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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

May 10, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Russian Lullaby

The song of the day for Thursday, May 11, 2023, is “Russian Lullaby.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating one of America’s greatest songwriters, Irving Berlin, born in Russia on May 11, 1888. Berlin arrived in the United States at the age of 5. He wrote his first song, “Marie from Sunny Italy” in 1907, receiving 33 cents for the publishing rights; by 1911 he cemented his stature with “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.” Berlin could barely read music and could only play piano in the key of F-sharp; his custom piano had a transposing lever for when he needed to play in other keys.

Berlin’s accomplishments are astounding: he wrote the scores for 20 Broadway shows and 15 movies. Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, and As Thousands Cheer are just a few of his Broadway scores. His films include Top Hat, Easter Parade, White Christmas, and Follow The Fleet.

Berlin died on September 22, 1989. He was 101 years old.

About This Song

“Russian Lullaby” was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. Irving Berlin (born Isador Beilin) explores his childhood roots as an Eastern European/Belarusian Jewish immigrant with this song. 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

“Russian Lullaby” was recorded in May 1987 and was released that year on Bennett/Berlin. This song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet.

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

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bennett/Berlin, Dizzy Gillespie, Irving Berlin, Tony Bennett

May 6, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails

The song of the day for Sunday, May 7, 2023, is “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” for the 1935 film Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The song was introduced by Mr. Astaire. The film is widely considered to be one of the best of the RKO Astaire and Rogers films; the American Film Institute ranked it 15th on its list of best musicals.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” in July 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, consisting of songs associated with Fred Astaire. Mr. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Steppin’ Out won the 35th Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

And of course, we have Mr. Astaire introducing today’s song in the 1935 film Top Hat:

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Fred Astaire, Irving Berlin, Ralph Sharon, Steppin' Out, Tony Bennett

February 27, 2023 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Steppin’ Out With My Baby

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 28, 2023, is “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.”

About This Song

“Steppin’ Out With My Baby” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1948 film musical Easter Parade, which starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. The score of Easter Parade won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera recorded “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” in 2012 for the album Viva Duets.

“Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” as well as Viva Duets is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Christina Aguilera, Irving Berlin, Tony Bennett, Viva Duets

December 27, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Steppin’ Out With My Baby

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 28, 2022, is “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.”

About This Song

“Steppin’ Out With My Baby” was written by Irving Berlin for the 1948 film musical Easter Parade, which starred Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. The score of Easter Parade won the Academy Award for Best Original Music Score.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” in July 1993 and was released that year on Steppin’ Out. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

“Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Fred Astaire and the “Steppin’ Out With My Baby” number from Easter Parade.

We’ve also got the official video of Tony Bennett singing today’s song!

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Easter Parade, Fred Astaire, Irving Berlin, Ralph Sharon, Steppin' Out, Tony Bennett

December 21, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: White Christmas

The song of the day for Thursday, December 22, 2022, the ninth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “White Christmas.”

About This Song

“White Christmas” was written in 1940 by Irving Berlin. It’s one of America’s most beloved Christmas songs. In the not-often heard verse of the song, we hear that

The sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway, there’s never been such a day in Beverly Hills, L.A. But it’s December the 24th …

And indeed, Irving Berlin was in Los Angeles when he wrote “White Christmas,” expressing that longing for a traditional back-home Christmas. Bing Crosby recorded the song in 1942 and completely dominated the music charts for weeks. Crosby’s single “White Christmas” is the biggest-selling single record of all time, worldwide, at over 100 million copies.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “White Christmas” in May 1987 and was released that year on Bennett/Berlin. This song was arranged by Tony Bennett and features Dexter Gordon on tenor saxophone.

“White Christmas,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

And here’s that Bing Crosby recording from 1942:

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Bennett/Berlin, Bing Crosby, Dexter Gordon, Irving Berlin, Tony Bennett

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