Jimmy McHugh Archives | Page 12 of 14 | The Year of Tony Bennett

August 11, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

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

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 11, 2015 is “On The Sunny Side of the Street.”

About This Song

Today’s song was written in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields for Lew Leslie’s International Revue. The song was one of the first in a series of upbeat 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 first recorded On The Sunny Side of the Street” in 1967 for Tony Makes It Happen!, arranged by Marion Evans. More recently, he sang this song as a duet with Willie Nelson on Duets II, also arranged by Marion Evans.

About Today

I’m more than happy to continue to feature the arrangements of Marion Evans. I am an unabashed fan of the his work and love to hear Tony Bennett sing his arrangements. Fortunately, there are a lot of them to choose from!

On the Sunny Side of the Street
Listen to On the Sunny Side of the Street on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967

“On the Sunny Side of the Street,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

June 13, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Won’t Dance

The song of the day for Saturday, June 13, 2015 is “I Won’t Dance.”

About This Song

“I Won’t Dance” was written in 1934 by Jerome Kern. The original 1934 lyrics were by Oscar Hammerstein and Otto Harbach. The song was originally written for a London musical called Three Sisters, though the show was 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 used in today’s song.

About This Version

I absolutely adore this song and even more this version. Arranged by Marion Evans, this song swings like crazy. The first chords in the introduction really pops; the listener knows he or she is in for a great time. It’s a terrific sound and I want to jump up and dance every time I hear it.

I Won"t Dance
Listen to I Won"t Dance on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2014

“I Won’t Dance,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today is Saturday and that means a video. Today’s video is Tony and Lady Gaga singing today’s song from their PBS special, originally aired last fall. It has showgirls! I love showgirls!

April 24, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

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

The song of the day for Friday, April 24, 2015 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 (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics) for the 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 Ukulele Ike, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Anita O’Day and many others.

About This Version

This great McHugh and Fields song is just great in the hands of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. They are accompanied by a great combo led by Brian Newman on trumpet. Newman, Alex Smith and Steve Kortyka did the arrangement.

About Today

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga are taking their Cheek To Cheek tour to Houston Texas tonight. We wish them a wonderful evening and can only say that we wish were there too.

I Can"t Give You Anything But Love
Listen to I Can"t Give You Anything But Love on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2014

” I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.

March 19, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Won’t Dance

The song of the day for Thursday, March 19, 2015 is “I Won’t Dance.”

About This Song

“I Won’t Dance” was written in 1934 by Jerome Kern, with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and Otto Harbach, for a short-lived London musical called Three Sisters. The following year, Kern revived the tune for the film Roberta and new lyrics were written by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh. Today, most singers work with the 1935 Fields and McHugh lyrics, though the earlier version is still performed.

About This Version

Today’s exuberant version is from the recent album Cheek To Cheek with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. The terrific arrangement is from Marion Evans. I dare you to not, at the very least, think about dancing.

I Won"t Dance
Listen to I Won"t Dance on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2014

“I Won’t Dance,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.