The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Sometimes I’m Happy

The song of the day for Thursday, October 9, 2025, “Sometimes I’m Happy.”

About This Song

“Sometimes I’m Happy” was written by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar for the 1927 musical Hit The Deck. It found early favor as a popular song with numerous recordings in 1927. It has also proven a durable standard, with recordings by Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, Betty Carter, Bing Crosby, and Billie Holiday, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Sometimes I’m Happy” live at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 1962. The album Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall was released in August 1962. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Sometimes I’m Happy,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall/em>, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Tea For Two

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 2, 2025, is “Tea For Two.”

About This Song

“Tea For Two” was written by Vincent Youmans and Irving Caesar for the very popular 1925 musical No, No Nanette. The musical had a very successful revival on Broadway in 1971, which helped to make “Tea For Two” even more popular. The song has been widely recorded by artists including Ella Fitzgerald and Count Basie, Blossom Dearie, and Anita O’Day. More modern recordings include those by John Pizzarelli and Pink Martini.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded “Tea For Two” live at Royal Hall on January 31, 1971. The orchestra was conducted by Robert Farnon. The resulting album, Get Happy with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, was released in September 1971. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement for “Tea For Two.”

“Tea For Two,” as well as Get Happy , is available on Apple Music.

In doing the research for today’s song, I found this on Wikipedia:

In 1927, Dmitri Shostakovich arranged “Tea for Two”, known in the Soviet Union as Tahiti Trot, from memory after conductor Nicolai Malko bet him he could not do it in under an hour. He completed the orchestration in 45 minutes.

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Song of the Day: Crazy Rhythm

The song of the day for Sunday, July 13, 2025, is “Crazy Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Crazy Rhythm” was written in 1928 by Joseph Meyer and Roger Wolfe Kahn, with lyrics by Irving Caesar, for the 1929 musical Here’s Howe. It’s been a popular standard since it was written and has been heavily recorded, not just by jazz and popular artists, but other genres including hillbilly. Significant recordings include those by Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Stan Getz, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Whispering Jack Smith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy Rhythm” on June 27, 1957, for The Beat of My Heart. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement. Chico Hamilton was the guest drummer for this recording.

“Crazy Rhythm,” as well as The Beat Of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

Here is the first recording of “Crazy Rhythm” by Roger Wolfe Kahn and His Orchestra from 1929. The vocalist is Franklyn Baur.

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Song of the Day: Sometimes I’m Happy

The song of the day for Sunday, March 16, 2025, is “Sometimes I’m Happy.”

About This Song

“Sometimes I’m Happy” was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Leo Robin, Clifford Grey, and Irving Caesar for the 1927 Broadway musical Hit The Deck. It found early favor as a popular song with numerous recordings in 1927. It has also proven a durable standard, with recordings by Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, Betty Carter, Bing Crosby, and Billie Holiday, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Sometimes I’m Happy” nn September 1, 1967, for his album For Once In My Life. Marion Evans wrote the arrangement and arranged the orchestra. The orchestra consisted of some of the top jazz musicians at the time, including Milt Hinton on bass and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar.

“Sometimes I’m Happy,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Crazy Rhythm

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 16, 2024, is “Crazy Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Crazy Rhythm” was written by Joseph Meyer, Roger Wolfe Kahn, and Irving Ceasar for the 1929 musical Here’s How. t’s been a popular standard since it was written and has been heavily recorded, not just by jazz and popular artists, but in other genres including hillbilly. Significant recordings include those by Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Stan Getz, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Whispering Jack Smith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy Rhythm” on June 27, 1957, for his third LP album, The Beat of My Heart. featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. For this album, Bennett invited several percussionists to play on the album. “Crazy Rhythm” features Chico Hamilton.

“Crazy Rhythm,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.