The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Sleepy Time Gal

The song of the day for Thursday, July 18, 2013 is “Sleepy Time Gal.”

About This Song

“Sleepy Time Gal” was written in 1925 by Richard Whiting with lyrics by Raymond Egan, Joseph Alden and Ange Lorenzo. The song concerns a young wife who would rather stay up all night and dance when her husband yearns for nights at home, just the two of them.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1965 for the album A Time For Love, released in 1966. “Sleepy Time Gal” was arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel and features some very nice cornet work from Bobby Hackett and some great ukulele.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5XlapgCDRf5fZkhkQA9zXA
“Sleepy Time Gal,” as well as the album A Time For Love, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Shadow of Your Smile

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 20, 2013 is The Shadow Of Your Smile.

About This Song

Written by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, The Shadow of Your Smile was written as the theme song for the Richard Burton – Elizabeth Taylor film The Sandpiper from 1965. This song won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. I felt in love with Big Sur and the California coastline from seeing this movie. Our family made our first vacation trip to California a year later and seeing Big Sur for real was really wonderful. I still love that part of coast all these years later.

About This Version

This version is from Tony Bennett’s delightful The Movie Song Album. Composer Mandel, a frequent collaborator of Bennett, arranged and conducted this recording. Bennett sings The Shadow of Your Smile regularly in his live concerts.
http://open.spotify.com/track/66YI4JFp7BcMcepibGprsN
The Shadow of Your Smile, as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Smile

The song of the day for Friday, February 8, 2013, is Smile.

About Smile

This beautiful song was written as an instrumental by Charles Chaplin and was used in the soundtrack for his 1936 film Modern Times. In 1954, John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons wrote the lyrics. The first recording was made in 1954 by Nat King Cole and has been steadily recorded ever since.

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About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded Smile in 1959; it was released as a single in 1959 and was included in his wonderful 1962 I Left My Heart In San Francisco album. Today’s version is from the 1966 The Movie Song Album and was recorded in late 1965 with an arrangement by Al Cohn and orchestra conducted Johnny Mandel. Mr. Bennett sings this song regularly in concert and it is always perfect.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4VVW7zufMomMHQ3gg6VljG
Smile, as well as the full The Movie Song album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: All I Want For Christmas Is You / A Christmas Love Song

On the Eleventh Day of Tony Bennett Christmas, Monday, December 24, 2012, the song of the day is All I Want For Christmas Is You.

About All I Want For Christmas Is You

This is not the Mariah Carey Love Actually song. Nor is it the Vince Vance and the Valiants song from 1993 or the song written by A.C. Williams and sung by Carla Thomas.

This is, instead, the elegant song with music by Johnny Mandel and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.  It often goes by the name A Christmas Love Song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song for the 2008 A Swingin’ Christmas album.

All I Want for Christmas Is You (feat. Count Basie Big Band)

Listen to All I Want for Christmas Is You (feat. Count Basie Big Band) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Count Basie Big Band · 2008

All I Want For Christmas Is You / A Christmas Love Song, as well as the full A Swingin\’ Christmas, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Emily

The Song of the Day for Friday, November 23, 2012 is Emily.

About Emily

Emily was written by Johnny Mercer, with lyrics by Johnny Mandel. It was the theme song for the 1964 film The Americanization of Italy, starring Julie Andrews, who introduced the song.

One my Tony Bennett Twitter fans told me this evening that this song is “…Mandel’s greatest song, and one of Mercer’s best.” I couldn’t agree more. And as we are still celebrating Johnny Mercer Week and as today is also Mr. Mandel’s birthday, I can’t think of a more perfect song for today.

About This Version

Today’s version of Emily comes from Bennett’s 1966 The Movie Song Album and was arranged and conducted by Mr. Mandel. It’s an exquisite recording; I hope you all like it as much as I do.