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 Monday, April 18, 2022, 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 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, his tribute to the songs sung by Fred Astaire. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Thursday, March 31, 2022, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A 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 “A Shine On Your Shoes” in 1993 for his album “Steppin’ Out,” which consisted of songs that Fred Astaire introduced. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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

Here are Fred Astaire and Leroy Daniels performing “A Shine On Your Shoes” from The Band Wagon.

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Song of the Day: One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 15, 2022, is “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road).”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett celebrates the birth of America’s greatest songwriter, Harold Arlen. Arlen was born on February 15, 1905.

About This Song

“One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 film The Sky’s The Limit, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. Harold Arlen called this song one of his “tapeworms” as at 48 bars, it was longer than the standard 32 bar popular song. Alec Wilder, in American Popular Song, says that “the honors must go the lyric. … Just imagine having the acuity and courage to start a song, as Mercer does, with “It’s a quarter to three”!

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“One For My Baby (And One More For The Road),” as well as Oerfectly Frank is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a special video today: Fred Astaire singing today’s song from the 1943 file The Sky’s The Limit.

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Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 12, 2022, 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.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dancing In the Dark” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns, who had arranged and conducted Bennett’s 1959 album Hometown, My Town, did the same for this album.

“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

In addition to being a fine song, it’s also one Fred Astaire’s best dance numbers, from the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, featuring Cyd Charisse.

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Song of the Day: I Concentrate On You

The song of the day for Monday, December 6, 2021, is “I Concentrate On You.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “I Concentrate On You” in 1940 for the film Broadway Melody of 1940. It’s one of Porter’s best songs, with recordings by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Judy Garland among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Concentrate On You” in 1993 for his album of songs made famous by Fred Astaires: Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“I Concentrate On Youw,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

Here are Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell dancing to “I Concentrate On You” from Broadway Melody of 1940:

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