The song of the day for Thursday, May 16, 2024, is “Harlem Butterfly.”

About This Song

“Harlem Butterfly” was written by Johnny Mercer in 1942. It’s one of the few songs where Mercer wrote the music as well as the lyrics, one of those songs being “I Wanna Be Around.” Maxine Sullivan recorded it in 1942 with Bobby Sherman and His Orchestra. Other recordings include those by Julie London, Rebecca Kilgore, Susanna McCorkler, and Bobby Short.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Harlem Butterfly” on October 1, 1971, for his album With Love. Robert Farnon wrote the arrangement.

“Harlem Butterfly,” as well as With Love, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s a lovely 1987 recording of today’s song made by Maxine Sullivan and Bob Wilbur from their album Close As Pages in a Book: