The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: It Was Written on the Stars

The song of the day for Monday, March 29, 2021, is “It Was Written on the Stars.”

About This Song

Harold Arlen and Leo Robin wrote “It Was Written In the Stars” for the 1948 movie Casbah, which starred Yvonne DeCarlo, Tony Martin, and Peter Lorre. Tony Martin introduced the song in the movie.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It Was Written on the Stars” in 1960 for his album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. It was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.

It Was Written In The Stars

Listen to It Was Written In The Stars on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1960.

“It Was Written on the Stars,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: This Time The Dream’s On Me

The song of the day for Friday, March 5, 2021, is “This Time The Dream’s On Me.”

About This Song

“This Time The Dream’s On Me” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film musical, Blues in the Night, which also featured the title song. Blues in the Night is a somewhat film noir musical about a down-on-their-luck band that plays blues music.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “This Time The Dream’s On Me” for his 1960 album Tony Bennett Sings A Stream Of Harold Arlen. Glenn Osser arranged and conducted the orchestra for the album.

This Time The Dream"s On Me

Listen to This Time The Dream"s On Me on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1960.

“This Time The Dream’s On Me,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings A Stream Of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 17, 2021, is “Over The Rainbow.”

About This Song

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg wrote “Over The Rainbow” in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz. Probably the most widely known of all Arlen’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 downed 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.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Over The Rainbow” in 1960 for his album Tony Bennett Sings A String of Harold Arlen. It’s no wonder that Bennett chose Arlen for his first tribute album–Arlen’s body of work will never be eclipsed by any other songwriter. Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

Over The Rainbow

Listen to Over The Rainbow on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1960.

“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings A String of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

I got a couple of extra videos for you today.

The first is very dear to me. It’s Yip Harburg singing “Over The Rainbow” from a television program about American songwriting. It makes me cry–in a good way–every time I watch it.

Yip Harburg - Over The Rainbow

After many requests, I am uploading this short clip which I use in teaching the basics of songwriting. It is a moving version of "Over The Rainbow" by the ly...

The second is from Judy’s final live performance in Denmark in March 1969. She died on June 22, 1969.

Judy Garland - Over The Rainbow (last performance)

With the new Judy Garland (1922-1969) movie coming out, I am listening to the later Judy Garland more. Here is the last public performance of Over The Rainbo...

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: This Time The Dream’s On Me

The song of the day for Sunday, July 5, 2020, is “This Time The Dream’s On Me.”

About This Song

“This Time The Dream’s On Me” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film musical, Blues in the Night which also featured the title song. Blues in the Night is a somewhat film noir musical about a down-on-their-luck band that plays blues music and the folly of selling out for fame and money.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “This Time The Dream’s On Me” in 1960 for the album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser. It’s no surprise that Bennett chose Harold Arlen for his first album consisting of songs written by a single composer. While the American Songbook represents many wonderful songwriters, Harold Arlen is at the top of the list.

“This Time The Dream’s On Me,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: House of Flowers

The song of the day for Monday, June 15, 2020, is “House Of Flowers.”

About This Song

“House Of Flowers” was written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Truman Capote, for the 1954 Broadway musical of the same name, based on a Truman Capote short story. Set in Haiti, the cast included Pearl Bailey, Diahann Carroll, Ray Walston, Geoffrey Holder, and Alvin Ailey. The score featured a steel-drum trio from Trinidad.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “House Of Flowers” for his 1961 album em>Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen; the album was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser. It was the first Bennett album to pay tribute to a composer.

“House Of Flowers,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites