The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Daybreak

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 11, 2023, is “Daybreak.”

About This Song

“Daybreak” was written by Ferde Grofé, with lyrics by Harold Adamson. The song was part of a classical suite of songs by Ferde Grofé called Mississippi Suite, composed in 1925. Lyricist Harold Adamson took the theme from the final movement and wrote lyrics for it, resulting in the song “Daybreak.” Dinah Washington recorded “Daybreak” for her album I Concentrate On You, released in 1960.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Daybreak” in July 1995 and released that year on Here’s To The Ladies. The song is in tribute to Dinah Washington. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Daybreak,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Dinah Washington’s 1960 recording of “Daybreak” from I Concentrate on You.

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Song of the Day: Maybe This Time

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 10, 2023, is “Maybe This Time.”

About This Song

“Maybe This Time” was written in 1963 by John Kander and Fred Ebb and used in the film version of Cabaret, sung by Liza Minnelli. It was not written for the original Broadway production. Nor was it written especially for the film version; Kander and Ebb had written the song in 1963 for Kaye Ballard. It was therefore not eligible for consideration for an Academy Award.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Maybe This Time” in July 1995 and released that year on Here’s To The Ladies. The song is in tribute to Liza Minnelli.

Tony Bennett sang “Maybe This Time” regularly at his concerts and it was always one of the highlights of the show. If you have access to Apple Music, you can hear the full concert version of “Maybe This Time” from the iTunes Festival: London 2010 performance here.

“Maybe This Time,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

I also found this video from a concert on November 11, 2013:

Here’s Liza Minnelli’s recording of “Maybe This Time” from Cabaret.

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Song of the Day: Sentimental Journey

The song of the day for Monday, January 9, 2023, is “Sentimental Journey.”

About This Song

“Sentimental Journey” was written in 1944 by Les Brown and Ben Homer, with lyrics by Bud Green. It was a hit record for Les Brown and His Band of Renown; it featured Doris Day as vocalist and this song was her first #1 hit song. The song was popular in the US as soldiers returned home at the end of World War II. The song is a well-known standard and has been recorded by Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Ames Brothers.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Sentimental Journey” in July 1995 and released that year on Here’s To The Ladies. The song is in tribute to Doris Day, who first recorded the song. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Sentimental Journey,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the 1944 recording of “Sentimental Journey” by Les Brown and His Band of Renown, featuring Doris Day.

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Song of the Day: Honeysuckle Rose

The song of the day for Sunday, January 8, 2023, is “Honeysuckle Rose.”

About This Song

“Honeysuckle Rose” was written in 1929 by Thomas “Fats” Waller and Andy Razaf. This song one of Waller’s better-known tunes and for good reason. The tune is very well written and Razaf’s lyric is delightful. Waller recorded the song in 1934 and that recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The song has been recorded steadily throughout the years, including the one by Lena Horne in 1963.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Honeysuckle Rose” in July 1995 and released that year on Here’s To The Ladies. The song is in tribute to Lena Horne. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

“Honeysuckle Rose,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Lena Horne singing “Honeysuckle Rose” live at The Waldorf Astoria.

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Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Friday, June 10, 2022, is “Over The Rainbow.”

About Today

Please join The Year of Tony Bennett in remembering the great Judy Garland, who was born in Grand Rapid, Minnesota exactly 100 years ago today, June 10, 1922.

I choose to say just one thing about her: I think she was the greatest female singer of the 20th century and her music will never grow old or tired or dated.

About This Song

“Over the Rainbow” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz and is one of the most widely known songs by Arlen or Harburg. Interestingly, the producers wanted to cut the song from the film, as they felt it slowed downed the movie. Thankfully, the preview audiences preferred the movie with the song. “Over The Rainbow” ranked as the #1 song of the 20th century per the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment of the Arts. The song has always been closely associated with Judy Garland. In a letter to Harold Arlen, Judy Garland wrote that the song “…has become part of my life. It’s so symbolic of everybody’s dreams and wishes that I’m sure that’s why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I’ve sung it thousands of times and it’s still the song that’s closest to my heart.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Over The Rainbow” in July 1995 for his album Here’s To The Ladies, which honors the great female singers of the 20th century. It was arranged by Bill Holman.

“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies is available on Apple Music.

Of course, we have Judy singing today’s song from the 1939 classic The Wizard Of Oz.

I’d like to close with a clip of Tony’s visit to The Judy Garland Show, aired on July 30, 1963. You can see here how fond they were of each other.

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