The song of the day for Saturday, March 1, 2014 is “Blue Velvet.”

About This Song

“Blue Velvet” was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. Tony Bennett’s was the first recording of this song and it did well on the Billboard charts in 1951. This song has been widely recorded over the years by artists including Bobby Vinton, The Clovers and, more recently, Lana Del Rey. Bennett’s version has been used in several films, including The Last Picture Show and Raging Bull.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blue Velvet” on July 17, 1951 and it was released on September 21, 1951. It reached #16 on Billboard. It was arranged and conducted by Percy Faith.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6bjd70prjZHdOpR7qv1KQA
“Blue Velvet,” as well as all of the songs on The Columbia Singles, Volume 1, is available from iTunes.

Today’s video is from Bennett’s recent Viva Duets album. Here’s “Blue Velvet,” featuring the Brazilian singer Maria Gadú.