The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Dream

The song of the day for Saturday, April 19, 2025, is “Dream.”

About This Song

“Dream” was written by Johnny Mercer in 1944. It’s one of the rare songs where Mercer wrote both the lyrics and the music; others include “Harlem Butterfly” and “I Wanna Be Around.” This song has been recorded by many artists, including Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, The Pied Pipers, Roy Orbison, and Ringo Starr.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dream” on October 1, 1971; it was released the following year on With Love. Robert Farnon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Dream,” as well as With Love, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Out of This World

The song of the day for Friday, April 4, 2025, is “Out of This World.”

About This Song

“Out of This World” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1945 movie of the same name. Out Of This World starred Eddie Bracken; however Bing Crosby dubbed the vocals for Bracken and introduced the song. Alec Wilder was a fan of “Out of This World”, praising its ethereal quality and the excellent lyrics by Mercer.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Out of This World” on October 15, 1964, with an outstanding jazz quartet: Herbie Hancock (piano), Stan Getz (tenor sax), Ron Carter (bass) and Elvin Jones (drums).

“Out of This World,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 1, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Thursday, April 3, 2025, is “Trav’lin’ Light.”

About This Song

“Trav’lin’ Light” was written in 1942 by Trummy Young and Jimmy Mundy, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

In 1942, Paul Whiteman and his band came to the newly formed Capitol Records for a recording session, to include a new composition by Trummy Young and Jimmy Munday, who were both at the session. Young also brought his girlfriend, Billie Holiday, to the session. Mercer quickly wrote lyrics for the song so Holiday could record it. As she was under contract with Columbia Records at that time, she was credited as Lady Day for the recording.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Trav’lin’ Light” in June 1996 for his album Tony Bennett On Holiday, which was released in 1997. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as Tony Bennett On Holiday , is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the original 1942 recording of today’s song:

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Song of the Day: Laura

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 2, 2025, is “Laura.”

About This Song

“Laura” was written by David Raksin and Johnny Mercer for the 1944 film Laura, starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. David Raksin was known as a film composer (he also wrote the title song for “The Bad and the Beautiful”, which is included on the Bill Evans-Tony Bennett album Together Again) and his compositions are often jazz standards. “Laura” has been recorded many times, by both singers and instrumentalists.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Laura” on November 10, 1959, for his 1960 album, To My Wonderful One. Frank DeVol wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Laura,” as well as To My Wonderful One, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 31, 2025, is “Skylark.”

About This Song

“Skylark” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer in 1941. Johnny Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” for over a year. The song and the lyrics are outstanding, and it easily became a jazz and popular standard. It’s also believed that Buick named its new car Skylark in 1953, due to the popularity of the song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded”Skylark” on October 28, 1959, at the session for their album Tony Sings For Two. Due to space constraints, “Skylark” was not included on the initial CD release; it was added for the 1995 CD release of the album.

“Skylark,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.