The song of the day for Friday, July 7, 2017 is “Cold, Cold Heart.”

About This Song

“Cold, Cold Heart” was written by Hank Williams in 1951.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cold, Cole Heart” on May 31, 1951. Percy Faith did the arrangement and Mitch Miller was, of course, the producer.

Bennett tells this story in his autobiography The Good Life:

When Mitch first played me Hank Williams’s “Cold, Cold Heart,” I have to admit I didn’t think I should sing it. In those days country artists still used the old-time fiddle, and I told Mitch that I couldn’t do it. He told me just to listen to the words and music, pointing out how beautiful the ending was: “Why can’t I free your doubtful mind/ And melt your cold, cold heart?” He convinced me, and I recorded it. The song started out slowly at first, but it caught on, and it kept climbing the charts until it was number one.

The success of the song resulted in Bennett being a guest star at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. I found this wonderful photo:

Even though the quality of the photo is very poor, how can anyone resist these four artists singing “I Saw the Light.”

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 31, 2017 is “Cold, Cold Heart.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Cold, Cold Heart” was written in 1951 by Hank Williams. Tony Bennett sings this song in concerts and sometimes tells the story of how Mitch Miller played the song and asked Bennett to record it. Bennett told him he couldn’t sing it, as he wasn’t a country and western singer. He says that Mitch said he’d record it even if he (Mitch) had to tie him to a tree. “And so he tied me to a tree …” Bennett quips. It really is a beautiful and heartfelt song and was a big hit for Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cold, Cold Heart” in 1951, with an arrangement by Percy Faith. This recording was on the Billboard charts for 27 weeks and reached #1.