The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Russian Lullaby

The song of the day for Sunday, October 31, 2021, is “Russian Lullaby.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Russian Lullaby” in 1927. With this song, Berlin (born Isador Beilin) explores his childhood roots as an Eastern European/Belarusian Jewish immigrant. The song is like a folk melody and the lyrics are lovely. “Russian Lullaby” was first used in vaudeville and gained recognition with the recording by Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra. It has also been recorded by Bunny Berigan, Guy Lombardo, Bing Crosby, and Dinah Shore, among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Russian Lullaby” in 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. Dizzy Gillespie is featured on trumpet.

“Russian Lullaby,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: All Of My Life

The song of the day for Thursday, October 28, 2021, is “All Of My Life.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “All Of My Life” in 1944. This sweet ballad expresses the yearning for a nice life with the one that you love, a message that was quite poignant for a country towards the end of World War II. This song was introduced (and made famous) by Kate Smith. Other recordings include those by Bing Crosby, Harry James, Sarah Vaughan, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All Of My Life” in 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin, featuring Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone. Bennett wrote the arrangement and is accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

“All Of My Life,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Got Lost in Her Arms

The song of the day for Monday, October 25, 2021, is “I Got Lost in Her Arms.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “I Got Lost in His Arms” for Ethel Merman as Annie Oakley in the 1946 Broadway musical Annie Get Your Gun.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Got Lost in Her Arms” (pronoun changed) in 1986 for his album The Art of Excellence. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli.

This is a really gorgeous recording.

“I Got Lost in Her Arms,” as well as The Art of Excellence is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Isn’t This a Lovely Day

The song of the day for Sunday, October 24, 2021, is “Isn’t This a Lovely Day.”

About This Song

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day” was written by Irving Berlin or the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. In the film, Astaire and Rogers are caught in a rainstorm while sitting in an outdoor gazebo. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire. This song has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” in 1987 for the album Bennett/Berlin. Bennett was accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio and Sharon has a nice turn in this recording.

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

Here’s that scene from Top Hat. Enjoy!

Top Hat: Isn"t This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Friday, October 22, 2021, is “The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On).”

About This Song

“The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)” was written in 1927 by Irving Berlin, with lyrics by Beda Loehner. In his book The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia, Thomas Hischak calls this song

An Irving Berlin standard whose title has been called the theme of all popular music, a chilling number in which both the lover and the ballad that was ‘their song’ is gone; yet neither can be forgotten because they remain in one’s memory.

This song was recorded in 1927 by Ruth Etting and has remained popular over the years with recordings by Dick Haymes, Dizzy Gillespie, Jeri Southern, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat Cole, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On)” in 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. The Ralph Sharon Trio accompanies Bennett, featuring Sharon on piano, Paul Langosch on bass, and Joe LaBarbera on drums.

“The Song Is Ended (But The Melody Lingers On),” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

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