The Year of Tony Bennett is happy to celebrate the birthday of the great Count Basie, who was born this day in 1904.

The song of the day for Wednesday, August 21, 2013 is “Life is a Song.”

About This Song

“Life is a Song” was written by Fred Ahlert and Joe Young; the song was written in 1935. Other Ahlert songs include “Bye, Bye Blackbird” and “I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter.”

About This Version

Today’s song is from the album Basie/Bennett, released in 1959. This album featured Tony Bennett with the Count Basie Orchestra. However, only this song and “Jeepers Creepers” featured Basie himself on piano.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2d0KVeTGh0NtRMJTyMITGY
“Life is a Song,” as well as the Basie/Bennett album, is available on iTunes.