The song of the day for Monday, June 1, 2026, is “Fly Me To the Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To the Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard, who was born 111 years ago on June 1, 1915. The song 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 recorded “Fly Me To the Moon” on February 18, 1965, for If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Fly Me To the Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available on Apple Music.

We also have a video of Tony Bennett singing “Fly Me To the Moon,” featuring Joel Smirnoff on violin (Smirnoff also played violin on Bennett’s 1999 album Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool). The video is from the 1988 television special Tony Bennett Live by Request: An All-Star Tribute.