The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: They Didn’t Believe Me

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 27, 2026, is “They Didn’t Believe Me.”

About This Song

“They Didn’t Believe Me” was written by Jerome Kern and Herbert Reynolds for the 1914 musical The Girl From Utah. The song became a standard, including it being reused in the 1949 movie The Midnight Kiss, in a duet with Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson. It has been widely recorded by singers, including Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Bing Crosby. Instrumental recordings include those by Marian McPartland, Charlie Parker, and Stan Kenton.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with The Bill Charlap Trio, recorded “They Didn’t Believe Me” in 2015 for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement and led his trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on bass). He also co-produced the album.

I want to do a shout-out to Peter Washington: his bass on this recording is brilliant.

The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 58th Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“They Didn’t Believe Me,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Sunday, January 25, 2026, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Week

Today is the first day of Jerome Kern Week, who was born in New York City on January 27, 1885.

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film where Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he could dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” for his 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement and led The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums).

The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got two videos for today’s post.

First is a clip from Swing Time, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to “Pick Yourself Up.”

Next is the “Pick Yourself Up – All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund,” which was created during COVID pandemic to help performers while the performing venues were closed and prevented them from working.

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

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 30, 2025, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross. This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters were constantly giving Ralph Sharon copies of their songs. Cross and Cory had done that and Sharon had stuck the song in a drawer and forgotten all about it. In 1961, he and Bennett were heading out on tour, which included a stop in San Francisco at The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Sharon came across the music and thought it might be a nice local number for the San Francisco audience. After a performance in Hot Springs, Arkansas, they found a piano and started to work on the song a bit. An early fan was the bartender, who said that he’d buy the first copy if they ever decided to record it. Of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco “was a huge hit at the performance and in January 1962, Bennett recorded it and released it on a 45 RPM record on the B-side to “Once Upon a Time.” But gradually, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” started getting all the airplay and it became a major hit for Bennett, winning him his first Grammy Award. It is his signature song and is beloved by all of his fans.

Regarding the show in Hot Springs, Arkansas: A young high school saxophone player couldn’t afford to see the show and hung out by the windows in the venue to listen. His name was Bill Clinton.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Bill Charlap on solo piano, recorded this version of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 2006 for Duets: An American Classic. Bennett made just two studio recordings of the song: the first with Ralph Sharon in 1962 and this one with Charlap in 2006.

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available on Apple Music.

On July 30, 1963, Tony Bennett taped an episode on The Judy Garland Show and sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

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Song of the Day: My One And Only

The song of the day for Sunday, December 7, 2025, is “My One And Only.”

About This Song

“My One And Only” was composed in 1927 by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin for the musical Funny Face, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire, Betty Compton, and Gertrude McDonald. The original title was “(What Am I Gonna Do) If You Turn Me Down.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall recorded “My One And Only” in 2018 for their album Love Is Here To Stay. Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement and led The Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano), Peter Washington (bass), and Kenny Washington (bass).

“My One And Only,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Sunday, November 16, 2025, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About Today

We are very happy to wish Diana Krall a very happy birthday! She was born on November 16, 1964, in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. She has collaborated with Tony Bennett on several albums: MTV Unplugged, Playin’ With My Friends, Duets: An American Classic, and their duets album Love Is Here To Stay.

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwins’ finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 2018 for their album Love Is Here To Stay. The Bill Charlap Trio accompanied; Charlap and Dae Bennett produced the album.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Fred Astaire singing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” from Shall We Dance: