The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Love is Here to Stay

The song of the day for Friday, April 29, 2022, is “Love is Here to Stay.”

About This Song

“Love is Here to Stay” was written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin for The Goldwyn Follies movie, which was released after George Gershwin’s death. It’s also known as “Our Love Is Here To Stay,” but the published title of the song omits the “Our.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love is Here to Stay” for the 1959 album Hometown, My Town, featuring an excellent arrangement by Ralph Burns.

“Love is Here to Stay,” as well as Hometown, My Town is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Fascinating Rhythm

The song of the day for Friday, April 22, 2022, is “Fascinating Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Fascinating Rhythm” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924 for the Broadway musical Lady Be Good. It was introduced by Cliff Edwards and Fred and Adele Astaire. The Astaires also recorded the song in 1926 with Gershwin on piano. “Fascinating Rhythm” was and still is, a jazz number. For that reason, it has never been out of favor with jazz artists, both vocal and instrumental.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, singing as Joe Bari, recorded “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with “Vieni Qui,” on a 2-sided 78 rpm record on the Leslie Records label. While the record “went absolutely nowhere” (Tony’s description) it was a big deal for Bennett to have made the record at all and served as a great demo disk for the young singer. The record did go somewhere: Mitch Miller, producer for Columbia Records, heard “Fascinating Rhythm,” along with a recording made later that year “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” and decided to sign Bennett to Columbia in 1950. This song, as well as many of Bennett’s very early recordings, is collected on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1.

“Fascinating Rhythm,” as well as the rest of the songs on Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1 is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Hi-Ho

The song of the day for Saturday, March 26, 2022, is “Hi-Ho.”

About This Song

“Hi-Ho” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1936. It was one of the first songs the Gershwin brothers wrote when they first came to Hollywood and slated for the movie Shall We Dance featuring Fred Astaire dancing in the streets of Paris. The song was cut due to concerns over the costs of filming the sequence. The song faded from then and was only published in 1967. Tony Bennett’s was the first recording of this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Hi-Ho” in 1968 for his album Yesterday I Heard The Rain. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“Hi-Ho,” as well as Yesterday I Heard The Rain 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: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Saturday, February 12, 2022, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two is available on Apple Music.

And I hope you enjoy this scene from A Star Is Born.

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