The song of the day for Wednesday, October 15, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”
About Today
The Year of Tony Bennett is pleased to wish Bill Charlap a very happy birthday. Bill Charlap was born on October 15, 1966, in New York City. His father, Moose Charlap, was a noted Broadway composer; his mother is Sandy Stewart, a jazz and cabaret performer. The Bill Charlap Trio has released many fine albums, including Bill Charlap & Sandy Stewart: Love Is Here To Stay and Somewhere: The Songs of Leonard Bernstein, which I am listening to as I write today’s post.
For more information about Bill Charlap, The Bill Charlap Trio, his recordings, and his live performances, visit his website billcharlap.com.
About This Song
“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time; the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked:
The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.
Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.
About This Version
Tony Bennett, accompanied by Bill Charlap, recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” in 2015 for <The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Charlap wrote the arrangement.
The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 58th Annual Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.