The song of the day for Friday, January 3, 2025, is “Baby, Dream Your Dream.”
About Today
For 2025, I’ll be honoring the lyricists who wrote the wonderful words for the songs we all love. This idea started when I ran across this anecdote over the holidays:
The division of credit between music composers and lyricists can be controversial. Some lyricists believe that their songwriting skills are not given adequate respect. One vivid anecdote revealed the unhappiness of Dorothy Hammerstein who was the wife of the prominent Broadway song creator Oscar Hammerstein II.
During an extravagant New York gala Dorothy overheard a man effusively praising the song “Ol’ Man River.” The man’s remarks concluded with acclaim for the genius of Jerome Kern. Dorothy stepped forward and responded energetically: Jerome Kern wrote ‘dum, dum, dum-dum’. My husband wrote “Ol’ Man River”.
We’re starting out with the great Dorothy Fields.
About This Song
“Baby, Dream Your Dream” was written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the 1966 musical Sweet Charity, directed by Bob Fosse and starring Gwen Verdon.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “Baby, Dream Your Dream” on December 14, 1965, for his album For Once In My Life, released in 1967. David Rose wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
“Baby, Dream Your Dream,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available on Apple Music.