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 Wednesday, January 10, 2018 is “Penthouse Serenade.”

About This Song

“Penthouse Serenade” was written in 1931 by Will Jason and Val Burton. The song 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: Nat King Cole recorded it 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 is really wonderful with a brilliant arrangement by Ralph Burns.

About This Version

Today, the blog got a comment from a reader who expressed his admiration for this particular recording and the wonderful pairing of Tony Bennett and Ralph Burns, who did the arrangements for the 1959 Hometown, My Town, including today’s song “Penthouse Serenade.” Regular readers may already know of my love for this short album–in just six songs, Bennett and Burns give us a rich, nuanced, and almost biographical experience of starting life in Manhattan, full of talent, dreams, joy and heartbreak.

Penthouse Serenade

Listen to Penthouse Serenade on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“Penthouse Serenade,” as well as 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 Monday, December 4, 2017 is “The Party’s Over.”

About This Song

“The Party’s Over” was written for the 1956 Broadway hit, Bells Are Ringing, with music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden. The song was introduced by Judy Holliday, who won the Tony award for her performance and who also appeared in the film version opposite Dean Martin.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Party’s Over” for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town. Ralph Burns did the great arrangement for this and all the other songs on this album.

The Party"s Over

Listen to The Party"s Over on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“The Party’s Over,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

As an extra treat, here’s the magnificent Judy Holliday singing “The Party’s Over” from the 1960 film version of Bells Are Ringing.

About Today

I realized yesterday that I had forgotten the anniversary of the birth of one of this numbers songwriters, Adolph Green, who was born on December 2, 2014. He had a long and productive writing career with his partner Betty Comden. Together they wrote lyrics for many Broadway musicals and also had a brilliant career in Hollywood, not the least of which was their screenplay for the movie Singin’ In The Rain. Many of the songs we all know and love, like this one or “Some Other Time” were written by Comden and Green.

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Song of the Day: The Skyscraper Blues

The song of the day for Thursday, June 29, 2017 is “The Skyscraper Blues.”

About This Song

“The Skyscraper Blues” was written in 1948 by Tom Adair and Gordon Jenkins for the Broadway revue Along Fifth Avenue, which starred Jackie Gleason and Nancy Walker.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Skyscraper Blues” in 1958 for his album Hometown, My Town. The arrangement is by our musical collaborator of the month, Ralph Burns. If you close your eyes, you can imagine yourself alone in New York City.

The Skyscraper Blues

Listen to The Skyscraper Blues on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“The Skyscraper Blues,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Ralph Burns, our musical collaborator of the month, was born on June 29, 1922 in Newton, Massachusetts. It has been a joy for me to focus on his arrangements for Tony Bennett this month.

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Sunday, June 18, 2017 is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written for the 1937 musical Between the Devil by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. Another great Schwartz-Dietz song from Between the Devil was “I See Your Face Before Me.” This song was used in the 1953 Fred Astaire film, The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “By Myself” for his 1959 album Hometown, My Town, with an arrangement by Ralph Burns.

By Myself

Listen to By Myself on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


“By Myself,” as well as 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 Sunday, June 11, 2017 is ” I Cover The Waterfront.”

About This Song

“I Cover the Waterfront” was written in 1933 by Johnny Green, with lyrics by Edward Heyman. 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

Tony Bennett recorded “I Cover The Waterfront” in 1958 for the album Hometown, My Town. The arrangement was written by our musical collaborator of the month, Ralph Burns.

I Cover The Waterfront

Listen to I Cover The Waterfront on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1959


” I Cover The Waterfront,” as well as Hometown, My Town, is available from iTunes.

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