The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Without a Song

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 15, 2021, is “Without a Song.”

About This Song

“Without a Song” was written by Vincent Youmans with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu for the 1929 musical Great Day. It has been recorded by artists ranging from Perry Como to Mario Lanza to Frank Sinatra. Great Day was set in 19th century Louisiana; as a result, some of the lyrics have been changed over time to remove some objectionable language.

About This Version

Prior to his 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall, Tony Bennett had recorded “Without a Song” twice: first for his 1957 album Tony and again with Count Basie for the 1958 album In Person! Bennett sang this song at his concert at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 1962, captured on Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall.

Without A Song (From "Great Day!") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962

Listen to Without A Song (From "Great Day!") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962 on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1962.

“Without a Song,” s well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Friday, February 25, 2021, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written in 1929 by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu. The song was written for the Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns.

More Than You Know

Listen to More Than You Know on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: It’s Only a Paper Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 10, 2020, is “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”

About This Song

“It’s Only a Paper Moon” was written in 1933 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Originally written for an unsuccessful play called The Great Magoo, this song was used in the 1933 movie Take a Chance. Paul Whiteman recorded it that year. There were two very fine recordings in the 1940s by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, which sealed the popularity of the song. Since that time, it has been a popular and jazz favorite that has been widely recorded.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It’s Only a Paper Moon” in 1998 for his album for children, The Playground. Bennett is accompanied by The Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosh on bass, Clayton Cameron on drums, and Gray Sargent on guitar. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first album that guitarist Gray Sargent recorded for. Gray is in Bennett’s current quartet and this writer continues to be impressed with his very fine work.

“It’s Only a Paper Moon,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Thursday, January 2, 2020, is “The song of the day for is ” More Than You Know.”

About This Song

More Than You Know” was written by Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, and Edward Eliscu for the 1929 Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns, who had collaborated with Bennett in 1959 for Hometown, My Town, was the arranger and conductor for the album.

” More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.”

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Sunday, March 17, 2019, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written in 1929 by Vincent Youmans (music) with Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu (lyrics). It was written for the Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns, who had previously arranged Hometown, My Town, released in 1959.

More Than You Know – Remastered

More Than You Know – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes

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