The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Thursday, June 25, 2026, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire–Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs Astaire introduced in his films, no dance number was associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” on October 16, 1967, for the album For Once In My Life. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available on Apple Music.

We have the scene from Shall We Dance where Fred Astaire sings today’s song to Ginger Rogers. Sorry, no dancing.

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Song of the Day: Somebody Loves Me

The song of the day for Saturday, June 20, 2026, is “Somebody Loves Me.”

About This Song

“Somebody Loves Me” was written by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald and Buddy DeSylva, for the 1924 George White’s Scandals. It has been widely recorded since it was first published, with recordings from 1924 until the present. Significant recordings include those by Dinah Shore, Lena Horne, Diana Washington, Peggy Lee, Duke Ellington, Nat King Cole, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall recorded “Somebody Loves Me” for their 2018 album of George Gershwin music: Love Is Here To Stay. The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums) accompanied the entire album. Charlap wrote the arrangement for this song.

“Somebody Loves Me,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay is available on Apple Music.

Paul Whiteman recorded this instrumental of today’s song in October 1924. It’s one of the first recordings of “Somebody Loves Me.”

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Song of the Day: Who Cares?

The song of the day for Friday, May 29, 2026, is “Who Cares?”

About This Song

“Who Cares?” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1931 Broadway musical Of Thee I Sing which won the 1932 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It’s one of their very popular songs with many fine recordings, including those by Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, and Judy Garland.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Who Cares?” for his 2018 album Love Is Here To Stay. He was accompanied by The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap, piano; Peter Washington, bass; Kenny Washington, drums). Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement.

“Who Cares?,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Love Is Here To Stay

The song of the day for Thursday, May 21, 2026, is “Love Is Here To Stay.”

About This Song

“Love Is Here To Stay” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin in 1937 for The Goldwyn Follies movie, which was released after George Gershwin’s death. It’s also known as “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” but the published title of the song omits the “Our.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love Is Here To Stay” on November 4, 1958, for his album Hometown, My Town, released in 1959. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Love Is Here To Stay,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Girl I Love

The song of the day for Friday, September 12, 2025, is “The Girl I Love.”

About This Song

“The Girl I Love” was written in 1924 by George and Ira Gershwin. The song was was originally written for the 1924 Broadway musical Lady, Be Good, though it was cut from that production. It was used again in 1927 for Strike Up The Band, but that production closed out of town. The lyrics were revised to “The Man I Love” for the 1928 Rosalie, but was cut from that production as well. In spite of all that, it rightly has its place as one of the great songs in the American Songbook. Notable recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Forrest, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Helen Morgan, and many, many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Girl I Love” live on April 12, 1994, on MTV Unplugged. The album MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett was released a few months later. The songs from the televised concert were arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett won two Grammy Awards in 1994:

  • Album of the Year
  • Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance

“The Girl I Love,” as well as MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, is available on Apple Music.