The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

On the sixth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, the song of the day for is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin for the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis, where it was sung by Judy Garland to Margaret O’Brien. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song. It’s mine too.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas. Mr. Bennett is accompanied by his quartet, featuring Lee Musiker on piano, Gray Sargent on guitar, Paul Langosch on bass, and Harold Jones on drums. It’s a wonderful arrangement.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Listen to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2008.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s the lovely scene from Meet Me In St. Louis

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | Meet Me In St. Louis | Warner Archive

Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) #WarnerArchive #WarnerBros #MeetMeInStLouis Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St. Louis, leading up to the opening of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (more commonly referred to as the World"s Fair) in the spring of 1904.

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Tony Live! Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, August 8, 2020, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written by Bart Howard in 1954. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song to “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett has only recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” twice: the original 1965 recording on If I Ruled the World and in 1994 for his live performance on MTV Unplugged. On a personal note, your author has seen Mr. Bennett perform live around a dozen times and he has sung this song at every one of those performances. He asks for his microphone to be cut off and invites guitarist Gray Sargent to join him and then he sings “Fly Me To The Moon.” The first time I attended a Tony Bennett concert, I was seated in the balcony. And I heard every single word. It was truly phenomenal. And for all the rest of his concerts that I’ve attended, they turn off the microphone and he sings this beautiful song. It thrills me each and every time. My memories of Tony Bennett singing “Fly Me To The Moon” are among my most precious.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s the video from the live telecast.

Tony Bennett - Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) (Live on MTV Unplugged)

Tony Bennett perfmoring Fly Me to the Moon (In Other Words) from MTV Unplugged Listen to Tony Bennett: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/listenYD Subscribe to the official Tony Bennett YouTube channel: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/subscribeYD Follow Tony Bennett: Facebook: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/followFI Instagram: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/followII Twitter: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/followTI Website: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/followWI Spotify: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/followSI YouTube: https://TonyBennett.lnk.to/subscribeYD Chorus: Fly me to the moon Let me play among the stars Let me see what spring is like on A-Jupiter and Mars In other words, hold my hand In other words, baby, kiss me #TonyBennett #FlyMeToTheMoon #MTVUnplugged

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Song of the Day: It’s Only a Paper Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 10, 2020, is “It’s Only a Paper Moon.”

About This Song

“It’s Only a Paper Moon” was written in 1933 by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Yip Harburg and Billy Rose. Originally written for an unsuccessful play called The Great Magoo, this song was used in the 1933 movie Take a Chance. Paul Whiteman recorded it that year. There were two very fine recordings in the 1940s by Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole, which sealed the popularity of the song. Since that time, it has been a popular and jazz favorite that has been widely recorded.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It’s Only a Paper Moon” in 1998 for his album for children, The Playground. Bennett is accompanied by The Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosh on bass, Clayton Cameron on drums, and Gray Sargent on guitar. To the best of my knowledge, this is the first album that guitarist Gray Sargent recorded for. Gray is in Bennett’s current quartet and this writer continues to be impressed with his very fine work.

“It’s Only a Paper Moon,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Monday, September 16, 2019, is “But Beautiful.”

About This Song

“But Beautiful” was written in 1947 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for Bing Crosby to sing in the 1947 movie The Road to Rio. The song has been widely recorded, including recordings by Bill Evans, Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “But Beautiful” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek, featuring an arrangement by Jorge Calandrelli. It’s a pleasure to present this recording. I feature this song often on this site, but always the recording that Tony made with Bill Evans for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album. Both of these recordings are stunning.

“But Beautiful,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.

I’d also like to include this video from the recording of “But Beautiful for Cheek To Cheek. Thre are many videos of Tony Bennett recording with duet partners, but this one is my absolute favorite. First, it’s a great illustration of how Tony likes to record, which is not as common these days. The video shows Tony and Lady Gaga in the recording studio, as well as Bennett’s quartet. These are all great musicians and it’s wonderful to see them. Note the exquisite guitar by Gray Sargent. Second, it’s meaningful to see these Tony and Lady Gaga work this song. “But Beautiful” is not your garden-variety love song, with lyrics like

Love is tearful, or it’s gay
it’s a problem or it’s play
It’s a heartache either way
but beautiful…

Even reading these lines tugs at my heart. Watching Tony and Lady Gaga sing this song is like watching the arc of a love affair.

Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga - But Beautiful (Studio Video)

TONY BENNETT & LADY GAGA: CHEEK TO CHEEK - LIVE available now! iTunes: http://smarturl.it/CTCLiveiT Amazon DVD: http://smarturl.it/CheekDVDamz Amazon Blu-Ray: http://smarturl.it/CheekBluRayAmz CHEEK TO CHEEK album available now: iTunes: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheek Google Play: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekGP Amazon MP3: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekAmz Amazon CD: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekCD http://cheektocheek.ladygaga.com/ http://www.ladygaga.com http://www.tonybennett.com

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Song of the Day:Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

The song of the day for Friday, March 292, 2019, is “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive.”

About This Song

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” was written in 1944 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. This charming song was written in the style of sermon with the message of being positive is the key to happiness. Mercer is said to have heard a sermon by Father Divine, who said “you got to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” And thus this memorable song was born. The song was first used in the 1944 movie Here Comes the Waves, starring Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton. Significant recordings include those by Bing Crosby, Kay Kyser, Artie Shaw, Ella Fitzgerald, and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive” in 1998 for his delightful album for children: The Playground. He is accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Quartet, featuring Sharon on piano, Clayton Cameron on drums, Paul Langosch on bass, and Gray Sargent on guitar.

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

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