The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Thursday, April 10, 2014 is “You Must Believe In Spring.”

About This Song

“You Must Believe In Spring” was written by Michel Legrand, with original French lyrics by Jacques Demy, in 1967 for the film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which starred Catherine Deneuve. Alan and Marilyn Bergman wrote the English lyrics used here. “You Must Believe In Spring” has been widely recorded by artists including Sylvia Syms, Barbra Streisand and Bill Evans, in a posthumous release of an album with the same name, featuring sessions with Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund, recorded in 1977, in the same time period as the second album with Tony Bennett.

About This Version

This version is from the second album that Tony Bennett and Bill Evans made, Together Again. For me, this song represents Bennett at his very best: just touching lightly on the notes with a vulnerability that makes the song a true treasure. Just Bill and Tony. Perfection indeed.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1CiaNBNMmszRQyyWETsAFa
“You Must Believe In Spring,” as well as The Complete Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Recordings, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe in Spring

The song of the day for Thursday, December 12, 2013 is “You Must Believe in Spring.”

About This Song

“You Must Believe in Spring” was written by Michel Legrand, with the English lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman (the French lyrics were by director Jacques Demy). The song was written for the 1967 French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which starred Catherine Deneuve. “You Must Believe In Spring” has been widely recorded by artists including Sylvia Syms, Barbra Streisand and Bill Evans, in a posthumous release of an album with the same name, featuring sessions with Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund.

About This Version

Last summer, someone on Twitter was posting about the Tony Bennett / Bill Evans albums and called them “bruised and beautiful.” I’ve never forgotten that phrase, as (for me, anyway) applies to many of the songs that Bennett and Evans recorded, none more so than “You Must Believe in Spring.” In other hands, this song would express a sense of sadness, tempered with hope. In the hands of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, it’s a pleading song of loss and love and despair, with a small bit of hope coming through. Bruised and beautiful.

In her one-woman show a few years ago, Elaine Stritch remarked on singing Stephen Sondheim’s song “The Ladies Who Lunch” from Company as a three-act play. This recording is also a three-act play of amazing depth, pain, sensitivity and love and hope.

http://open.spotify.com/track/44S9DUM1T1vNN9jn8aOGeL
“You Must Believe in Spring,” as well as the album Together Again, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: Watch What Happens

The song of the day for Sunday, August 25, 2013 is “Watch What Happens.”

About This Song

Thanks to Turner Classic Movies and my digital video recorder, I watched The Umbrellas of Cherbourg for the first time this evening and knew within in a few minutes of the movie that “Watch What Happens” had to be the song of the day. The melody runs throughout the entire film. The film was released in 1964 with a marvelous score by Michel Legrand and lyrics in French by Jacques Demy, who also directed the movie. The entire film is sung-through, though it should not be considered an opera. There are no songs sung by a chorus; it’s that instead of spoken dialogue, the dialogues is sung. And it works beautifully as a film. The English lyrics for “Watch What Happens” are by Norman Gimbel.

About This Version

Today’s version of “Watch What Happens” is from Tony Bennett’s 1965 album If I Ruled the World: Songs For the Jet Set. It was arranged and conducted by Don Costa; the album was produced by Ernie Altschuler. This is one of Bennett’s finest albums and includes other great songs, including “If I Ruled the World” and “Fly Me To The Moon.”

http://open.spotify.com/track/6J1m1Bse56jNnCy7opDbXb
“Watch What Happens,” as well as the album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com (for vinyl fans, amazon.com has a new vinyl LP rerelease of this album for sale as well).

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Friday, April 5, 2013 is You Must Believe in Spring.

About This Song

You Must Believe In Spring was written by Michel Legrand for the 1967 film musical The Young Girls of Rochefort, with lyrics by the film’s director, Jacques Demy. The English lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s and Bill Evans’ second album, Together Again, released in 1977 on Tony’s Improv label.

Alan and Marilyn Bergman said this in the liner notes for 2003 Concord Records CD release of Together Again:

When you write a song, it’s because you have something you want to say. When you finish it, you hope you’ve said what you meant. Where you hear it sung, there are those magical rare times when it’s what you meant and more. When we heard Tony and Bill’s interpretation of You Must Believe in Spring, we knew it was one of those times.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1CiaNBNMmszRQyyWETsAFa
You Must Believe in Spring, as well as the remastered Together Again album, is available from iTunes.

And, because someone from Kiev searched for this song today on Google and found this site as a result, we present Bill Evans’ wonderful piano solo of The Bad and the Beautiful by David Raskin;  this is Alternate Take #1.

The Bad and The Beautiful (alternate take 1)

Listen to The Bad and The Beautiful (alternate take 1) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 2009

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Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Sunday, January 13, 2013 is You Must Believe In Spring.

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans

About You Must Believe in Spring

You Must Believe In Spring was written by Michel Legrand for the 1967 film musical The Young Girls of Rochefort, with lyrics by the film’s director, Jacques Demy. The English lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

About This Version

You Must Believe in Spring was recorded by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans in 1976 for their second album, Together Again. Today’s version, however, is not released version. Instead, it’s an alternate take that was included on the The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings, specifically Take 4. This is my favorite of three versions on the complete set. I can hear the exhaustion in Bennett’s voice; he’s whispering and I hear the voice start to break a few times. But I also hear a profound plea to believe in love, even after all that has happened. The singer must believe in spring and love in spite of what feels like a place just a few steps up from despair. I love the song, but I especially love Bennett’s voice in this particular take.

You Must Believe In Spring - Alt. Tk4

Listen to You Must Believe In Spring - Alt. Tk4 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Bill Evans · 2009

Bill Evans went on to record an album with Eddie Gomez (bass) and Eliot Zigmund (drums) featuring (and called) You Must Believe In Spring. This album, considered one of his finest later albums, was released in 1980 after Evan’s death.

You Must Believe In Spring, as well as The Complete Tony Bennett Bill Evans Recordings, is available from iTunes.

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