The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Second Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The second song of the day for Wednesday, June 1, 2022, is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About Today

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Bart Howard, who wrote “Fly Me to the Moon.” Howard was born on June 1, 1915, in Burlington, Iowa. He began his career as an accompanist at the age of 16.

About This Song

“Fly Me to the Moon” was written by Bart Howard in 1954, though the original title was “In Other Words.” It was later changed by the publisher and the song began to take off after that.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me to the Moon” on February 18, 1965, for the album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. The arrangement was written by Don Costa.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Monday, March 21, 2022, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” in 1965 for the album If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The song of the day for Friday, November 19, 2021, is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song “Fly Me To The Moon,” and it began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett performed “Fly Me to the Moon” on April 12, 1994, for his performance on MTV Unplugged. As he did in his concerts, Bennett asked for the microphones to be turned off. The first time I saw Bennett in concert, I was seated in the balcony. When he sang “Fly Me to the Moon” with no amplification, I could hear every word. It was a miracle to hear an unamplified voice in a huge concert hall.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged is available on Apple Music.

Here’s that performance.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Sunday, August 1, 2021, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Week

Please join us here at The Year of Tony Bennett in a week-long celebration of Tony Bennett’s 95th birthday on August 3. We’re celebrating by playing some of his greatest hits and greatest recordings.

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written by Bart Howard in 1954. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed it “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” in 1965 for his album If Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. Bob Costa wrote the very fine arrangement.

Fly Me To The Moon

Listen to Fly Me To The Moon on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1965.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as If Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 1, 2021, is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About Today

Today, we are celebrating the birth of composer Bart Howard, who was born on June 1, 1915, in Burlington, Iowa. He started his career as an accompanist at the age of 16. Though he wrote other songs in his career as a pianist and composer, “Fly Me to the Moon” is the song he is best known for. He wrote the song for his partner of 58 years, Bud Fowler.

About This Song

Bart Howard wrote “Fly Me to the Moon” in 1954, originally titled “In Other Words.” The song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me to the Moon” in 1965 for If I Ruled The World: Songs Of The Jet Set. It was arranged by Don Costa.

Fly Me To The Moon

Listen to Fly Me To The Moon on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1965.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs Of The Jet Set, is available from Apple Music.

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