The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Cheek to Cheek

he song of the day for Monday, May 11, 2026,”Cheek to Cheek.”

About Today

We have another birthday today: Irving Berlin. Israel Isidor Beilin was born in Tyumen, Russia, on May 11, 1988. His family emigrated to the US in 1893, settling in New York. The family name was changed to Berlin when they were naturalized.

You can read more about Irving Berlin at irvingberlin.com.

About This Song

“Cheek to Cheek” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1935 film Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, where it was introduced (beautifully) by Fred Astaire. Though the song was nominated for an Academy Award (it lost to “Lullaby Of Broadway”), it became a hit in 1935 and has remained popular to this day. Significant recordings include those by Harry James, Glenn Miller, Roy Eldridge, Bing Crosby and many, many more. Fans of the Tom Hanks’ movie The Green Mile might remember this song, as Top Hat is viewed in the prison. For many, it is one of the very first songs that comes to mind when one thinks of Fred Astaire and the 1930s Hollywood musical.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cheek to Cheek” in May 1987 for his tribute to Irving Berlin: Bennett/Berlin, featuring George Benson on guitar. Bennett wrote the arrangement.

“Cheek to Cheek,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

Of course, here are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performing “Cheek to Cheek” from Top Hat.

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

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 14, 2026, is “Isn’t This a Lovely Day.”

About This Song

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day” was written by Irving Berlin for the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. In the film, Astaire and Rogers are caught in a rainstorm while sitting in an outdoors 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 the album Bennett/Berlin. Accompanying Bennett was the Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums).

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

Here are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performing “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” from Top Hat.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Sunday, January 5, 2025, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Dorothy Fields and Jerome Kern for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers. It was used in the early part of the film when Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he could dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, accompanied by The Bill Charlap Trio, recorded “Pick Yourself Up” in 2015 for his album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. In addition to leading the trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums), Bill Charlap also wrote the arrangements and co-produced the album with Dae Bennett.

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

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a couple of videos today. First up, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers from Swing Time:

This video is a favorite of mine. It was project of the Actors Fund to support entertainers during the COVID pandemic. Huge collection of incredibly talented people, led by Tony DeSare.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 16, 2024, is ” Pick Yourself Up.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is very happy to wish Bill Charlap a fond Happy Birthday. He was born on October 15, 1966, in New York. He is one of the great jazz pianists of this generation. His father, Moose Charlap, was a Broadway composer who wrote Peter Pan, among other musicals. His mother is Sandy Stewart, a noted cabaret artist; she and Bill did several albums together: Love Is Here To Stay (2004) and Something To Remember (2011). His wife, Renee Rosnes, is a world-class jazz pianist and is a founding member of ARTEMIS, an all-women jazz ensemble.

Bill Charlap worked with Tony Bennett for many years, starting with his 2006 studio recording of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” the second studio recording of that song and was released on Duets: An American Classic. He was the musical director, pianist, and arranger for the 2011The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Renee Rosnes also played dual piano wth Bill in this album. He served in the same role for the 2015 Love Is Here to Stay, the duet album with Bennett and Diana Krall.

Happy Birthday to the Bill Charlap!

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (see videos later in this post). It was used in the early part of the film when Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he can dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” in 2015 for his album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, with an arrangement by Bill Charlap. The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums accompanies Bennett on this recording.

” Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got some great videos for you today. First up is the dance numbers from Swing Time:

Swing Time, part 1

Swing Time, part 2

“Pick Yourself Up” – All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund
This video was released on June 25, 2020, to help raise donations for The Actors Fund, helping actors and musicians who could not work due to the Covid-19 shutdowns. I love this video and I love the cause.

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

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 20, 2024, 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 outdoors gazebo. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire. This song has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, and Jeri Southern.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t This a Lovely Day?” in May 1987 for the album Bennett/Berlin. The arrangement was written by Tony Bennett.

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

Here’s the number from Top Hat: