The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 3, 2026, is “Solitude.”

Tony Bennett performed at Carnegie Hall in a two-act concert on June 9, 1962.

1962 was an important year for Tony Bennett: the release of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” the Carnegie Hall concert, and the August White House concert at the invitation of President Kennedy.

From now through June 9, we’ll be playing songs from that concert.

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in 20 minutes. Ellington and his band arrived at a recording studio, and found out that they needed to recorded another song in addition to the 3 songs scheduled. It’s had many fine recordings, including those by Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Sonny Rollins, and Ellington/

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Solitude” live at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 1962. A recording of the album, Tony Bennett Live at Carnegie Hall, was released in August 1962.

“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Ellington’s 1940 recording of “Solitude,” with Ivie Anderson on vocals.

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Song of the Day: Darn That Dream

The song of the day for Thursday, March 5, 2026, is “Darn That Dream.”

About This Song

“Darn That Dream” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange for the 1939 musical Swingin’ the Dream, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The cast had many big names: Louis Armstrong playing Bottom, Maxine Sullivan as Titania, Bill Bailey and Dorothy Dandridge. It only ran for 13 performances and is considered to be a flop. Fortunately, “Darn That Dream” proved to be a big hit and earned some money for the investors.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Darn That Dream” on August 11, 1954, for his first album with Columbia Records, Cloud 7, released in 1955. Chuck Wayne, who played guitar on the album, wrote the arrangement.

“Darn That Dream,” as well as Cloud 7, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Friday, December 5, 2025, is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933 by Will Hudson, Irving Mills, and Eddie DeLange. The song has been popular since it was written. The first recordings were by Joe Venuti and His Orchestra, Ethel Waters, and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. Later recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” live on April 12, 1994, for the television program MTV Unplugged. The resulting album, MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, was released on June 28, 1994. Bennett appeared with his trio: Ralph Sharon (piano), Doug Richeson (bass), and Clayton Cameron (drums).

“Moonglow,” as well as MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Sunday, August 24, 2025, is “Solitude.”

On June 9, 1962, Tony Bennett sang at Carnegie Hall. The concert was taped, and an abbreviated version of the Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall was released 63 years ago on August 24, 1962. This release contained 28 of the 44 songs Bennett sang that night and was released on 2 long-playing records. The full concert was released on 2 CDs in 1997.

About This Song

“Solitude” was written in 1934 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short. It’s a very strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Billy Eckstine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Solitude” on June 9, 1962, live at Carnegie Hall for Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Solitude,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Solitude

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 26, 2024, is “Solitude.”

About This Song

“Solitude” was written by Duke Ellington in 1934, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange and Irving Mills. One of his masterpieces, Ellington is said to have written “Solitude” in twenty minutes at the recording session, as they were one number short. It’s a very strong song for both vocalists and instrumentalists. Ellington made over a hundred recordings of this song. Other great recordings include those by Paul Robeson, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Billy Eckstine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Solitude” on December 30, 1958, with Count Basie and His Orchestra for the 1959 album In Person!

“Solitude,” as well as In Person!, is available on Apple Music.

I found this video of Tony Bennett and Duke Ellington and His Orchestra appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show on April 6, 1969. Their set starts with “Love Scene” followed by “Solitude” (starting at 2:17):