The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 22, 2025, is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1937 musical Between the Devil, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. Another great Schwartz-Dietz song from Between the Devil was “I See Your Face Before Me.” This song was used in the 1953 Fred Astaire film, The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “By Myself” in July 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Steppin’ Out won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“By Myself,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

We have two wonderful videos today. First up is Fred Astaire singing “By Myself” from The Band Wagon, released in 1953.

Next is Judy Garland singing “By Myself” on her television program in 1964. Be sure to watch until the end. Her exit is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen.

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Song of the Day: Isn’t This a Lovely Day

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 16, 2025, is “Isn’t This a Lovely Day.”

About This Song

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 for the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. In the film, Astaire and Rogers are caught in a rainstorm while sitting in an outdoor gazebo. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire. This song has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” in May 1987 for his tribute to Irving Berlin: Bennett/Berlin.

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the scene from Top Hat, with Astaire and Ginger Rogers:

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Saturday, April 12, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire, who introduced the song. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Lyricist Dorothy Fields remarked:

The first time Jerry played that melody for me, I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.

Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, accompanied by Bill Charlap on piano, recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” in 2015 for The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap, who produced the album, wrote the arrangement.

The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern won the 58th Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a couple of videos today:

Official VEVO video for today’s song:

And here’s the scene from Swing Time, where Fred Astaire sings today’s song:

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Song of the Day: Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Friday, February 21, 2025, is “Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1932 Broadway musical Flying Colors. The same song was used for the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, which starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Shine On Your Shoes” in July 1993 for his album in tribute to Fred Astaire: Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Shine On Your Shoes,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

Fred Astaire performed “Shine On Your Shoes” in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon. Astaire insisting on using a genuine shoe shiner for the number and Leroy Daniels, who sang and danced while he did shoeshines and worked just by the gates at MGM, was cast.

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Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 28, 2025, is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.” The song was used in the 1953 film The Band Wagon, where it was danced to by Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dancing in the Dark” in July 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, a tribute to Fred Astaire.

“Dancing in the Dark,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

Here are Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse performing “Dancing in the Dark” from the 1953 film The Band Wagon: