The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Second Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The second song of the day for Wednesday, June 1, 2022, is “Fly Me to the Moon.”

About Today

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Bart Howard, who wrote “Fly Me to the Moon.” Howard was born on June 1, 1915, in Burlington, Iowa. He began his career as an accompanist at the age of 16.

About This Song

“Fly Me to the Moon” was written by Bart Howard in 1954, though the original title was “In Other Words.” It was later changed by the publisher and the song began to take off after that.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me to the Moon” on February 18, 1965, for the album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. The arrangement was written by Don Costa.

“Fly Me to the Moon,” as well as If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Monday, March 21, 2022, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” in 1965 for the album If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Sweet Lorraine

The song of the day for Thursday, March 17, 2022, is “Sweet Lorraine.”

About Today

Today we are honoring Nat “King” Cole, who was born on March 17, 1919.

About This Song

“Sweet Lorraine” was written in 1928 by Cliff Burwell and Mitchell Parish. It was originally a vaudeville song; the Rudy Valle recording made the song quite popular and a nice, up-tempo jazz number. Nat “King” Cole had a major hit with this song in 1940.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Sweet Lorraine” in 1965 in Chicago. Bennett was working with cornettist Bobby Hackett at the Palmer House. Nat “King” Cole had passed away just the month before and they wanted to do a recording of “Sweet Lorraine,” one of Cole’s early hits. Hackett played the ukulele for the recording and a friend of his, Joe Marsala, played clarinet. The recording was included on If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set.

“Sweet Lorraine,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

We were very pleased to find a video of Nat Cole and his trio performing “Sweet Lorraine.”

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Song of the Day: Two By Two

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 9, 2022, is “Two By Two.”

About This Song

“Two By Two” was written by Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim for the musical Do I Hear A Waltz?, which opened in 1965, although the song was cut from the score before the show opened. Oscar Hammerstein, Rodgers’s writing partner and Sondheim’s mentor, said as he was dying that he wanted the two of them to work together on a project. Unfortunately, the partnership was not good for either of them and the production was not well-received by the critics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Two By Two” in 1965 for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. It was arranged and conducted by Don Costa.

“Two By Two,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Falling In Love With Love

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 26, 2022, is “Falling In Love With Love.”

About This Song

“Falling In Love With Love” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1938 Broadway musical The Boys of Syracuse. This song pairs a beautiful Rodgers waltz melody with the adult and rather somber lyrics by Hart: in other words, a perfect Rodgers and Hart song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Falling In Love With Love” in 1965 in sessions for If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, but was not released on the original LP album. Instead, it was released on the 1997 CD re-release of the album. Don Costa wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Falling In Love With Love,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set is available on Apple Music.

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