The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Monday, June 30, 2025, is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating the late Lena Horne, who was born in New York City on June 30, 1917. She was a singer, actress, and dancer, in addition to being a civil rights activist.

In 1974, Lena Horne and Tony Bennett performed Tony & Lena Sing on Broadway for several months. Lena appeared on Broadway again in her 1981 one-woman revue Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music, which I had the great thrill of seeing.

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller and Andy Razaf. It’s one of Waller’s better known songs and for good reason. The tune is very well written and Razaf’s lyrics are delightful. Waller recorded the song in 1934 and that recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been recorded steadily throughout the years, including the one from Lena Horne in 1963.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” in July 1995 for Here’ To The Ladies, featuring an arrangement by Jorge Calandrelli. For that album, Bennett chose songs made famous by some of the great female singers of the 20th century. He chose to honor Lena Horne with “Honeysuckle Rose.”

“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

I was able to find this video of Tony Bennett and Lena Horne singing “Mood Indigo.” (Date and occasion unknown.)

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Song of the Day: Ain’t Misbehaving

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 19, 2024, is “Ain’t Misbehaving.”

About This Song

“Ain’t Misbehaving” was written in 1929 by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller introduced “Ain’t Misbehaving” in the 1929 musical revue Connie’s Hot Chocolates, staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Andy Razaf, the lyricist, says that Waller wrote the entire song in just 45 minutes. It has become one of Waller’s most well-known songs, perhaps due to the wildly successful Broadway musical revue Ain’t Misbehaving, which opened in 1978.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ain’t Misbehaving” on March 26, 1964, for his album When Lights Are Low. The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano; Hal Gaylord on bass; Billy Exiner on drums) accompanied Bennett for this recording; Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Ain’t Misbehaving,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Monday, January 8, 2024, is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller and Andy Razaf. It’s one of Waller’s better-known songs and for good reason. The tune is very well written and Razaf’s lyrics are delightful. Waller recorded the song in 1934 and that recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been recorded steadily throughout the years, including the one by Lena Horne in 1963.

Tony Bennett and Lena Horne did a show together in 1973 on Broadway. You can read more about here; the article includes a video of the show that they made in England after the Broadway run.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” in July 1995 for Here’s To The Ladies. For this album, Bennett recorded songs associated with some of the best female singers in the 20th century, including Barbra Streisand, Doris Day, Margaret Whiting, and many more. This song was chosen in honor of Lena Horne. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangements and conducted the orchestra.

“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a special treat today! John and Bucky Pizzarelli performing “Honeysuckle Rose” in 2002 at the MAC (Manhatten Association of Cabarets) Awards, followed by “Route 66.” Guitar playing doesn’t get any better than this.

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Song of the Day: Ain’t Misbehaving

The song of the day for Saturday, August 12, 2023, is “Ain’t Misbehavin’.”

About This Song

“Ain’t Misbehaving” was written in 1929 by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Waller introduced “Ain’t Misbehaving” in the 1929 musical revue Hot Chocolates, staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Andy Razaf, the lyricist, says that Waller wrote the entire song in just 45 minutes. It has become one of Waller’s most well-known songs, perhaps due to the wildly successful Broadway musical revue Ain’t Misbehaving, which opened in 1978.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ain’t Misbehaving” on March 26, 1964, with The Ralph Sharon Trio for the album When Lights Are Low. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“Ain’t Misbehaving,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Saturday, May 27, 2023, is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. It’s one of Waller’s better-known songs and for good reason. The tune is very well written and Razaf’s lyric is delightful. Waller recorded it in 1934 and that recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been recorded steadily throughout the years,

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” in July 1995 for his album Here’s To The Ladies, which is comprised of songs associated with the great 20th-century female singers; this song is for Lena Horne. Jorge Calandrelli conducted the orchestra and wrote the arrangement.

Here’s To The Ladies won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Here’s a live performance of “Honeysuckle Rose” by Lena Horne in 1957 at the Waldorf Astoria.