The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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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.

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Song of the Day: Let Yourself Go

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 7, 2023, is “Let Yourself Go.”

About This Song

“Let Yourself Go” was written by Irving Berlin in 1936 for the movie Follow The Fleet, where it was introduced by Ginger Rogers. This song has been 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 did the arrangement for this recording.

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

Here’s Ginger Rogers singing today from the 1936 film Follow The Fleet:

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Saturday, October 21, 2023, is “The Song Is Ended.”

About Today

We are celebrating the great Dizzy Gillespie, who was born in South Carolina on October 21, 1917. Dizzy and Tony Bennett were neighbors in Englewood, New Jersey in the late 1950s and 1960s. One evening, Dizzy dropped by and rang the doorbell at Bennett’s house. Bennett’s son Danny answered the door and Gillespie announced “Hi, I’m Dizzy.” Danny suggested that he come in for a glass of water.

About This Song

“The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On” was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. 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.

The song’s lyric is referenced in Ira Gershwin’s verse to “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, in the line “the song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on.” Berlin himself used the “melody lingers on” idea in the opening line of the verse to his earlier song “All Alone” (1924): “Just like a melody that lingers on / You seem to haunt me night and day.”

About This Version

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

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

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Song of the Day: Russian Lullaby

The song of the day for Friday, August 18, 2023, is “Russian Lullaby.”

About This Song

“Russian Lullaby” was written in 1927 by Irving Berlin. With “Russian Lullaby,” Berlin (born Isador Beilin) explores his childhood roots as an Eastern European/Belarusian Jewish immigrant. The song is like a folk melody and the lyrics are lovely. “Russian Lullaby” was first used in vaudeville and gained recognition with the recording by Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra. It has also been recorded by Bunny Berigan, Guy Lombardo, Bing Crosby, and Dinah Shore, among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Russian Lullaby” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. This song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet.

“Russian Lullaby,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Isn’t This a Lovely Day

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 18, 2023, is “Isn’t This a Lovely Day.”

About This Song

This delightful song was written by Irving Berlin in 1935 for the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. In the film, Astaire and Rogers are caught in a rainstorm while sitting in an outdoor gazebo. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire. This song has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin.

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

We have the video of this song from Top Hat, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: