The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: All the Things You Are

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 28, 2026,is “All the Things You Are.”

About This Song

“All the Things You Are” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 musical Very Warm For May. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder considers it to be one of Kern’s finest songs and with good reason. It’s a beautiful tune and Hammerstein’s lyrics are excellent.

I discovered a quite interesting post about this history of “All The Things You Are” on the Dan Reitz Dot Blog. The post has links to several recordings of the song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett performed “All the Things You Are” live on June 9, 1962, at Carnegie Hall; the album Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall was released in August 1962. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“All the Things You Are,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

In researching today’s song, I came across an episode of Marian McPartland‘s Piano Jazz with Stephen Sondheim, where Sondheim analyzes and deconstructs “All the Things You Are.” There’s a fair amount of music theory in the discussion, but I think you all will enjoy it.

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Song of the Day: The Folks That Live on the Hill

The song of the day for is “The Folks That Live on the Hill.”

About This Song

“The Folks That Live on the Hill” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1937 movie High, Wide, and Handsome, where it was introduced by Irene Dunne. Bing Crosby recorded it that same year. Peggy Lee recorded it 1957 for her album The Man I Love; it was conducted by Frank Sinatra. Other recordings include those by Diana Krall, Jo Stafford, and Nina Simone.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Folks That Live on the Hill”on May 18, 1989, for Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, released in 1990. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“The Folks That Live on the Hill,” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Sunday, January 25, 2026, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Week

Today is the first day of Jerome Kern Week, who was born in New York City on January 27, 1885.

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film where Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he could dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” for his 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Bill Charlap wrote the arrangement and led The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums).

The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got two videos for today’s post.

First is a clip from Swing Time, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to “Pick Yourself Up.”

Next is the “Pick Yourself Up – All-Star Jazz Collab for the Actors Fund,” which was created during COVID pandemic to help performers while the performing venues were closed and prevented them from working.

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Song of the Day: All In Fun

The song of the day for Monday, December 8, 2025, is “All In Fun.”

About This Song

“All In Fun” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1939 Broadway musical Very Warm For May. Though the show was not well-reviewed, the score contained some wonderful songs including this one and “All The Things You Are.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All In Fun” in 2004 for The Art of Romance. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement; Johnny Mandel conducted the orchestra.

The Art of Romance won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“All In Fun,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Folks That Live on the Hill

The song of the day for Thursday, November 27, 2025, is “The Folks That Live on the Hill.”

About This Song

“The Folks That Live on the Hill” was written by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein for the 1937 movie High, Wide, and Handsome, where it was introduced by Irene Dunne. Bing Crosby recorded it that same year. Peggy Lee recorded it 1957 for her album The Man I Love; it was conducted by Frank Sinatra. Other recordings include those by Diana Krall, Jo Stafford, and Nina Simone.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Folks That Live on the Hill” on May 18, 1989, for Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, released in 1990. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“The Folks That Live on the Hill ,” as well as Astoria: Portrait of the Artist, is available on Apple Music.