The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: On the Sunny Side of the Street

The song of the day for Sunday, April 30, 2023, is “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

About Today

We are happy to celebrate the 90th birthday of Willie Nelson! Happy birthday!

About This Song

“On The Sunny Side of the Street” was written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields and was introduced in Lew Leslie’s International Revue. The song was one of the first in a series of cheerful songs to try to cheer people up over the Great Depression. It has proven popular with singers, who love the wonderful Fields lyrics, and jazz players, who love McHugh’s swingy tune.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “On the Sunny Side of the Street” with Willie Nelson in 2011 for Duets II. It was arranged by Marion Evans.

“On the Sunny Side of the Street,” as well as Duets II is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the video they made for Duets II.

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Song of the Day: I Won’t Dance

The song of the day for Thursday, March 2, 2023, is “I Won’t Dance.”

About This Song

“I Won’t Dance” was written in 1934 by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein and Otto Harbach, for a London musical called Three Sisters, though the show was a flop and was quickly forgotten. The following year, a film of Roberta was made, and the song was re-purposed, this time with the new Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields lyrics, which are now ubiquitous.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “I Won’t Dance” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek. Marion Evans wrote the very fine arrangement.

“I Won’t Dance,” as well as Cheek To Cheek is available on Apple Music.

Speaking of dancing, here are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers performing “I Won’t Dance” from the 1935 movie Roberta:

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Song of the Day: On the Sunny Side of the Street

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 21, 2023, is “On the Sunny Side of the Street.”

About This Song

“On the Sunny Side of the Street” was written in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields and was introduced in Lew Leslie’s International Revue. The song was one of the first in a series of cheerful songs to try to cheer people up over the Great Depression. It has proven popular with singers, who love the wonderful Fields lyrics, and jazz players, who love McHugh’s swingy tune.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Willie Nelson recorded “On the Sunny Side of the Street” in 2011 for Duets II. Marion Evans wrote the arrangement.

“On the Sunny Side of the Street,” as well as Duets II is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the Tony and Willie Nelson video for the recording of today’s song:

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Song of the Day: Exactly Like You

The song of the day for Saturday, February 4, 2023, is “Exactly Like You.”

About This Song

“Exactly Like You” was written in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields for Lew Leslie’s International Revue, which also introduced “On The Sunny Side Of The Street.” While the reviewers were not kind to the production, the score was then, and remains still, quite noteworthy. Even though Fields’ lyrics for the song are very fine, the early recordings of the song were mostly instrumentals, such as that by Louis Armstrong. The song became popular again in 1936, with a fine recording by Benny Goodman that featured Lionel Hampton on the vibraphone, followed by the 1937 recording by Count Basie, which included the vocals by Jimmy Rushing. Later notable recordings include those by Carmen McRae (1954), Bing Crosby (1944), Patti Page (1949), Anita O’Day (1975), Nina Simone (1959), and Diana Krall (2006).

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Exactly Like You” in March 2002 for their album Tony Bennett & k.d. lang: A Wonderful World. Vocal arrangements were by Rob Mathes. The album was orchestrated and conducted by Peter Matz, with musical direction and arrangements by Lee Musiker.


“Exactly Like You,” as well as Tony Bennett & k.d. lang: A Wonderful World is available on Apple Music.

We’ve also got Armstrong’s 1930 recording on the Okey label.

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Song of the Day: I Can’t Give You Anything But Love

The song of the day for Tuesday, May 17, 2021, is “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

About This Song

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” was written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields for the 1928 revue Blackbirds of 1928, produced by Lew Leslie. The song was the first big hit for this songwriting pair. It has been a widely recorded jazz and popular standard, with recordings by Ukelele Ike, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Anita O’Day, and many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” on April 17, 1950, with an arrangement by Marty Manning. This was Bennett’s first session with Columbia Records.

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” as well as the other singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1 is available on Apple Music.

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