The song of the day for Friday, February 5, 2016 is “When the Sun Comes Out.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “When the Sun Comes Out,” was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler in 1941. The song is somewhat unusual in the Arlen body of work in that the it was not written for either a musical or a film. The song was first recorded in 1941 by Helen O’Connell with the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra. Other significant recordings include those by Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstein and Judy Garland.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “When the Sun Comes Out” in 1960 for Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, released that same year. It was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.

“When the Sun Comes Out,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from iTunes.

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 3, 2016 is “Let’s Fall In Love.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Let’s Fall In Love,” was written in 1933 by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler for the film of the same name. They had been signed to a five-week contract in Hollywood to write the score. It was Arlen’s first trip to Hollywood and he and Koehler left New York for Hollywood by train. They wrote “Let’s Fall In Love” on the Chief between Chicago and Los Angeles. Arlen was trying to work out the song, but had no keyboard with him. One lunchtime, the porter announced lunch using a set of chimes; Arlen quickly borrowed them to work out the notes for this song and it was all but finished by their arrival a few days later.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Let’s Fall In Love” in 1960 for his first album to pay tribute to a composer: Tony Bennett Sings A String Of Harold Arlen, released the following year. The album was arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0U8zxnsumVMWc4bHmfNmI2br%20/https://open.spotify.com/track/10e1opq0lzrR3K5SNOVJ09
“Let’s Fall In Love,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from iTunes.

The song of the day for Friday, August 15, 2014 is “Let’s Fall In Love.”

About This Song

Harold Arlen wrote “Let’s Fall In Love” in 1933, with lyrics by Ted Koehler. It was written for a movie of the same name, which starred Edmund Lowe and Ann Sothern (I love her!) and was written by Herbert Fields, brother of the great lyricist Dorothy Fields.

Eddie Duchin made one of the first popular recordings of this song. Other significant versions include those by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall and Annette Hanshaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen was Tony Bennett’s first album to focus on the work of a single artist. All of the songs on the album were arranged by Glenn Osser, noted arranged and composer, who passed away on April 29, 2014 at the age of 99. The album was produced by Mitch Miller; it was the last album that Miller produced for Bennett.

About Today

“Let’s Fall In Love,” “House Of Flowers,” “Come Rain or Come Shine” and “Over The Rainbow” were all recorded on August 15, 1960, exactly 54 years ago today. You can click the date to read more about the session at our sister site, The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography. As always, we are amazed and grateful at the depth and integrity of Tony Bennett’s recording career, from 1950 up to today, as we look forward to the release of Cheek to Cheek.