The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: They All Laughed

The song of the day for Thursday, March 13, 2014 is “They All Laughed.”

About This Song

“They All Laughed” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 movie Shall We Dance, which starred Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. This is rather charming list song that has had several fine recordings, including those by Astaire, Chet Baker, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They All Laughed” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, which features songs introduced by Fred Astaire. He performs this song regularly in his concerts and always appears to have a lot of fun singing it.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4x3CTTO912EbRIypUxIQBC
“They All Laughed,” as well as the album Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Girl I Love

The song of the day for Monday, March 3, 2014 is “The Girl I Love.”

About This Song

“The Girl I Love” was originally written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1924 Broadway musical Lady, Be Good, though it was cut from that production. It was used again in 1927 for Strike Up The Band, but that production closed out of town. The lyrics were revised to “The Man I Love” for the 1928 Rosalie, but was cut from that production as well. In spite of all that, it rightly has its place as one of the great songs in the American Songbook. Notable recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Forrest, Benny Goodman, Coleman Hawkins, Helen Morgan and many, many more.

About This Version

Today’s version is from one of my favorite Tony Bennett albums: Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist. It’s a terrific arrangement featuring the Ralph Sharon Trio with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums. It starts slow and sweet for a couple of choruses and then starts to swing. Very nice.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5AVGEmyWi87JKpahidXKgD
“The Girl I Love,” as well as the album Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: A Foggy Day

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 25, 2014 is “A Foggy Day.”

About This Song

“A Foggy Day” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 movie Damsel in Distress, where it was beautifully performed by Fred Astaire. It’s said that George and Ira wrote this song in less than an hour.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1992 album Perfectly Frank. This song, as well as the entire album, was arranged and conducted by Robert Farnon. It features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Paul Langosch on bass and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3njEybkalMuRNdlL5xBHcs
“A Foggy Day,” as well as the album Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Saturday, January 25, 2014 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 for 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

My friends, especially my co-blogger, know how much I love this song. Tony recorded this song with Ralph Sharon for their 1961 album Tony Sings For Two. I’ve always found it amazing that Tony and Ralph just headed into the studio with a couple of briefcases full of sheet music and, in a single session, chose, arranged and recorded sixteen tracks, twelve of which appear on this album. An album that is not only one of his best albums, but is completely sublime — now and forever.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2rmnQNHuDsDExyiWLam3SC
“The Man That Got Away,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

I spent the afternoon at the office listening to the Judy Garland Carnegie Hall concert on my iPod. To acknowledge not only Judy, but her wonderful performance of this song, our video for YouTube Saturday is Judy Garland from the 1954 A Star Is Born. And, a former professional lighting designer, it’s one of the most beautifully lit scenes I’ve seen in a film. In my humble opinion.

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Song of the Day: Love Walked Right In

The song of the day for Thursday, January 16, 2014 is “Love Walked Right In.”

About This Song

George Gershwin wrote the music for “Love Walked Right In” in 1930, though Ira Gershwin’s lyric wasn’t written until 1937 for the movie The Goldwyn Follies, released in 1938. Louis Armstrong recorded it that same year and the song has stayed popular, with recordings by Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Artie Shaw and Sammy Kaye, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love Walked Right In” in 1956 for his second full-length album Tony, released in 1957. It was arranged and conducted by Ray Conniff. Tony has always been an interesting album to me. On one hand, we hear the big dramatic sound that Bennett was known for early in his career. At the same, though, he’s singing songs in a more introspective manner, showing his impeccable phrasing, as in today’s song and “Lost in the Stars.”

http://open.spotify.com/track/12g7iTirVNLnBwSanuvi4o
“Love Walked In,” as well as the album Tony, is available from iTunes.