The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Now It Can Be Told

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 2, 2024, is “Now It Can Be Told.”

About This Song

“Now It Can Be Told” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1938 film Alexander’s Ragtime Band, where it was introduced by Don Ameche and Alice Faye. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song (it lost to “Thanks For the Memory”), though the score for the film won the Academy Award. In addition to Tony Bennett’s recording, it has been recorded by Bing Crosby, The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, The Ray Noble Orchestra with Frankie Laine, and Teddy Wilson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Now It Can Be Told” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin, released in 1988. Bennett wrote the arrangement.

“Now It Can Be Told,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Monday, March 11, 2024, is “The Song Is Ended.”

About This Song

“The Songs Is Ended” was written in 1927 by Irving Berlin. In his book The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia, Thomas Hischak calls this song “… an Irving Berlin standard whose title has been called the theme of all popular music, a chilling number in which both the lover and the ballad that was ‘their song’ is gone; yet neither can be forgotten because they remain in one’s memory.” This song was recorded in 1927 by Ruth Etting and has remained popular over the years with recordings by Dick Haymes, Dizzy Gillespie, Jeri Southern, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Song Is Ended” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. The song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet.

“The Song Is Ended,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Let Yourself Go

The song of the day for Monday, February 12, 2024, is “Let Yourself Go.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Let Yourself Go” for the 1936 film Follow The Fleet, where it was introduced by Ginger Rogers. This song was recorded by Fred Astaire, Kristin Chenoweth, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Let Yourself Go” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. Bennett wrote the arrangement.

“Let Yourself Go,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Ginger Rogers performing today’s song from Follow The Fleet:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: White Christmas

The song of the day for December 16, 2023, the third day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas,” written by Irving Berlin in 1940, is one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often-heard verse of the song, we hear that “the sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24 …” And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas,” expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 and it completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s “White Christmas” single is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100 million copies.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “White Christmas” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin, consisting completely of songs written by Irving Berlin. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

We also have Bing Crosby’s recording of today’s song:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: All Of My Life

The song of the day for Monday, November 27, 2023, is “All Of My Life.”

About This Song

“All Of My Life” was written by Irving Berlin in 1944. This sweet ballad expresses the yearning for a nice life with the one that you love, a message that was quite poignant for a country towards the end of World War II. This song was introduced (and made famous) by Kate Smith. Other recordings include those by Bing Crosby, Harry James, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All Of My Life” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“All Of My Life,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

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