The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: It Could Happen To You

The song of the day for Monday, August 16, 2021, is “It Could Happen To You.”

About This Song

“It Could Happen To You” was written in 1944 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for the movie And The Angels Sing, starring Dorothy Lamour. It was first recorded by Jo Stafford. Other recordings include those by Nat King Cole, Dinah Washington, Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded “It Could Happen To You” in 1958 for the album Long Ago And Far Away. Instead, I chose his 1964 version for When Lights Are Low, with The Ralph Sharon Trio.

It Could Happen To You

Listen to It Could Happen To You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

“It Could Happen To You,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Swinging on a Star

The song of the day for Monday, July 27, 2021, is “Swinging on a Star.”

About This Song

“Swinging on a Star” was written in 1944 by the songwriting team of Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. It was written for the movie Going My Way, starring Bing Crosby, and won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for that year. Crosby recorded a very successful version of the song in 1944. Other recordings include those by Rosemary Clooney, Burl Ives, and Ruby Braff, among many others.

This was my favorite song when I was 5 years old. I have a distinct memory of singing it, loudly, in the kitchen while my Mom was making dinner. I don’t remember how my performance was received, though I suspect I was lucky to not have been told to shut up.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Swinging on a Star” in 1998 for his album of music for children The Playground. There’s some nice work from bassist Paul Langosch on this recording.

Swinging On A Star

Listen to Swinging On A Star on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1998

“Swinging on a Star,” as well as The Playground is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Oh! You Crazy Moon

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 14, 2021, is “Oh! You Crazy Moon.”

About This Song

“Oh! You Crazy Moon” was written by Jimm Van Heusen and Johnny Burke in 1939. It was the first song that Van Heusen and Burke wrote together in what would be a long and successful partnership. The bouncy, uptempo song gained immediate popularity and was widely recorded.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Oh! You Crazy Noom” in 1964 with the Ralph Sharon Trio for the album When Lights Are Low. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Oh! You Crazy Moon

Listen to Oh! You Crazy Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

“Oh! You Crazy Moon,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Sunday, March 28, 2021, is “But Beautiful.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is very happy to celebrate the birthday of Lady Gaga, who was born on March 28, 1986. Thanks for all the great music! We anticipate your upcoming album with Tony later this year.

About This Song

“But Beautiful” was written in 1947 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. This song was written for Bing Crosby to sing in the 1947 movie The Road to Rio. The song has been widely recorded, including recordings by Bill Evans, Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “But Beautiful” in 2014 for their album Cheek To Cheek. We especially like the lovely solo guitar from Gray Sargent at the beginning.

But Beautiful

Listen to But Beautiful on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga · 2014

“But Beautiful,” as well as Cheek to Cheek, is available from Apple Music.

We also have a video from the recording of today’s song.

Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga - But Beautiful (Studio Video)

TONY BENNETT & LADY GAGA: CHEEK TO CHEEK - LIVE available now! iTunes: http://smarturl.it/CTCLiveiT Amazon DVD: http://smarturl.it/CheekDVDamz Amazon Blu-Ray: http://smarturl.it/CheekBluRayAmz CHEEK TO CHEEK album available now: iTunes: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheek Google Play: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekGP Amazon MP3: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekAmz Amazon CD: http://smarturl.it/CheekToCheekCD http://cheektocheek.ladygaga.com/ http://www.ladygaga.com http://www.tonybennett.com

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Song of the Day: Darn That Dream

The song of the day for Thursday, January 7, 2021, is “Darn That Dream.”

About This Song

“Darn That Dream” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Eddie DeLange for the 1939 musical Swingin’ the Dream, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. The cast had many big names: Louis Armstrong playing Bottom, Maxine Sullivan as Titania, Bill Bailey, and Dorothy Dandridge. It only ran for 13 performances and is considered to be a flop. Fortunately, “Darn That Dream” proved to be a big hit and earned some money for the investors.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Darn That Dream” in 1954 for his first jazz album, Cloud 7, released in 1955. Chuck Wayne wrote the arrangement.

Darn That Dream

Listen to Darn That Dream on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1955

“Darn That Dream,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from Apple Music.

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