An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Tuesday, September 1, 2026, is “Two By Two.”
“Two By Two” was written by Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim for their 1965 musical Do I Hear a Waltz.
Tony Bennett recorded “Two By Two” on February 19, 1965 for If I Ruled the World: Songs For The Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
“Two By Two,” as well as If I Ruled the World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Wednesday, June 24, 2026, “New York, New York.”
“New York, New York” was written by in 1977 by John Kander and Fred Ebb for the 1977 film New York, New York, directed by Martin Scorsese. Liza Minelli performed the song in the film. Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1979 for his 1980 album Trilogy: Past Present Future.
Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra recorded “New York, New York” in 1993 for Frank Sinatra: Duets. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.
“New York, New York,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights,Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.
We are pleased to include Liza Minnelli’s performance of “New York, New York” from the film:
We are also pleased to include Sinatra’s first recording of the song that became so closely identified with him.
The song of the day for Monday, June 1, 2026, is “Fly Me To the Moon.”
“Fly Me To the Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard, who was born 111 years ago on June 1, 1915. The song was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song to “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”
Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me To the Moon” on February 18, 1965, for If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
“Fly Me To the Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available on Apple Music.
We also have a video of Tony Bennett singing “Fly Me To the Moon,” featuring Joel Smirnoff on violin (Smirnoff also played violin on Bennett’s 1999 album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool). The video is from the 1988 television special Tony Bennett Live by Request: An All-Star Tribute.
The song of the day for Sunday, April 19, 2026, is “Then Was Then and Now Is Now.”
Sixty-one years ago on April 19, 1965, Columbia Records released one of most favorite Tony Bennett albums, If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set.
“Then Was Then and Now Is Now” was written by Cy Coleman and Peggy Lee. Lee released it on an album of the same name in 1965.
Tony Bennett recorded “Then Was Then and Now Is Now” on February 18, 1965, for If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.
“Then Was Then and Now Is Now,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available on Apple Music.
And here is Miss Peggy Lee singing her own song on Then Was Then (and Now Is Now).
The song of the day for Saturday, April 18, 2026, is “Spring in Manhattan.”
“Spring in Manhattan” was written in 1963 by Anthony Scibetta and Alice Reach.
Tony Bennett recorded “Spring in Manhattan” on April 8, 1963, featuring an arrangement by Don Costa. It was released as a single in 1963 and was also added to the 1964 album The Many Moods of Tony.
“Spring in Manhattan,” as well as The Many Moods of Tony, is available on Apple Music.