The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: They All Laughed

The song of the day for Thursday, March 13, 2014 is “They All Laughed.”

About This Song

“They All Laughed” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 movie Shall We Dance, which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This is rather charming list song that has had several fine recordings, including those by Astaire, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They All Laughed” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, which features songs introduced by Fred Astaire. He performs this song regularly in his concerts and always appears to have a lot of fun singing it.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4x3CTTO912EbRIypUxIQBC
“They All Laughed,” as well as the album Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Girl I Love

The song of the day for Monday, March 3, 2014 is “The Girl I Love.”

About This Song

“The Girl I Love” was originally written by George and Ira Gershwin 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

Today’s version is from one of my favorite Tony Bennett albums: Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist. It’s a terrific arrangement featuring the Ralph Sharon Trio with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. It starts slow and sweet for a couple of choruses and then starts to swing. Very nice.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5AVGEmyWi87JKpahidXKgD
“The Girl I Love,” as well as the album Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: A Foggy Day

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 25, 2014 is “A Foggy Day.”

About This Song

“A Foggy Day” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 movie Damsel in Distress, where it was beautifully performed by Fred Astaire. It’s said that George and Ira wrote this song in less than an hour.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1992 album Perfectly Frank. This song, as well as the entire album, was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. It features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3njEybkalMuRNdlL5xBHcs
“A Foggy Day,” as well as the album Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Love Walked Right In

The song of the day for Thursday, January 16, 2014 is “Love Walked Right In.”

About This Song

George Gershwin wrote the music for “Love Walked Right In” in 1930, though Ira Gershwin’s lyric wasn’t written until 1937 for the movie The Goldwyn Follies, released in 1938. Louis Armstrong recorded it that same year and the song has stayed popular, with recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Artie Shaw and Sammy Kaye, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love Walked Right In” in 1956 for his second full-length album Tony, released in 1957. It was arranged and conducted by Ray Conniff. Tony has always been an interesting album to me. On one hand, we hear the big dramatic sound that Bennett was known for early in his career. At the same, though, he’s singing songs in a more introspective manner, showing his impeccable phrasing, as in today’s song and “Lost in the Stars.”

http://open.spotify.com/track/12g7iTirVNLnBwSanuvi4o
“Love Walked In,” as well as the album Tony, is available from iTunes.

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

The song of the day for Friday, September 13, 2013 is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

Today’s song is, of course, by George and Iran Gershwin. It was written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. Gershwin died from a brain tumor soon after the film was released. He left a body of work that would be the envy of any composer, though he was only 39 years old when he died.

About This Version

Today’s version of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” is from Tony Bennett’s 1993 album Steppin’ Out. I enjoy this version for many reasons, the least of which is that he sings the verse, which is seldom heard. Actually, one of the many reasons I love Tony Bennett’s singing is because he does sing the verse so often.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0O6zqUCiOz7ocTC8DbseXh
“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as the album Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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