The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: If I Ruled The World

The song of the day for Thursday, September 22, 2022, is “If I Ruled The World.”

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse for the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Dicken’s The Pickwick Papers. Harry Secombe, the British actor, originated the role of Pickwick, and his version of this song charted at #18 in the UK. The production opened in New York in 1965 on Broadway, produced by David Merrick. Tony Bennett’s was one of the earliest American recordings and the song reached #34 on the US pop singles charts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “If I Ruled The World” on February 19, 1965, for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. The arrangement was written by Don Costa.

“If I Ruled The World,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: If I Ruled The World

The song of the day for Thursday, October 21, 2021, is “If I Ruled The World.”

About Today

Today we are honoring lyricist Leslie Bricusse, who died on October 19, 2021, at the age of 90. Obituaries: New York Times, Washington Post, Rolling Stone Magazine, The Times (UK), and The Guardian.

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written in 1963 by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse for the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Dicken’s The Pickwick Papers. Harry Secombe, the British actor, originated the role of Pickwick, and his version of this song charted at #18 in the UK. The production opened in New York in 1965 on Broadway. Tony Bennett’s was one of the earliest American recordings and the song reached #34 on the US pop singles charts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “If I Ruled The World” in 1965 for If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, featuring an excellent Don Costa arrangement.

If I Ruled the World

Listen to If I Ruled the World on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1965.

“If I Ruled The World,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: If I Ruled the World

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 26, 2021, is “If I Ruled the World.”

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse for the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Dicken’s The Pickwick Papers. Harry Secombe, the British actor, originated the role of Pickwick, and his version of this song charted at #18 in the UK. The production opened in New York in 1965 on Broadway. Tony Bennett’s was one of the earliest American recordings and the song reached #34 on the US pop singles charts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “If I Ruled The World” for his 1965 album “If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. It was arranged and conducted by Don Costa.

If I Ruled the World

Listen to If I Ruled the World on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1965.

“If I Ruled the World,” as well as If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: If I Ruled The World

The song of the day for Friday, August 14, 2020, is “If I Ruled The World.”

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse for the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Dicken’s The Pickwick Papers. Harry Secombe, the British actor, originated the role of Pickwick and his version of this song charted at #18 in the UK. The production opened in New York in 1965 on Broadway. Tony Bennett’s was one of the earliest American recordings and the song reached #34 on the US pop singles charts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “If I Ruled The World” in 1965 for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set. The song was arranged by Don Costa.

“If I Ruled The World,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Tony Live! If I Ruled The World

The song of the day for Saturday, May 30, 2020, is “If I Ruled The World.

About This Song

“If I Ruled The World” was written in 1963 by Cyril Ornadel and Leslie Bricusse for the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Dicken’s The Pickwick Papers. Harry Secombe, the British actor, originated the role of Pickwick and his version of this song charted at #18 in the UK. The production opened in New York in 1965 on Broadway. Tony Bennett’s was one of the earliest American recordings and the song reached #34 on the US pop singles charts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “If I Ruled The World” on January 31, 1971, at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. The noted composer, conductor, and arranger Robert Farnon led The London Philharmonic Orchestra for the concert, which was released on the album Get Happy with The London Philharmonic Orchestra.

“If I Ruled The World,” as well as Get Happy with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, is available from iTunes.

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites