The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Close Your Eyes

The song of the day for Monday, May 22, 2023, is “Close Your Eyes.”

About This Song

“Close Your Eyes” was written by Bernice Petkere in 1933. She was named by Irving Berlin as the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Close Your Eyes” on April 5, 1961, for his album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns arranged and conducted the album.

“Close Your Eyes,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

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Album of the Week: My Heart Sings

The album of the week starting on February 27, 2022, is My Heart Sings.

My Heart Sings

Tony Bennett remembers My Heart Sings in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Ralph Burns and I got together again to do some singles, including “Smile,” and for our next album we changed gears again. Instead of the lush, ballad-style arrangements we had used on Hometown, My Town, we switched to a cookin’ jazz sound. The album is called My Heart Sings, and I simply love Ralph’s writing on this one. It’s really beautiful music.

This album is a preview of 1962, which was an outstanding year for Tony Bennett, including his concert at Carnegie Hall and winning his first Grammy Award for “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

My Heart Sings was recorded in 3 sessions on 3 consecutive days: April 4, April 5, and April 6, 1961.

Album Facts

Release Date August 7, 1961
Label Columbia
Producer Ernie Altschuler
Vocals Tony Bennett
Arrangements, Conductor Ralph Burns
Piano Bernie Leighton
Bass Milt Hinton
Drums Herb Lovelle
Guitar Barry Galbraith, Chuck Wayne, Mundell Lowe
Saxophone Danny Bank, Al Klink, Toots Mondello, Romeo Penque, Jerry Sanfino
Trumpet Bernie Glow, Irving Markowitz, Jimmy Maxwell, Carl Sereinsen
Trombone Robert Alexander, Urbie Green, Dick Hixson, Frank Rehak
Vibes Eddie Costa

Songs on My Heart Sings

Song Composers
Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler
Dancing in the Dark Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
I’m Comin’ Virginia Donald Heywood, Will Marion Cook
My Heart Sings Jean Blanvillain (Jamblin), Harold Rome, Henri Laurent Herpin
It Never Was You Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson
You Took Advantage of Me Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
Close Your Eyes Bernice Petkere
Stella By Starlight Victor Young, Ned Washington
More Than You Know Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu
My Ship Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin
Lover Man Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, James Sherman
Toot, Toot, Tootsie Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Ted Fiorito, Dan Russo

Listen to My Heart Sings

You can also listen to My Heart Sings on

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Song of the Day: Close Your Eyes

The song of the day for Monday, April 9, 2018 is “Close Your Eyes.”

About This Song

“Close Your Eyes” was written in 1933 by Bernice Petkere. Irving Berlin named her the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Close Your Eyes” in 1955, featuring the Ray Charles Singers and an arrangement by Percy Faith; it was released as a single that year. He recorded the same song in 1953, featuring The Pastels and an arrangement by Gil Evans; this version was released on a compilation LP named Because Of You.

It"s Too Soon To Know

Listen to It"s Too Soon To Know on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2011.


“Close Your Eyes,” as well as the songs included on The Columbia Singles, Volume 3, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Close Your Eyes

The song of the day for Sunday, August 23, 2015 is “Close Your Eyes.”

About This Song

“Close Your Eyes” was written in 1933 by Bernice Petkere, named by Irving Berlin as the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.

About These Versions

Tony Bennett has recorded this song three times: first in 1953, arranged by Gil Evans and featuring The Pastels; in 1955 with an arrangement by Percy Faith featuring The Ray Charles Singers and finally in 1961, arranged by Ralph Burns for his album My Heart Sings.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett introduces a new feature this Sunday, where we present several different recordings of the same song recorded by Tony Bennett. Whenever I decide to use a certain song and am presented with several different recordings to choose from, I listen to them all before I decide which to use as Song of the Day. It’s always quite interesting to hear both the similarities and differences over the years and with different musicians. So our new Sunday feature will present those versions so that you can listen to them all, if you wish, and decide which one you like best.

1953

Close Your Eyes

Listen to Close Your Eyes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2012.

“Close Your Eyes,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

1955

Close Your Eyes

Listen to Close Your Eyes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2011.

“Close Your Eyes,” as well as The Columbia Singles, Vol. 3, is available from iTunes.

1961

Close Your Eyes

Listen to Close Your Eyes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Close Your Eyes,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Close Your Eyes

The song of the day for Friday, October 17, 2014 is “Close Your Eyes.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written by Bernice Petkere in 1933. Petkere was named by Irving Berlin as the “Queen of Tin Pan Alley.” A vaudeville performer as a child, she sold her first song in 1931, “Starlight,” recorded by Bing Crosby. “Close Your Eyes” is her most well-known song. The song started getting jazz treatments in the 1950s, starting with a great duet from Coleman Hawkins and Milt Jackson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Close Your Eyes” in April, 1961 for the album My Heart Sings. The song was arranged by and the orchestra conducted by Ralph Burns, who arranged this past Wednesday’s version of “Rules of the Road” and Bennett’s 1959 masterpiece album Hometown, My Town.

Close Your Eyes

Listen to Close Your Eyes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.


“Close Your Eyes,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.

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