The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Friday, January 9, 2015 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane (music) and Yip Harburg (lyrics) for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.

About This Version

“Old Devil Moon” is the fourth song on our album of the month, Cloud 7. This is the first song on the album that really swings and it’s a lot of fun. Bennett is having great time with the Harburg lyrics and the accompaniment is wonderful, featuring some nice guitar work from Chuck Wayne.

About Today

Old Devil Moon

Listen to Old Devil Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1955


“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, July 26, 2014 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane (music) and Yip Harburg (lyrics) for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow. It’s far and away the most popular song from the score, though “How Are Things in Gloccamora?” has also found a home in popular music.

The song has been widely recorded. Significant recordings include those by Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Anita O’Day, Len Horne and trombone player J.J. Johnson.

About This Version

Sometimes your author gets hooked on one of Tony Bennett’s albums; when that happens, you’ll see a lot of songs from the same album in a relatively short period of time. Right now, that album is Tony Makes It Happen! Released in 1967, it’s a powerfully sung album with great arrangements of outstanding material. But how can you possibly go wrong with Marion Evans arranging your album? The album deserves a listen if you haven’t thought about it for a while.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4t3I5khZ6TCaoSYYW1cKms
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

For our YouTube Saturday offering, here is Tony Bennett singing today’s song at his legendary 1994 MTV Unplugged television performance. He opened the show with “Old Devil Moon.”

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Song of the Day: The Lady’s In Love With You

The song of the day for Sunday, June 29, 2014 is “The Lady’s In Love With You.”

About This Song

“The Lady’s In Love With You” was written by Frank Loesser and Burton Lane for the 1939 film Some Like It Hot (not to be confused with the excellent 1959 Billy Wilder film), where it was introduced by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. It’s been widely recorded, including those by Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, Margaret Whiting, and Michael Feinstein.

The Year of Tony Bennett would like to remember the great American songwriter Frank Loesser, who was born on this day, June 29, in 1910. Loesser had a remarkable career as the writer of Guys and Dolls, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying and the remarkable The Most Happy Fella. He also wrote for films, including today’s song and “They’re Either Too Young or Too Old” for Stage Door Canteen.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1967 for his album Tony Makes It Happen! This album also features another Loesser song, “Can’t Get Out Of This Mood.” The album was arranged and conducted by Marion Evans.

http://open.spotify.com/track/196IZPSQKytH80IeAzzT4b
“The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: You’re All the World To Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 19, 2014 is “You’re All The World To Me.”

About This Song

“You’re All The World To Me” was written in 1950 by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner for the wonderful 1951 Fred Astaire film Royal Wedding. This is the song of Astaire’s famous dancing on the ceiling number.

About This Version

Both of us woke up this morning, independently, thinking about how much we wanted to see Tony Bennett in concert. It was a powerful wish, as at 10:00 am I got an email from the Oregon Symphony letting me know that Tony Bennett, along with his daughter Antonia, would be performing on November 5 here in Portland, Oregon. (Needless to say, I’ve already bought my tickets.) As a result of thinking of this upcoming concert, I have been in a mood for Bennett’s live recorded concerts.

In that frame of mind, I chose “You’re All The World To Me,” from his 1994 MTV Unplugged concert.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5HlMUQuzjkdhv5Y7ix2HZR
“You’re All The World To Me,” as well as the concert recording of MTV Unplugged, is available from iTunes.

Even after I learned how this shot was accomplished, I never cease to wonder at this number. Thanks to YouTube, I’m able to share it today:

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for March 17, 2014, St. Patrick’s Day, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was composed by Burton Lane with lyrics by E.Y. “Yip” Harburg in 1947 for the Broadway musical Finian’s Rainbow. The musical concerns an Irishman named Finian who moves to the fictional state of Missitucky in the United States. Along with his daughter, he hopes to bury a stolen pot of gold near Fort Knox in hopes that it will grow. Meantime, the leprechaun from whom the gold was stolen has followed them and hopes to recover his treasure. Antics ensue.

About This Version

Tony Bennett included “Old Devil Moon” on is first full-length album, Cloud 7, released in 1955. After five years of recording hits for Mitch Miller, Bennett set out to record a jazz album and the result is this wonderful album. This song was arranged by guitarist Chuck Wayne.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7mEmBTaTM3l9bsIoQ2HS7P
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the album Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.

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