The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Song Is You

The song of the day for Sunday, April 27, 2025, is “The Song Is You.”

About This Song

“The Song Is You” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1932 musical Music In The Air. It has been widely recorded and is associated with Frank Sinatra, who recorded it with Tommy Dorsey.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, accompanied by Bill Charlap and Renee Rosnes, recorded “The Song Is You” for his 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap, who produced the album, wrote the arrangement.

The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“The Song Is You,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Saturday, April 12, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, starring Fred Astaire, who introduced the song. It won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Lyricist Dorothy Fields remarked:

The first time Jerry played that melody for me, I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.

Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, accompanied by Bill Charlap on piano, recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” in 2015 for The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap, who produced the album, wrote the arrangement.

The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern won the 58th Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a couple of videos today:

Official VEVO video for today’s song:

And here’s the scene from Swing Time, where Fred Astaire sings today’s song:

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Song of the Day: Long Ago and Far Away

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 9, 1958, is “Long Ago and Far Away.”

About This Song

“Long Ago and Far Away” was written by Jerome Kern and Ira Gershwin for the 1944 film musical Cover Girl, starring Rita Hayworth and Gene Kelly. In the film, the song was sung by Rita Hayworth to Gene Kelly. At the time of movie’s release, there were four versions of the song that all charted at the same time by Dick Haymes and Helen Forrest, Bing Crosby, Jo Stafford, and Perry Como.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Long Ago and Far Away” 67 years ago today on April 9, 1958, for the album Long Ago and Far Away. Frank DeVol wrote the arrangement and conducted the Frank DeVol Orchestra.

“Long Ago and Far Away,” as well as Long Ago and Far Away, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Didn’t Believe Me

The song of the day for Saturday, February 22, 2025, is “They Didn’t Believe Me.”

About This Song

“They Didn’t Believe Me” was written by Jerome Kern and Herbert Reynolds for the 1914 musical The Girl From Utah. The song became a standard, including it being reused in the 1949 movie The Midnight Kiss, in a duet with Mario Lanza and Kathryn Grayson. It has been widely recorded by singers, including Frank Sinatra, Dinah Washington, and Bing Crosby. Instrumental recordings include those by Marian McPartland, Charlie Parker, and Stan Kenton.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with The Bill Charlap Trio, recorded “They Didn’t Believe Me” in 2015 for The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern. In addition to leading the trio on piano (with Peter Washington on bass and Kenny Washington on drums, Charlap wrote all of the arrangements on the album and produced it as well.

“They Didn’t Believe Me,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Monday, January 27, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About Today

Today we are remembering Jerome Kern, who was born on January 27, 1885, in New York City.

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 movie Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé, and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” with The Ralph Sharon Trio in 1977 for the soundtrack of My Best Friend’s Wedding.

“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.