The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: When Do The Bells Ring For Me?

The song of the day for Monday, August 17, 2015 is “When Do The Bells Ring For Me?”

About This Song

This song was written in 1989 by New York cabaret artist Charles DeForest especially for Tony Bennett to sing on Astoria: Portrait of the Artist. DeForest got his professional start as a singer for the Benny Goodman Orchestra, but soon set out on his own as a performer in piano bars and cabarets in Manhattan. He won several awards for his cabaret work, including those from the Manhattan Association of Cabarets in 1994 and 1996 and the Mabel Mercer Foundation in 1992. Mr. DeForest died in 1992. “When Do The Bells Ring For Me?” became his signature song.

About This Version

Astoria: Portrait of the Artist is one of my favorite of Tony Bennett’s albums. The album, which is beautifully arranged and sung, tells the story of the young man returning home after serving in the war and discovering who he is as an adult. It’s really an extraordinary album and this beautiful song opens the album. The album was produced by Danny Bennett and features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Joe LaBarbera on drums and Paul Langosch on bass.

When Do The Bells Ring For Me

Listen to When Do The Bells Ring For Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1990


“When Do The Bells Ring For Me?,” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When Do The Bells Ring For Me

The song of the day for Saturday, October 19, 201 is “When Do The Bells Ring For Me.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written by Charles DeForest, one of New York’s preeminent cabaret singers and pianists, who performed in Manhattan nightclubs for more than forty years. His songs were performed by Tony Bennett, who was one of his great champions, and other singers including George Shearing and Blossom Dearie. Mr. DeForest died in 1996; his obituary from the New York Times may be read here.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded this song in 1989 for his autobiographical album Astoria: Portrait Of The Artist. In this album, Bennett explores his life after he returned home to Astoria from World War II and studied, practiced and studied and then practiced and studied a lot more in his quest to become a singer. I find this album quite moving and I listen to it often; it’s not always easy to look back on your life and revisit the past. Bennett does it quite brilliantly here.

I also find this album an interesting counterpoint to his 1959 album Hometown, My Town, which is another favorite of mine. Here is our young man experiencing the excitement of Manhattan as he wonders about and plans for his future. And then, thirty years later, he takes on this trip to his past. If you have some time to be reflective, it’s interesting to listen to these albums in a single sitting.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1m1Zt0FKHaXYAYllzshFQt
“When Do The Bells Ring For Me,” as well as the album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

I also want to show you the back cover of the album … it’s really striking to be able to view them both.

Astoria-CD-back

And, as it’s what I’m now calling YouTube Saturday, here’s a video from the Tony Bennett Vevo Channel of our song, the video of which is a charming (and sometimes funny — see 2:06 for an example) look at Bennett’s performing career.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Come Home Again

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 17, 2013 is “I’ve Come Home Again.”

About This Song

One of three wonderful songs by Charles deForest on this album, “I’ve Come Home Again” was written especially for Astoria: Portrait of the Artist. Charles DeForest was a well-known composer and performer in New York for many years. He died in 1996. To learn more about Charles DeForest, here is a remembrance by friends posted on the Cabaret Hotline and his obituary from the New York Times. His other two songs on this album are When Do The Bells Ring For Me and Where Do You Go From Love. All three are wonderful songs.

About This Version

Yesterday, I was texting with my co-blogger Lesley and asked her what she was doing “… listening to Astoria,” she said and I replied that I was listening to Hometown, My Town. I cannot think of either of these albums without thinking of the other. In Hometown, My Town we meet the young man with great and wonderful dreams about skyscrapers and penthouses, determined to conquer New York (if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere, but that’s another song). And then in Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, the mature man looks back on those very early days, just returned home from fighting in a war and working and studying to make a dream come true, and shares those memories of his old neighborhood. His home, still, after all these years. And with “I’ve Come Home Again” he shares with us these thoughts:

I’ve touched a star or two
Tomorrow if I try
Even brighter stars and prayers
Will be answered
And should the moment blind me
That little boy will remind me
Hand in hand, we’ll go home again.

And so when Lesley asked me to make “I’ve Come Home Again” the song of the day, I was more than happy to make it so.

To read the liner notes for Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist, please visit this topic at our sister site (still being developed) The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

http://open.spotify.com/track/72OlhrmOcmJNnx8fcsYffH
“I’ve Come Home Again,” as well as Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When Do The Bells Ring For Me

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 27, 2103 is When Do The Bells Ring For Me.

About This Song

When Do The Bells Ring For Me was written by composer, pianist and songwriter Charles DeForest. Mr. DeForest was a noted cabaret performer in New York for virtually his entire professional life. His songs were recorded by George Shearing, Blossom Dearie, Chris Conner, Sylvia Syms and, of course, Tony Bennett, who featured three of his songs on his 1990 album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist.

About This Version

Today’s recording is from Astoria, which I believe is one of Tony Bennett’s best and most beautifully realized albums. It’s an autobiographical album, which starts with the return of the young World War II veteran to his home in Astoria as he adjusts to his life again, falls in love, and begins his career. In this song, he asks the question that all of us have asked ourselves at some point: when do the bells ring for me?

When Do The Bells Ring For Me

Listen to When Do The Bells Ring For Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1990

Thanks to YouTube, here’s a video of Tony performing this song from the 1991 Grammy Awards: