The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Anything Goes

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 9, 2021, is “Anything Goes.”

About Today

Today we are honoring the great Cole Porter, who was born 130 years ago today, June 9, 1891, in Peru, Indiana.

About This Song

“Anything Goes” was written by Cole Porter in 1934 for the musical of the same name. In Anything Goes, Cole Porter and book writers Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse created one of the great musical comedy characters of all time: Reno Sweeney, played by Ethel Merman in the original 1934 production. The score contains many of Porter’s most popular songs, including “I Get a Kick Out You,” “You’re The Top,” and “Blow, Gabriel, Blow.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Anything Goes” at his 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall, captured on Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall.

Anything Goes (From "Anything Goes") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962

Listen to Anything Goes (From "Anything Goes") - Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY - June 1962 on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1962.

“Anything Goes,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: From This Moment On

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 26, 2021, is “From This Moment On.”

About This Song

Cole Porter originally wrote this song for his musical Out Of This World, but it was dropped from the show. It was used instead in Kiss Me Kate. For the film version of Kiss Me Kate, It was the basis for a fantastic dance choreographed (and danced) by a young Bob Fosse, featuring Ann Miller. Doris Day recorded this song as a single in 1950; the Frank Sinatra 1957 recording for A Swingin’ Affair! was instrumental in the popularity of this song. It has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne, and Susannah McCorkle.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “From This Moment On” at his stage show at the grand opening of The Sahara hotel in Las Vegas. The performance was captured for the album Live at The Sahara — Las Vegas 1964.

From This Moment On - Live at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV - April 1964

Listen to From This Moment On - Live at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV - April 1964 on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1964.

“From This Moment On,” as well as Live at The Sahara – Las Vegas 1964, is available from Apple Music.

Thanks to YouTube, we’re happy to include that trademark Bob Fosse dance.

From This Moment On

Ann Miller, Tommy Rall, Jeanne Coyne, Bobby Van, Carol Haney and Bob Fosse dancing to From This Moment On from Kiss Me Kate

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Song of the Day: Love For Sale

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 5, 2020, is “Love For Sale.”

About This Song

“Love For Sale” was written by Cole Porter in 1930 for his Broadway musical The New Yorkers. The song was sung by a prostitute advertising her services. The song was considered rather scandalous at the time. In fact, for the production of The New Yorkers, it was supposed to be sung by the white star Kathryn Crawford, but the song was assigned to an African-American singer instead. In spite of being banned from play on the radio, “Love For Sale” has had many fine recordings, including those by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, and Miles Davis

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love For Sale” in 1957 for his third album, The Beat of My Heart. Ralph Sharon had just been hired as Bennett’s pianist and musical director; together they conceived the album. In addition to creating a very good jazz band for the album, they brought in percussionists to play as well. “Love for Sale” featured Candido, Sabu, and Bennett’s regular drummer, Billy Exiner.

Love for Sale

Listen to Love for Sale on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1957.

“Love For Sale,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Begin the Beguine

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 21, 2020, is “Begin the Beguine.”

About This Song

“Begin the Beguine” was written by Cole Porter for the 1935 musical Jubilee. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108 measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Begin the Beguine” 63 years ago today, on October 21, 1967, for his album The Beat of My Heart. This song was not included on the original album but was added to the first CD release. The recording was arranged by Ralph Sharon. For The Beat of My Heart, Bennett invited drummers and percussionists to participate in the recordings for the album; this song featured drummer Jo Jones.

“Begin the Beguine,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Just One Of Those Things

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 14, 2020, is “Just One Of Those Things.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Just One of Those Things” for the 1935 musical Jubilee. It’s one of Porter’s most popular songs and has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder in “American Popular Song” spoke of the lyric as ‘a trip to the moon on gossamer wings’ and “that it seems impossible that it wasn’t sitting on his piano, waiting for Porter even before he wrote the lyric.” It has certain literary fame as well: Holden Caulfied, in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye likes the song and notes that even the “stinking band” in the hotel lounge “couldn’t ruin it entirely.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just One Of Those Things” 63 years ago today–October 14, 1957, for the album The Beat of My Heart. The band was fantastic: Ralph Sharon (musical director and piano), Nat Adderly (trumpet), Al Cohn (tenor sax), Milt Hinton (bass), and Art Blakey (drums). It’s a wonderful recording.

“Just One Of Those Things,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from Apple Music.

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