The song of the day for Tuesday, December 10, 2013 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

“The Rules of the Road” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. While Coleman and Leigh are best-known for their scores for Broadway musicals, such as Little Me and Wildcat, “The Rules of the Road” was not written for a show. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, the song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Today’s version of “Rules of the Road” is from Tony Bennett’s Live at the Sahara concert in Las Vegas, recorded in 1964 and released this year on iTunes. It’s no secret that “Rules of the Road” is one of my most favorite songs. My content management system tells me it’s the fifth time I’ve featured it as song of the day, to which I reply “only five?”

The first time I saw Tony Bennett in concert was in September, 2007 a short drive away in Seattle. At the time, my mother was in the nursing home; she would be gone in just a few months. I stopped by to visit her before I took off for Seattle. I was telling her about the concert and how excited I was to be going. “He really sends you, doesn’t he” she remarked. She told me the story of how she and my father had gone to San Francisco for the opera and were staying at the Fairmont; Tony Bennett was playing there at the time. As they walked past the venue, they could hear Tony singing from outside and stopped and danced to him for several numbers. “I can see why he sends you,” she told me.

Well anyway, this version, as well as the entire concert, really sends me and is worth a listen.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3O9AKkgeXNXQM4UUeb83dj
“The Rules of the Road,” as well as Tony Bennett Live at the Sahara – Las Vegas, 1964, is available from iTunes.