The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The song of the day for Thursday, March 5, 2015 is “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.”

About This Song

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the musical By Jupiter in 1942. Directed by Joshua Logan, it starred Ray Bolger, Vera-Ellen and Constance Moore. It was their last full-length work. In American Popular Music, Alec Wilder called this song “one of the loveliest songs Rodgers or any other theater writer has ever written. In the area of this form of music it is a masterpiece.”

About This Version

It’s no secret that I love the music of Rodgers and Hart. I’m guessing that Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon do as well; today’s song is the third song on the album and all three have been written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. And there’s one more to come.

Unlike some of Hart’s lyrics, this one is completely without irony; the song is sincere and heartbreaking. And beautifully sung, with great heart, by Tony Bennett.

Nobody"s Heart Belongs To Me

Listen to Nobody"s Heart Belongs To Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1961

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The song of the day for Friday, May 9, 2014 is “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.”

About This Song

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1942 musical By Jupiter. The song was introduced by Constance Moore and then reprised later in the show by Ray Bolger. It was their last full-length work. In American Popular Music, Alec Wilder called this song “one of the loveliest songs Rodgers or any other theater writer has ever written. In the area of this form of music it is a masterpiece.”

About This Version

On October 28, 1959, Tony Bennett and his pianist and musical director, Ralph Sharon, walked into the famed CBS 30th Street Studio with a briefcase full of sheet music. Bennett says in his autobiography The Good Life that “I decided to go in the opposite direction from the big orchestral albums I’d been doing lately and cut an intimate piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon.” Over the course of the afternoon, they would pull out a song and work up spontaneous arrangements and record the songs in just one or two takes. They recorded sixteen songs that day, twelve of which ended up on Tony Sings For Two. Bennett relates that Mitch Miller stormed out of the session in his frustration. Needless to say, Tony Sings For Two is one of the finest albums that Tony Bennett made during his entire career and is beloved by his fans and any one who loves the American Songbook. And I am glad that one of the songs they recorded is this lovely Rodgers and Hart song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0pNwau3h5Xq9LxwLO58Y9c
“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 20, 2013 is “Nobody’s Heart Belongs to Me.”

About This Song

This touching song is from the from the 1942 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart musical By Jupiter, where it was introduced by Constance Moore.

For more information about “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,”  including the lyrics, please view this song topic at our sister site, The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

About This Version

Today’s song is from one of my favorite Tony Bennett albums: Tony Sings For Two. In what was a very unusual album in 1961, Bennett recorded this album of standards with just the accompaniment of his pianist, Ralph Sharon.  The result was an album of staggering beauty and vocal mastery that showcased Bennett’s voice perfectly.

For more information about Tony Songs For Two, please view this album topic at our sister site, The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0pNwau3h5Xq9LxwLO58Y9c
“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,”  as well as the Tony Sings For Two album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Wait Till You See Her

The song of the day for Friday, May 17, 2013 is Wait Till You See Her.

About This Song

Wait Till You See Her is a lovely waltz by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1942 for the musical By Jupiter, which was their next-to-last collaboration. Over Hart’s objections, the song was cut from the show before the official opening. However, Mabel Mercer had fallen in love with the song and began to feature it in her cabaret shows. Alec Wilder, in American Popular Song, called it “…one of the loveliest songs Rodgers or any other theater writer has ever written.” Wilder first heard it sung by Mabel Mercer and credits her for the ongoing popularity of the song as standard.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1973 Improv album Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. I have always been a big fan of the songs of Rodgers and Hart, but Bennett’s treatment of these songs is truly wonderful. In addition to his light and sensitive treatment of this waltz, the songs in this series are remarkable as well for the composition of the quartet that he used. The quartet was composed of Ruby Braff on cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar and John Guiffrida on bass. The arrangement for Wait Till You See Me is light and subtle. Listen for the very soft and very beautiful cornet work. And even though this song is very short at not quite a minute and a half, it says everything that needs to be said about this song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4oEagl4qc4RY25lYvv5P1f
Wait Till You See Her, as well as the full Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The Song of the Day for September 17, 2012 is Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.

About Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

This song was written for the 1942 Broadway musical By Jupiter, directed by Joshua Logan, which ran for 427 performances. The musical is set in ancient Greece and features a plot of Amazon warrior women and Greek warriors and starred Constance Moore and Ray Bolger. Also well-known from By Jupiter is Wait Til You See Her.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon included this song on Tony Sings For Two, on which Bennett was accompanied only by Sharon.  It’s really wonderful to hear Tony Bennett sing with just piano and this album is a favorite of mine. And, on this favorite album, this song never fails to move me deeply.