An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett
The song of the day for Saturday, January 25, 2025, is “Right As The Rain.”
“Right As The Rain” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1944 Broadway musical Bloomer Girl.
Tony Bennett recorded “Right As The Rain” on August 17, 1960, for Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. The album was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.
“Right As The Rain,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Friday, January 9, 2025, is “What Good Does It Do.”
“What Good Does It Do” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montálban; the principal dancer was Alvin Ailey. Yarburg had been blacklisted during the McCarthy period and was unable to work in film or TV from 1951 to 1962. Fortunately, producer David Merrick and Broadway welcomed Yarburg. Jamaica was nominated for major Tony Awards, including Best Musical, all the acting nominations, and both scenic and costume design, though it lost to The Music Man.
Tony Bennett recorded “What Good Does It Do” on August 18, 1960, for his album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. The album was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.
“What Good Does It Do,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Tuesday, January 21, 2025, is “Over The Rainbow.”
We’re continuing our examinations of lyricists with Yip Harburg. He was born in New York City on April 8, 1898, and was named Isidore Hochberg. His parents, Lewis and Mary Hochberg, were Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jews from Russia. He later changed his name to Edgar Yipsel Harburg, called Yip for short. He attended high school and befriended another student, Ira Gershwin, and they shared a love of Gilbert and Sullivan and worked together on the school paper. After college, marriage, and two children, he wrote light verse for newspapers and co-owned an appliance company that went bankrupt following the stock market crash of 1929. At that time, Ira and Yip decided that Harburg should start writing song lyrics. “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” was one of his earliest songs. On the basis of that song, he was offered a contract with Paramount Studios, where he worked with Harold Arlen, Vernon Duke, Jerome Kern, Jule Styne, and Burton Lane. He also wrote lyrics for several Broadway musicals, including Bloomer Girl and Finian’s Rainbow.
Harburg was also a social activist and a member of the Socialist Party. Even though he was not a communist, he was blacklisted from 1950 until 1962, unable to work in Hollywood films, television, and radio.
Yip Harburg died in an automobile accident on Sunset Boulevard on March 5, 1981, at the age of 84. It was determined that he had suffered a heart attack while stopped at a red light.
“Over The Rainbow” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
Probably the most widely known of all Harburg’s songs, “Over The Rainbow” is from The Wizard Of Oz. Interestingly, the producers wanted to cut the song from the film, as they felt it slowed down the movie. Thankfully, the preview audiences preferred the movie with the song. “Over The Rainbow” ranked as the #1 song of the 20th century per the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment of the Arts. The song has always been closely associated with Judy Garland. In a letter to Harold Arlen, Judy Garland wrote that the song “…has become part of my life. It’s so symbolic of everybody’s dreams and wishes that I’m sure that’s why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I’ve sung it thousands of times and it’s still the song that’s closest to my heart.”
Tony Bennett recorded “Over The Rainbow” on August 15, 1960, for his album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, released in 1961. Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available on Apple Music.
In 1979, Yip Harburg appeared on a television program called They Write the Songs. He talked about his career and sang “Over The Rainbow.”
Here’s an extended version of Harburg’s appearance on They Write the Songs.
The song of the day for Sunday, October 13, 2024, is “Follow Me.”
Today’s song, “Follow Me,” was recorded 64 years ago on October 13, 1960.
“Follow Me” was written by Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner for the 1960 musical Camelot, based on T. H. White’s The Once and Future King. The song is sung to Arthur by a water nymph.
Camelot was much beloved by John and Jacqueline Kennedy. Over time, the Kennedy presidency became closely associated with Camelot, as, like that of King Arthur, the Kennedy administration promised a new and vibrant future. After Kennedy’s assassination, Mrs. Kennedy said that her husband’s favorite line from Camelot was “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”
Tony Bennett recorded “Follow Me” on October 13, 1960. It was originally released as a single and was later released on Bennett’s 1962 album Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Hits. Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement.
“Follow Me,” as well as Mr. Braodwway, is available on Apple Music.
The song of the day for Tuesday, August 15, 2023, is “Come Rain or Come Shine.”
Today’s song, “Come Rain or Come Shine,” was recorded 63 years ago today on August 15, 1960.
“Come Rain or Come Shine” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1946 musical St. Louis Woman. The song itself is rather unusual, in that the same note is repeated 12 times in the first two measures. In spite of that repetition, or perhaps because of it, the song works very well for the singer. Al Gioia in Jazz Standards says that “this composition tends to resist grandstanding, and instead appeals to the more introspective improviser.”
Tony Bennett recorded “Come Rain or Come Shine” on August 15, 1960, for his album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen (the first of his albums to feature the music of a single composer). Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
“Come Rain or Come Shine,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available on Apple Music.