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 Saturday, October 4, 2014 is “Anything Goes.”

About This Song

Today’s song is the title song for the 1934 Cole Porter musical Anything Goes, starring Ethel Merman. This song closes Act I and is sung by Reno Sweeney, originally played by Merman, with the entire company. The song has been popular since it was written and has been widely recorded over the years.

About This Version

We feature the new Tony Bennett – Lady Gaga recording of “Anything Goes” from their new album, Cheek To Cheek. It’s a fun song and both singers seem to be having a great time singing it.

About Today

It’s YouTube Saturday! For your viewing pleasure, we have the official video for “Anything Goes.”

Anything Goes

Listen to Anything Goes on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2014


“Anything Goes,” as well as the new album Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Anything Goes

The song of the day for Saturday, August 16, 2014 is “Anything Goes.”

About This Song

“Anything Goes” was written by Cole Porter for the 1934 Broadway musical of the same name. The song is sung by the female star, Reno Sweeney, played by Ethel Merman. It was a big hit on Broadway, becoming the fourth long-running musical of the 1930s. It has had many successful revivals, most recently in 2011 by New York’s Roundabout Theater, starring Sutton Foster. Including the original production, revivals and film and television, there are fifteen different cast recordings.

The title song has proven quite popular and is one of Porter’s more popular songs. It’s been recorded many times, by artists ranging from Ella Fitzgerald to Stan Gets and Gerry Mulligan to Frank Sinatra to The Dave Brubeck Quartet.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall, arranged by Ralph Sharon. Bennett also recorded it in 1958 with Count Basie for Basie/Bennett.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1w9E9K8dvUKMbnFKXi7L45
“Anything Goes,” as well as the complete version of Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

YouTube Saturday Video

For our Saturday video, we’re happy to feature the video preview of the new Tony Bennett/Lady Gaga album, Cheek to Cheek, due out next month on September 23, 2014. This video, as well as the release of the single on iTunes, is a sweet teaser for what is sure to be a great album.

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Song of the Day: Just One of Those Things

The song of the day for Friday, July 18, 2014 is “Just One Of Those Things.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Just One of Those Things” for the 1935 musical Jubilee. It soon became one the great standards in the American songbook. Even J.D. Salinger referenced the song in The Catcher in the Rye, when Holden Caulfield states that he likes the song and says that even the “stinking band” in the hotel lounge “couldn’t ruin it entirely.” It’s been recorded by a wide range of performers including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Bing Crosby, Sarah Vaughan and Doris Day.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just One of Those Things” for his 1957 album The Beat of Heart and featured Art Blakey on drums. It was arranged by Bennett and Ralph Sharon. The Beat of My Heart was the first album that Bennett and Sharon did together.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3UNVYYeWBlAgQE8wm0LmzW
“Just One of Those Things,” as well as the album The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Dream Dancing

The song of the day for Sunday, June 15, 2014 is “Dream Dancing.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Dream Dancing” for the 1941 movie You’ll Never Get Rich. It was to be sung by Fred Astaire to his co-star, Rita Hayworth, followed by a dance to the music. The singing of the song was cut, leaving just the instrumental dance number. Astaire liked the song and recorded it, but it came out during an ASCAP strike and got no radio play as a result. Porter used it again in 1957 for This Could Be The Night in a nightclub scene.

In spite of a slow beginning due to these circumstances, the song gradually caught on and has been adopted as a jazz standard. It’s a quite lovely ballad that works well as both as instrumental and a vocal. In addition to this recording by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, “Dream Dancing” has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé and George Shearing and Zoot Sims.

About This Version

“Dream Dancing” is from Bennett’s and Evans’ second album, Together Again, released in 1977.

Dream Dancing - Remastered 2003

Listen to Dream Dancing - Remastered 2003 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 1977

“Dream Dancing,” as well as the album Together Again, is available from iTunes.

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