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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

May 20, 2015 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: The Rules Of The Road

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 20, 2015 is “The Rules Of The Road.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Rules Of The Road,” was written in 1960 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. In his new biography of Cy Coleman, You Fascinate Me So, author Andy Propst tells us that prior to writing “The Rules Of The Road” Coleman was suffering from a long bout of writers block. Leigh was ready to start on “The Rules Of The Road” until Coleman found a way around the episode of writer’s block. In addition to this song, they followed up with one of their great Broadway hits, Wildcat.

About This Version

It’s no secret that I love to listen to Tony Bennett sings “The Rules Of The Road.” This version is from his 1964 album with the Ralph Sharon Trio When Lights Are Low. In addition to Sharon on piano, the trio featured Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. The album was recorded in Las Vegas in March 1964 as they were preparing for Tony Bennett’s big show at The Sahara the following month.

About Today

Why did I choose this song today? I was in a rather long business meeting this morning where we were discussing a new issue that just come up. Somebody at the table said, “Well, that’s how it goes.” And so today’s song was decided.

The Rules Of The Road

Listen to The Rules Of The Road on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1964.


“The Rules Of The Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

Andy’s book, You Fascinate Me So, is available from Amazon as well as other book retailers.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Andy Propst, Carolyn Leigh, Cy Coleman, Ralph Sharon Trio, When Lights Are Low

April 4, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Saturday, April 4, 2015 is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

About This Song

Written in 1959 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh, some say that “The Best is Yet to Come” was written for Tony Bennett. In any case, the song is strongly identified with him and he sings it at most of his concerts. Other recordings include those by Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Today’s version of the “The Best Is Yet To Come” is the original, which recorded on July 30, 1960 and released in early 1961 as a single. It was arranged and conducted by the composer, Cy Coleman. As an aside, a new biography of Cy Coleman called You Fascinate Me So: The Life and Times of Cy Coleman by Andy Propst will be published in late April 2015 and is available for pre-order from Amazon. I think it’s going to be a wonderful book; I’ve read the first chapter and am quite impressed. Given how many of Cy Coleman’s songs that Bennett has recorded, I know it will be an excellent resource about one of the great American composers from the last half of the twentieth century.

The Best Is Yet To Come

Listen to The Best Is Yet To Come on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2011.

“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as the other singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 6, is available from iTunes.

About Today

It’s Saturday and I’m featuring the duet of today’s song with Tony and Diana Krall. I’ve really enjoyed listening to her new album Wallflower. Her world-wide tour is on and if you have a chance, I hope you’ll go. She puts on a wonderful show. You can check out her touring schedule and listen to parts of Wallflower here. In the meantime, here is Tony and Diana and even Phil Ramone, discussing “The Best Is Yet To Come” from Duets: An American Classic in 2006.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Andy Propst, Carolyn Leigh, Cy Coleman, You Fascinate Me So: The Life and Times of Cy Coleman

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