The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Saturday, December 7, 2013 is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Way You Look Tonight,” was written by two of America’s greatest songwriters: Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. The song was written for the 1936 film Swing Time and was, of course, originally introduced by Fred Astaire. In 1936, the song was also recorded by Bing Crosby with his current wife Dixie Lee and also Billie Holiday. It has been steadily recorded ever since, with major jazz and popular recordings up to today.

Even though Fields’ lyrics are exquisite, “The Way You Look Tonight” has had many fine instrumental recordings as well, including those by Art Tatum and Oscar Peterson.

Dorothy Fields is quoted as saying “the first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.”

I couldn’t agree more.

About This Version

Today’s version of “The Way You Look Tonight” was recorded in 1958 for the album Long Ago and Far Away. The album was arranged and conducted by Frank DeVol; his orchestra was used for the album as well. Bennett made another wonderful recording of this song in 1997 for the movie My Best Friend’s Wedding; this version is included on the 50/60 Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett (which I featured a couple of months ago; you can read that post here). But today I find it interesting to listen to Mr. Bennett singing his original version and then the one fifty years later, on our YouTube Saturday video.

Tony Bennett sings this song regularly in concert and it always moves the audience to tears, including your opinionated author. At one concert, a woman I didn’t even know cried on my shoulder after he sang this song. I have never heard anyone sing any song with so much emotional depth and heart as Tony Bennett singing this song in concert.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1cIPfxkVrIglSgpYCtYyCN
“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as the album Long Ago and Far Away, is available from iTunes.

It’s YouTube Saturday again, and so we’re featuring a Tony Bennett video today. The song of the day version was recorded in 1958. This video was recorded fifty years later, in 2008 on an Elvis Costello television special. Mr. Bennett is accompanied by Bill Charlap.

And today we’ll double down … here’s Fred and Ginger:

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 17, 2013 is I Left My Heart in San Francisco.

About This Song

I Left My Heart in San Francisco was written in 1954 by two somewhat homesick songwriters from San Francisco, George Cory and Douglass Cross.  Even though other singers have recorded this song, there is no doubt that Tony Bennett owns this song completely (so much so, that some people assume that Bennett must be from that city). It was originally released as the B-side on a 45 record with Once Upon a Time (another beautiful song that Bennett sang superbly) and released on February 2, 1962. It may very well be the most successful B-side song ever recorded.

About This Version

If any song in the world is identified with Tony Bennett, it is I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Even though Tony Bennett has sung this song in literally every live concert since 1962, up until 2006, there was only the original 1962 recording. For the first Duets album, which coincided with Mr. Bennett’s 80th birthday, he and Bill Charlap recorded this new version with just voice and piano. It’s really a lovely, poignant recording of this song we all love.

Tony Bennett has said “that song helped make me a world citizen. It allowed me to live, work and sing in any city on the globe. It changed my whole life.”

http://open.spotify.com/track/1tBu276JoMhivxhGEYZXhX
I Left My Heart in San Francisco, as well as the entire Duets: An American Classic album, is available from iTunes.

National Public Radio did a nice story about the recording of this new version of I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Click here to listen to the story, which was recorded in the studio as the recording was made.

This interview with Ralph Sharon for jazzprofessional.com in 1988 describes the lucky accident of how Tony Bennett came to do this song in the first place. Click here to read the interview.

And, if you haven’t had quite enough (and who could ever have too much of this song), here’s a clip of Tony singing the song on Judy Garland’s television show.

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Tony Bennett on National Public Radio

I think NPR loves Tony Bennett, as they have archived a treasure trove of interviews.  Here are some of my favorites.

This story by Scott Simon, Tony Bennett’s Art of Intimacy, was played on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday on November 4, 2011 is a favorite of mine. It’s an extended interview that covers his vocal training right after the war, how he addresses singing at the age of 85, and some special words about the people he collaborated  with in Duets II. Good interview, nice clips from the album, and very nicely produced. Click here to listen.

In the same  time period, Tony visited the NPR studios and sang two songs, accompanied by Lee Musiker. Click here to view this small concert.

And an extended interview on World Cafe, also from Fall 2011. The discussion about the end about Tony’s relationship to painting and singing are well worth listening to.  Click here to listen.

He has appeared on Marian McPartland’s wonderful Piano Jazz show. Click here to listen. This show was  recorded in 2004.

And finally, an interesting story about creating a new arrangement of I Left My Heart in San Francisco with Bill Charlap in 2006. Click here to listen.

There’s more on NPR … Just navigate to www.npr.org and search for Tony Bennett. You wont’ be sorry!

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