The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Have I Told You Lately?

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 24, 2025, is “Have I Told You Lately?.”

About This Song

“Have I Told You Lately?” was written by Harold Rome for the 1962 Broadway musical I Can Get It For You Wholesale.

I Can Get It For You Wholesale marked the Broadway debut of the then 19 year old Barbra Streisand in a supporting role of Miss Marmelstein, a secretary. Her audition for the role was so good, that the writers enlarged her role to take better advantage of her prodigious talents. The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records, and Goddard Lieberson had the good sense to sign the young Streisand to a contract and thus Columbia produced her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, released in 1963.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have I Told You Lately?” on January 23, 1962, for his album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. Marty Manning wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Have I Told You Lately?” as well as I Left My Heart in San Francisco is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: (All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings

The song of the day for Saturday, June 29, 2024, is “(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Ralph Burns, a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, who was born on June 29, 1922, in Newton, Massachusetts. Burns worked with Tony Bennett on several albums and was the primary arranger for Hometown, My Town (1959) and My Heart Sings (1961), and wrote the big band charts for Bennett Sings Ellington Hot & Cool (1999). He also wrote the arrangement for Bennett’s 1959 recording of “Smile.” In addition to his work for Bennett, Burns composed music for many films, including Lenny, Urban Cowboy, My Favorite Year, and The Muppets Take Manhattan. He was also a noted Broadway conductor. Ralph Burns died on November 21, 2001.

About This Song

“(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings” was written in 1944 by Jean Blanvillain (also known as Jamblin), with lyrics by Harold Rome and Henri Laurent Herpin. It was originally used in the 1945 film musical Anchors Aweigh, where it was introduced by Kathryn Grayson. Other notable recordings include those by Paul Anka, Shirley Horn, Al Martino, and Errol Gardner.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings” on April 4, 1961, for his album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“(All Of a Sudden) My Heart Sings,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Have I Told You Lately

The song of the day for Sunday, April 24, 2022, is “Have I Told You Lately.”

About This Song

“Have I Told You Lately” was written in 1962 by Harold Rome for I Can Get It For You Wholesale, which marked the Broadway debut of the then 19-year-old Barbra Streisand in the supporting role of Miss Marmelstein, a secretary. Her audition for the role was so good, that the writers enlarged her role to take better advantage of her prodigious talents. The cast album was recorded by Columbia Records, and Goddard Lieberson had the good sense to sign the young Streisand to a contract and thus Columbia produced her first album, The Barbra Streisand Album, released in 1963.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have I Told You Lately” in 1962, featuring an arrangement by Marty Manning. It was released in 1962 on the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco.

“Have I Told You Lately,” as well as I Left My Heart in San Francisco is available on Apple Music.

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Album of the Week: My Heart Sings

The album of the week starting on February 27, 2022, is My Heart Sings.

My Heart Sings

Tony Bennett remembers My Heart Sings in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Ralph Burns and I got together again to do some singles, including “Smile,” and for our next album we changed gears again. Instead of the lush, ballad-style arrangements we had used on Hometown, My Town, we switched to a cookin’ jazz sound. The album is called My Heart Sings, and I simply love Ralph’s writing on this one. It’s really beautiful music.

This album is a preview of 1962, which was an outstanding year for Tony Bennett, including his concert at Carnegie Hall and winning his first Grammy Award for “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

My Heart Sings was recorded in 3 sessions on 3 consecutive days: April 4, April 5, and April 6, 1961.

Album Facts

Release Date August 7, 1961
Label Columbia
Producer Ernie Altschuler
Vocals Tony Bennett
Arrangements, Conductor Ralph Burns
Piano Bernie Leighton
Bass Milt Hinton
Drums Herb Lovelle
Guitar Barry Galbraith, Chuck Wayne, Mundell Lowe
Saxophone Danny Bank, Al Klink, Toots Mondello, Romeo Penque, Jerry Sanfino
Trumpet Bernie Glow, Irving Markowitz, Jimmy Maxwell, Carl Sereinsen
Trombone Robert Alexander, Urbie Green, Dick Hixson, Frank Rehak
Vibes Eddie Costa

Songs on My Heart Sings

Song Composers
Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me Rube Bloom, Ted Koehler
Dancing in the Dark Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz
I’m Comin’ Virginia Donald Heywood, Will Marion Cook
My Heart Sings Jean Blanvillain (Jamblin), Harold Rome, Henri Laurent Herpin
It Never Was You Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson
You Took Advantage of Me Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart
Close Your Eyes Bernice Petkere
Stella By Starlight Victor Young, Ned Washington
More Than You Know Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, Edward Eliscu
My Ship Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin
Lover Man Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, James Sherman
Toot, Toot, Tootsie Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, Ted Fiorito, Dan Russo

Listen to My Heart Sings

You can also listen to My Heart Sings on

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Song of the Day: My Heart Sings

The song of the day for Thursday, May 23, 2019, is “My Heart Sings.”

About This Song

“My Heart Sings” was composed by Jean Blanvillain aka Jamblin, with lyrics from Harold Rome and Henri Laurent Herpin. The song was used in the 1945 movie Anchors Aweigh, where it was introduced by Kathryn Grayson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “My Heart Sings” in 1961 for the album My Heart Sings, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Burns, who arranged yesterday’s song. There are some contributors, like Ralph Burns and Marion Evans, that I just never get enough of.

(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings – 2011 Remaster

(All of a Sudden) My Heart Sings – 2011 Remaster, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“My Heart Sings,” as well as the album My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.