The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: People

The song of the day for Monday, November 20, 2023, is “People.”

About This Song

“People” was written by Julie Styne and Bob Merrill the 1964 Broadway production of Funny Girl and introduced by Barbra Streisand. It has been popular since it was written. Streisand’s recording was the number-one song in the country for four weeks in 1964.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “People” in July 1995 for the album Here’s To The Ladies, in which Tony Bennett honors the great women singers of the 20th century. The song is in tribute to Barbra Streisand. It was arranged and conducted by Bill Holman.

“People,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Monday, August 14, 2023, is “Over The Rainbow.”

About This Song

“Over The Rainbow” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz.

Interestingly, the producers wanted to cut the song from the film, as they felt it slowed down the movie. Thankfully, the preview audiences preferred the movie with the song. “Over The Rainbow” ranked as the #1 song of the 20th century per the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment of the Arts.

The song has always been closely associated with Judy Garland. In a letter to Harold Arlen, Judy Garland wrote that the song “…has become part of my life. It’s so symbolic of everybody’s dreams and wishes that I’m sure that’s why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I’ve sung it thousands of times and it’s still the song that’s closest to my heart.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Over The Rainbow” in July 1995 for his album Here’s To The Ladies, consisting of songs associated with some of America’s finest female vocalists. It was arranged and conducted by Bill Holman. This song is, of course, for Judy Garland.

“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

In 1979, Yip Harburg appeared on a television program called They Write The Songs and sang this beautiful version of “Over The Rainbow.”

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Song of the Day: Moonlight in Vermont

The song of the day for Saturday, January 7, 2023, is “Moonlight in Vermont.”

About This Song

“Moonlight in Vermont” was written in 1944 by Karl Suessdorf and John Blackburn. The song was made famous by Margaret Whiting, who recorded it in 1944 with Billy Butterfield and his Orchestra. It has been popular ever since, with other recordings by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Moonlight in Vermont” in July 1995 for Here’s To The Ladies, arranged and conducted by Bill Holman.

For this album, Tony Bennett chose songs strongly associated with the most outstanding American female singers from the 20th century. “Moonlight in Vermont” is a tribute to Margaret Whiting.

“Moonlight in Vermont,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Margaret Whiting’s original 1945 recording of “Moonlight in Vermont.”

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Song of the Day: I’ll Be Home For Christmas

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 20, 2022, the seventh day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “I’ll Be Home For Christmas.”

About This Song

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” was written in 1943 by Walter Kent, with lyrics by Kim Gannon and Buck Ram. This song, released at the height of World War II, tells the story of a soldier stationed overseas, who yearns to be home with family for Christmas, if only in his dreams. Bing Crosby recorded this song in 1943 and it was a bestseller. The War Department issued a V-Disc with Crosby’s versions of this song and “White Christmas” that was sent to soldiers stationed all over the world. One wonders if the young soldier Anthony Benedetto, who was stationed in Germany, might have listened to this v-disc at some point.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” in 2004 and released it in 2008 on A Swingin’ Christmas. It was arranged by Bill Holman.

“I’ll Be Home For Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

We also have a video of Tony Bennett singing this song on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show.

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Song of the Day: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

The song of the day for December 15, 2022, the second day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

About This Song

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was written in 1934 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie. The song had a spectacular debut. The song was first sung on Eddie Cantor’s radio show in November 1934. On the day after the broadcast, there were 100,000 orders for the sheet music; by Christmas, over 400,000 copies of the sheet music had been sold.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in 2004 and released it in 2008 for A Swingin’ Christmas. It was arranged by Bill Holman and features Andy Snitzer on alto sax. The album features The Count Basie Big Band.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

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