Ira Gershwin Archives | Page 32 of 34 | The Year of Tony Bennett

July 1, 2013 By Suzanne 1 Comment

Song of the Day: The Girl I Love

The song of the day for Monday, July 1, 2013 is “The Girl I Love.”

About This Song

This song is, with a minor change in the current lyric, “The Man I Love,” written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1924. It was written and then cut from Lady Be Good, where it was originally “The Girl I Love.” It was also cut from their 1927 musical Strike Up the Band and the 1928 Rosalie. It may be the most famous and beloved song to be cut from a production.

About This Version

This beautiful recording is from one of Tony Bennett’s best album: Astoria: The Portrait of the Artist. In this album, Bennett chose a very special selection of songs that are a biography of his life upon returning home to Astoria from his service in World War II and working and striving to become the great singer he is today. It’s a very special journey that he takes us on with this album.

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

February 15, 2013 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

Happy Birthday, Harold Arlen! In honor of his birthday, the song of the day for February 15, 2013 is The Man That Got Away.

About The Man That Got Away

This song, one of this author’s personal favorites, was written by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ira Gershwin. (I have an iTunes playlist with a dozen different recordings of this song.) The Man That Got Away was written in 1953 for the 1954 A Star Is Born, which is one of this author’s favorite movies. Ever. The scene with Judy Garland singing the song in an after-hours bar is legendary and for good reason. There were over 40 takes filmed, with three different costumes and several different sets, from September 1953 to February 1954 with several different cameramen. The final result is glorious and is, for me, the greatest musical performance by a singer in a film, ever.

I agree with Alec Wilder regarding this song: “This is a true Arlen song. If you are good rememberer, try to think of anyone else who might have written it. I don’t see who it could have been but Arlen.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded the song for his 1961 album with Ralph Sharon, Tony Sings For Two. While many male singers changed the man to the girl or the gal that got away, Bennett records the lyrics as written, which we really appreciate. Other than Judy Garland, I think that Bennett’s recording is one of the finest for this song.

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

December 27, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Fascinatin’ Rhythm

The song of the day for Thursday, December 27, 2012 is Fascinatin’ Rhythm, sung by some guy named Joe Bari; he’s got a great voice. 🙂

About Fascinatin’ Rhythm

Fascinatin’ Rhythm is one of the great songs written by George and Ira Gershwin. It was written in 1924 and was introduced by Fred Astaire, Adele Astaire and Cliff Edwards in the Broadway musical Lady Be Good. The Astaires recorded the song in 1926, accompanied by George Gershwin himself.

About This Version

This version of Fascinatin’ Rhythm was recorded by Mr. Bennett, who was then going by the name Joe Bari, in spring 1949 for Leslie Records. The session was produced by George Simon and arranged and conducted by Marty Manning (with whom Tony Bennett would work with again at Columbia) and was recorded at the New York Decca studios. From this session, a two-sided 78 RPM disc was released. The other song was a novelty song by George Simon, Vieni Qui.

We are very pleased that most of Tony Bennett’s catalogue, including material like this that was formerly only available in the 2011 The Complete Collection box set, is now available on both Spotify and iTunes. We look forward to presenting some of Mr. Bennett’s early recordings that are now generally available.

Fascinatin" Rhythm
Tony Bennett · Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1 · Song · 2012

Fascinatin’ Rhythm, as well as the full Rarirites, Outtakes and & Other Delights, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

December 8, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Love Is Here to Stay

The song of the day for Saturday, December 8, 2012 is Love Is Here To Stay.

About Love To Stay

Written in 1938 by George and Ira Gershwin, Love is Here to Stay was written for the movie The Goldwyn Follies. In his new book, The Gershwins and Me, by Michael Feinstein (highly recommended), Mr. Feinstein quotes Ira Gershwin as saying that this song was George’s last composition.

About This Version

This version of Love is Here to Stay is from one of most favorite of Tony Bennett’s albums, Hometown, My Town, released in 1959.

Love is Here to Stay, as well as the full Hometown, My Town album, is available from iTunes.

November 12, 2012 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The Song of the Day for Monday, November 12, 2012 is They Can’t Take That Away From Me.

About They Can’t Take Away From Me

Written by George and Ira Gershwin, They Can’t Take That Away From Me was written for the 1937 film Shall We Dance, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the film. It’s been recorded by many artists, including Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall and many others.

About This Version

This version originally appeared on Mr. Bennett’s tribute album to Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out, released in 1993. All of the songs on this album were arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon. The album featured the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Doug Richeson (b) and Clayton Cameron (d). This version was included on Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett.