The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Penthouse Serenade

The song of the day for Sunday, May 25, 2014 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. It is one the classic Depression-era songs with the yearning for the glamorous Manhattan apartment by the poor, yet romantic, couple. The first known use of “Penthouse Serenade” was for the 1933 animated short Betty Boop’s Penthouse, where it was sung by Mae Questel. On a more serious note, “Penthouse Serenade” has had exceptional recordings, including Nat King Cole recording in 1952 as a piano solo for an album of the same name and Tony Bennett’s recording for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town.

About This Version

“Penthouse Serenade” is one of the two long-form arrangements on Hometown, My Town (the other being “Skyscraper Blues”). As with the rest of the album, it was arranged by Ralph Burns. Though it has a relatively short playing time, this album stands as one of the earliest and most cohesive concept albums ever created.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4fqH8vY5L35o48z2H5RAHm
“Penthouse Serenade,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Thursday, May 8, 2014 is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written in 1937 by Arthur Schwartz (music) and Howard Dietz (lyrics) for the film Between The Devil, where it was sung by Jack Buchanan. Notable recordings include those by Fred Astaire, Helen Merrill, Judy Garland and Mabel Mercer.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song first for his 1959 concept album, Hometown, My Town. It was arranged by Ralph Burns and sound as fresh and new as can be. Once again, I’m putting a plug for this album: though it contains only six numbers, each one of them is very fine and several are quite extraordinary, including “Penthouse Serenade” and “The Party’s Over.” What I find so wonderful about Hometown, My Town is that, for this listener anyway, is the album where Tony Bennett is the master of every note of music. In this choice of material, he’s found a relationship to the songs that sticks with me for hours and sometimes days after I listen. It’s available from iTunes for $4.99 and is worth every penny,

http://open.spotify.com/track/6KrDOez1KyBh5Xet2YELIP
“By Myself,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Cover The Waterfront

The song of the day for Monday, April 28, 2014 is “I Cover The Waterfront.”

About This Song

“I Cover The Waterfront” was written in 1933 by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman (both of whom also wrote “Body and Soul”). The song was inspired by the 1932 novel of the same name by Max Miller, which was also made into a film and re-scored just prior to release to include the Johnny Green song. It has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and even John Lee Hooker.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s wonderful autobiographical album about New York City: Hometown, My Town. The song, as well as the entire album, was arranged by Ralph Burns. The big band for the album included Ralph Sharon, Al Cohn, Urbie Green, Al Caiola and Eddie Costa, among others.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1hRgHX7uk5EsS9voflbyfg
“I Cover The Waterfront,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Party’s Over

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 5, 2014 is “The Party’s Over.”

About This Song

“The Party’s Over” was written in 1956 by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden, for the Broadway musical Bells Are Ringing.It starred Judy Holliday, who introduced the song. Other recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Nat “King” Cole and Doris Day.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Party’s Over” for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town. This was one of the earliest concept albums; it tells the story of a young man and his love of New York: dreaming of living in Manhattan, finding love and, in the end, losing that love. The album was arranged by Ralph Burns and features Ralph Sharon on piano. I’ve always felt that Tony Bennett completely found his voice as a jazz singer on this album. It’s one of his finest albums and deserves a listen by any Tony Bennett fan.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1fybSs6gewxKZyojiAHsNB
“The Party’s Over,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Penthouse Serenade

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 31, 2013 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. It is one the classic Depression-era songs with the yearning for the glamorous Manhattan apartment by the poor, yet romantic, couple. The first known use of “Penthouse Serenade” was for the 1933 animated short Betty Boop’s Penthouse, where it was sung by Mae Questel. In addition to Tony Bennett’s recording, Nat King Cole recorded it in 1952 as a piano solo for an album of the same name.

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About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Penthouse Serenade” in 1959 for his album Hometown, My Town. It is really wonderful with a brilliant arrangement by Ralph Burns.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4fqH8vY5L35o48z2H5RAHm
“Penthouse Serenade,” as well as the album Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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