Finian's Rainbow Archives | Page 7 of 8 | The Year of Tony Bennett

January 9, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Friday, January 9, 2015 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane (music) and Yip Harburg (lyrics) for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.

About This Version

“Old Devil Moon” is the fourth song on our album of the month, Cloud 7. This is the first song on the album that really swings and it’s a lot of fun. Bennett is having great time with the Harburg lyrics and the accompaniment is wonderful, featuring some nice guitar work from Chuck Wayne.

About Today

Old Devil Moon
Listen to Old Devil Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1955

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.

July 26, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, July 26, 2014 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane (music) and Yip Harburg (lyrics) for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow. It’s far and away the most popular song from the score, though “How Are Things in Gloccamora?” has also found a home in popular music.

The song has been widely recorded. Significant recordings include those by Chet Baker, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Anita O’Day, Len Horne and trombone player J.J. Johnson.

About This Version

Sometimes your author gets hooked on one of Tony Bennett’s albums; when that happens, you’ll see a lot of songs from the same album in a relatively short period of time. Right now, that album is Tony Makes It Happen! Released in 1967, it’s a powerfully sung album with great arrangements of outstanding material. But how can you possibly go wrong with Marion Evans arranging your album? The album deserves a listen if you haven’t thought about it for a while.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4t3I5khZ6TCaoSYYW1cKms
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

For our YouTube Saturday offering, here is Tony Bennett singing today’s song at his legendary 1994 MTV Unplugged television performance. He opened the show with “Old Devil Moon.”

September 5, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Thursday, September 5, 2013 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow by Burton Lane, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Finian’s Rainbow also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s legendary 1971 concert with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Farnon.

From the review in The Stage:

“This evening has been the most exciting and greatest episode in my singing career” Tony Bennett told The Stage after the magnificent performance he at the Albert Hall in aid of The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Nation Appeal Fund.

A great ovation was given to Tony Bennett when he bounced on stage and opened with a snappy number “I Want To Be Happy.”

Nothing fancy — no gimmicks, just excellent singing of many of the songs that have made him world famous.

A wonderful performance that made his ecstatic fans go wild with applause.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5aV8dSbhVggrfNlutQE5G3
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the Get Happy with The London Philharmonic Orchestra concert recording, is available from iTunes.

August 17, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, August 17, 2013 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was composed by Burton Lane with lyrics by Yip Harburg in 1947 for the musical Finian’s Rainbow. This musical about an Irishman named Finian who moves to the state of Missitucky and plans to bury a pot of gold (stolen from a leprechaun) near Fort Knox, thinking that the treasure will grow. The plot includes the leprechaun named Og and a corrupt American senator. It proved quite popular, running for over 700 performances with a film released in 1968, starring Fred Astaire as Finian.

About This Version

Today’s song is from the 1967 album Tony Makes It Happen! I have been listening to this album a lot lately: first of all, it’s a very fine album with some of Bennett’s best songs on it. Secondly, the entire album was arranged by the great Marion Evans, who wrote the arrangements for the jazz album that Bennett and Lady Gaga are recording. The arrangements on Tony Makes It Happen! are outstanding and the entire album is certainly worth a careful listen. After studying this album quite a bit for the last week or so, I am more excited than ever about Bennett and Lady Gaga’s new album.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4t3I5khZ6TCaoSYYW1cKms
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.