The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Saturday, September 6, 2014 is “It Had To Be You.”

About This Song

“It Had To Be You” was composed in 1924 by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. It is a popular standard with many fine recordings, including those by Paul Whiteman, Cliff Edwards and Frank Sinatra. It has also be used in several films, such as Casablanca and Annie Hall. In spite of this song being 90 years old, it speaks to just about everyone who has ever been in love.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded “It Had To Be You” in 1956 for his second album, Tony. Today’s version, though, is from 1964 for When Lights Are Low, with the Ralph Sharon Trio featuring Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

It Had To Be You

Listen to It Had To Be You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

“It Had To Be You,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

Here’s Tony Bennett singing today’s song from his legendary 1994 MTV Unplugged concert, with Ralph Sharon on piano.

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Song of the Day: It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Monday, March 10, 2014 is “It Had To Be You.”

About This Song

“It Had To Be You” was written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song is a standard in the American Songbook and has been widely recorded. Significant recordings include those by Cliff Edwards, Betty Hutton, Doris Day, Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Bennett’s 2011 Duets II, where he sang this song with Carrie Underwood, whose birthday it is today. Happy Birthday, Carrie Underwood!

http://open.spotify.com/track/328dqlTGkTgH5GPrsQusql
“It Had To Be You,” as well as the album Duets II, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: One For My Baby/It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 15, 2013 is a medley of “One For My Baby” and “It Had To Be You.”

About These Songs

“One For My Baby” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 film The Sky’s The Limit; the song was, of course, introduced by the great Fred Astaire.

“It Had To Be You” was written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn and has been performed and recorded ever since by singers from Cliff Edwards and Ruth Etting to Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. This song is 90 years old and sounds as fresh, current and meaningful as it ever did. Now that’s a great song.

About This Version

Earlier this week, I picked another song from the Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 1 disc for the song of the day. Following my usual custom, I listened to the remaining songs on the disc while writing the song of the day topic, choosing a quote of the day and doing other basic blog duties. When I heard this medley, I knew I had to feature it soon as the song of the day. In reality, the song is “I Had To Be You” with “One For My Baby” at the beginning and the end.

This medley was recorded in 1970 and features John Bunch at the piano. I love listening to Tony Bennett singing a well-written ballad like this: sweet and soft, with impeccable phrasing and attention to the lyric. It’s a beautiful arrangement and I hope you like it as much as I do.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7I6ab6OcXBwR2k3m0QYdEv
The medley of “One For My Baby” and “It Had To Be You,” as well as all of the cuts on Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 25, 2013 is “A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet.”

About This Song

“A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet” was written in 1932 by Gus Kahn and Harry Woods. It was made popular on radio and in clubs by Vincent Lopez. The song was a big hit for Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s autobiographical 1990 album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist.

I chose today’s song as I was thinking about our wonderful weekend at the 56th Monterey Jazz Festival. In our new, upgraded seats this year, there were many wonderful people, some of whom had been coming to the festival for twenty to thirty years. This year, there was great concern about a couple who had been attending for over thirty years (25 years of which were in the same seats near us) who were not there. As a result, people who had known each other for years only from the festival, decided to exchange phone numbers and email addresses and vowed to stay in touch better. Section 150 was indeed a little street where old friends meet.

As the newcomers to section 150, we met many wonderful people, both in our section and in our favorite hang-out spot: the picnic tables near the Courtyard Stage, which featured excellent music from Judy Roberts and Greg Fishman. We handed out cards for this site and are proud to welcome one of our newest subscribers from this year’s festival — Hello Jan! We all attend Monterey Jazz for the music, but we come away not only with many wonderful music memories but new friends as well. And yes, I’m already planning for next year.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0bnJ1AqxPRBjMUXXiMzzJ1
“A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet,” as well as the album Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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Song of the Day: It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Sunday, March 10, is It Had To Be You.

About This Song

It Had To Be You was written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn. Though not originally written for a film, this song was used in the 1939 film The Roaring Twenties and the 1951 Danny Thomas film I’ll See You In My Dreams, based loosely on the life of Gus Kahn, who wrote the song’s lyrics. It was also played by Dooley Thomas in Casablanca. It’s one of those songs that most of us have known and enjoyed for as long as we can remember. Well, me anyway.

About This Version

March 10 is singer Carrie Underwood’s birthday. To help celebrate her birthday, we choose her duet  with Tony Bennett of It Had To Be You from Duets II. Happy Birthday to Carrie Underwood!

Their duet is quite charming and very enjoyable.

http://open.spotify.com/track/328dqlTGkTgH5GPrsQusql
It Had To Be You, as well as the full Duets II album, is available from iTunes.