Born.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 16, 2015 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, for Judy Garland to sing in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” with Ralph Sharon on October 28, 1959 for the album Tony Sings For Two, which wasn’t released until 1961. Remarkably, Bennett and Sharon recorded sixteen songs in a single day-long session. Sharon came in with case full of sheet music; they would pick a song, try it out, choose a key and then record in one or two takes, with no instruments except Sharon’s piano, and then move on to the next. The result, Tony Sings For Two, is one of his finest albums with an extraordinary selection of songs from the American Songbook.

The Man That Got Away

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Tuesday, Match 10, 2015 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” is, of course, from the 1954 film A Star Is Born, starring Judy Garland and James Mason and directed by George Cukor. Originally 181 minutes long, the film was brutally cut at the insistence of the movie theater owners. It’s widely thought that the cut version cost Judy Garland the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress, which instead went to Grace Kelly for A Country Girl.

The song was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin and its performance in the film is extraordinary. It was filmed dozens of times, with several different sets and costumes. That said, the final result is legendary and remains one of the greatest musical performances in film.

I agree with Alec Wilder regarding this song: “This is a true Arlen song. If you are good rememberer, try to think of anyone else who might have written it. I don’t see who it could have been but Arlen.”

About This Version

Today’s version of “The Man That Got Away” is the sixth song from our album of the month, Tony Sings For Two. While many male singers changed the man to the girl or the gal that got away, Bennett records the lyrics as written, which we really appreciate. Other than Judy Garland, I think that Bennett’s recording is the finest of this iconic song.

The Man That Got Away

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

And even though it’s definitely not Saturday, I have a video of Judy Garland from A Star Is Born. Because, why not?

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites