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 Sunday, July 19, 2015 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, with music by Burton Lane and lyrics from Yip Harburg. Also from this musical is the song “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

Today’s version is Bennett’s second recording of “Old Devil Moon.” He recorded for his first album, Cloud 7, in 1954. Today’s version is from 1964 for the album Tony Makes It Happen!. I love the opening of this song, with the glissando of strings; Rainbow is, after all, a musical filled with magic. While the strings continue to remind us of its ethereal quality, this is a superb big band arrangement.

I think my favorite part comes about 1:20 into the recording, where Bennett holds the note as he sings ‘love’ for what seems like forever, while the brass climbs up the scale. It’s really fantastic!

About This Week

This week, The Year of Tony Bennett honors a friend of this blog: Marion Evans. During the week, we will feature recordings by this gifted arranger.

Marion Evans and Tony Bennett in 1967. Photo by Milt Hinton.
Marion Evans and Tony Bennett in 1967. Photo by Milt Hinton.

Evans arranged and conducted all the songs on Bennett’s 1967 album Tony Makes It Happen! and continues to arrange for him today.

Old Devil Moon

Listen to Old Devil Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“Old Devil Moon,” as well as 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 Sunday, May 17, 2015 is “You’re All The World To Me.”

About This Song

“You’re All The World To Me” was written for the 1951 MGM musical Royal Wedding by Burton Lane (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (lyrics).The film starred Fred Astaire. Astaire performed this song in one of the most famous shots in all of musical film: the dancing on the ceiling number.

About This Version

I really enjoy this recording of “You’re All The World To Me.” The arrangement, especially with the brushes on the drums, does a wonderful job of suggesting the danceability of the number. There is a wonderful airiness to his singing. The more I listen to Steppin’ Out, the more I love the album. Mr. Bennett also sang this song on his MTV Unplugged concert.

You"re All the World to Me

Listen to You"re All the World to Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1993

“You’re All The World To Me,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

Here is Fred Astaire singing and dancing to “You’re All The World To Me.”

For you film buffs, this video shows the mechanics of how this shot was accomplished:

The person who created this explanation explains it second-by-second on his website Bigfott.com.

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 17, 2015 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg 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.”

As today is St. Patrick’s Day, it is only fitting that we feature a song from that most Irish of musicals, Finians’ Rainbow, which is mostly about pots of gold at the end of the rainbow and leprechauns.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded this song several times; in fact, we featured his first recording in January as part of the album of the month study of Cloud 7. Today’s version is from 1967; it was arranged and conducted by Marion Evans and was included on Tony Makes It Happen!

Old Devil Moon

Listen to Old Devil Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

Because I’m still feeling a bit guilty for missing Saturday’s song and YouTube video, here’s Tony singing today’s song from his 1994 MTV Unplugged concert. Enjoy! Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

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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.”