The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Swinging on a Star

The song of the day for Friday, March 14, 2025, is “Swinging on a Star.”

About This Song

“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others. The song was a favorite of your author when she was a small child. I actually remember singing it loudly at the breakfast table one morning.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in June 1998 for his children’s album, The Playground. Bennett was accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Gray Sargent on guitar, Paul Langosh on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: White Christmas

The song of the day for December 16, 2023, the third day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas,” written by Irving Berlin in 1940, is one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often-heard verse of the song, we hear that “the sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24 …” And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas,” expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 and it completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s “White Christmas” single is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100 million copies.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “White Christmas” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin, consisting completely of songs written by Irving Berlin. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

We also have Bing Crosby’s recording of today’s song:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: White Christmas

The song of the day for Thursday, December 22, 2022, the ninth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas” was written in 1940 by Irving Berlin. It’s one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often heard verse of the song, we hear that

The sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th …

And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas,” expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 and completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s single “White Christmas” is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100 million copies.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “White Christmas” in May 1987 and was released that year on Bennett/Berlin. This song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

And here’s that Bing Crosby recording from 1942:

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Monday, October 31, 2022, is “But Beautiful.”

About This Song

“But Beautiful” was written in 1947 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. The song was written for Bing Crosby to sing in the movie The Road to Rio. This song has been widely recorded, including recordings by Bill Evans, Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Bill Evans and Tony Bennett recorded “But Beautiful” in June 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“But Beautiful,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Swinging on a Star

The song of the day for Monday, July 27, 2021, is “Swinging on a Star.”

About This Song

“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others.

This was my favorite song when I was 5 years old. I have a distinct memory of singing it, loudly, in the kitchen while my Mom was making dinner. I don’t remember how my performance was received, though I suspect I was lucky to not have been told to shut up.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in 1998 for his album of music for children The Playground. There’s some nice work from bassist Paul Langosch on this recording.

Swinging On A Star

Listen to Swinging On A Star on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1998

“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.