The song of the day for Wednesday, November 22, 2003, is “Skylark.”

About Today

We are celebrating songwriter Hoagy Carmichael on the anniversary of his birth on November 22, 1899, in Bloomington, Indiana. Carmichael composed several hundred songs, including 50 that achieved hit record status. He is best known for composing four of the most-recorded American songs of all time: “Stardust” (lyrics by Mitchell Parish), “Georgia on My Mind” (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), “The Nearness of You” (lyrics by Ned Washington), and “Heart and Soul” (lyrics by Frank Loesser). He also collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on “Lazybones” and “Skylark”. Carmichael’s “Ole Buttermilk Sky” was an Academy Award nominee in 1946, from Canyon Passage, in which he co-starred as a musician riding a mule. “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening”, with lyrics by Mercer, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1951.

About This Song

“Skylark” was written in 1941 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” over a year. He also wrote the lyrics to express his feelings for Judy Garland, with whom he had been involved. Whether true or not, the song and the lyrics are outstanding and easily became a jazz and popular standard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Skylark” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, which Bennett made with Ralph Sharon and no other musicians. “Skylark” was not included in the original LP release of the album, but was added to the 1995 CD re-release.

“Skylark,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.