The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Love For Sale

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 7, 2016 is “Love For Sale.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Love For Sale” in 1930 for the Broadway musical The New Yorkers. The song was sung by a prostitute advertising her services. The song was considered rather scandalous at the time. In fact, for the production of The New Yorkers, it was supposed to be sung by the white star Kathryn Crawford, but the song was assigned to an African-American singer instead. In spite of being banned from play on the radio, “Love For Sale” has had many fine recordings, including those by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Miles Davis

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love For Sale” in 1957 for his third album: The Beat of My Heart. For this album, Tony Bennett and his new pianist, Ralph Sharon, gathered drummers and percussionists from all over the world to collaborate on the album. “Love For Sale” featured Candido, Sabu and Billy Exiner.

Love for Sale

Listen to Love for Sale on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“Love For Sale,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Monday, April 11, 2016 is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus by Kurt Weill, with lyrics by Ogden Nash.The song was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “Speak Low” several times. Today’s recording is from his 1964 album When Lights Are Low, featuring the Ralph Sharon Trio with Billy Exiner on drums and Hal Gaylord on bass.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“Speak Low,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 19, 2016 is “It Had To Be You.”

About This Song

“It Had To Be You” was written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It is a popular standard with many fine recordings, including those by Paul Whitman, Cliff Edwards and Frank Sinatra. It has also be used in several films, such as Casablanca and Annie Hall.

About This Version

Today’s recording of Tony Bennett singing “It Had To Be You” was made in 1964 for his album with the Ralph Sharon Trio, When Lights Are Low. In addition to Ralph Sharon on piano, the trio features Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

It Had To Be You

Listen to It Had To Be You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“It Had To Be You,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Thursday, December 3, 2015 is ” Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash. It was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Speak Low” in 1964 for one of my favorite of his albums: When Lights Are Low. It is also my favorite version of “Speak Low,” which Bennett has recorded, by my count, seven times. This album features just Bennett with the Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. This arrangement is by Ralph Sharon.

Speak Low

Listen to Speak Low on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


” Speak Low,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Sunday, November 15, 2015 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Rules of the Road,” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While Coleman and Leigh are best-known for their scores for Broadway musicals, such as Little Me and Wildcat, “The Rules of the Road” was not written for a show. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, the song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

I absolutely love this song when it’s sung by Tony Bennett. And this version, recorded with the Ralph Sharon Trio (with Billy Exiner on drums and Hal Gaylord on bass) in 1964 for When Lights Are Low is far and away my favorite of all his recordings of “The Rules of the Road.”

The Rules Of The Road

Listen to The Rules Of The Road on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“The Rules of the Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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