The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Blues in the Night

The song of the day for Thursday, January 22, 2026, is “Blues in the Night.”

About This Song

“Blues in the Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film Blues in the Night. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his Southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blues in the Night” on October 21, 1957, for his album The Beat of My Heart. For The Beat of My Heart, Bennett and Ralph Sharon invited percussionists to participate. Jo Jones was the drummer for “Blues in the Night.” Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Blues in the Night,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

I was delighted to find a video from this film Blues in the Night where the song is introduced. The soloist is baritone William Gillespie, who was hired to sing this song,

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Song of the Day: I Remember You

The song of the day for Sunday, January 18, 2026, is “I Remember You.”

About This Song

“I Remember You” was written by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 movie The Fleet’s In (directed by the composer Schertzinger), where it was introduced by Dorothy Lamour. It is said that Mercer wrote the lyric for Judy Garland, with whom he was said to be in love. The song has been widely recorded over the decades and remains popular today. Notable recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Doris Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Remember You” in 2004 for The Art of Romance. Johnny Mandel wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

The Art of Romance won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

” Remember You,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: That Old Black Magic

The song of the day for Saturday, December 6, 2025, is “That Old Black Magic.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett remembers Dave Brubeck, who was born 105 years ago on December 6, 1920. He was a pianist, composer, and bandleader. There’s an excellent website, davebrubeck.com, which has a thorough biography, information about his compositions, and much more.

About This Song

“That Old Black Magic” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film Star Spangled Rhythm. It’s been recorded many times and used in several films, including the 1956 film Bus Stop, where it was sung by Marilyn Monroe.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with The Dave Brubeck Trio, recorded “That Old Black Magic” live in Washington, DC on August 29, 1962, at the invitation of President John F. Kennedy. The audience was a group of college students who had volunteered to work at White House that summer. At the concert, The Dave Brubeck Quartet played a set, followed by Tony Bennett and The Ralph Sharon Trio. It ended with a improv set, with Bennett, Dave Brubeck (piano), Eugene Wright (bass),and Joe Morello (drums). “That Old Black Magic” is from the improv session.

Columbia Records sent an engineer to record the concert. At some point, the tapes of the concert seem to have disappeared and were thought permanently lost. Thankfully, they were discovered in late 2012, misfiled in the classical music archives. The album Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962 was released on May 28, 2013.

“That Old Black Magic,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions Live 1962, is available on Apple Music.

Tony Bennett made a very nice video about the concert that evening. It includes some great photographs from that day.

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Song of the Day: This Time The Dream’s On Me

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 25, 2025, is “This Time The Dream’s On Me.”

About This Song

“This Time The Dream’s On Me” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 film musical, Blues in the Night which also featured the title song. Blues in the Night is a film noir musical about a down-on-their-luck band that plays blues music.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “This Time The Dream’s On Me” on August 18, 1960, for Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“This Time The Dream’s On Me,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Wanna Be Around

The song of the day for is “I Wanna Be Around.”

About Today

We are celebrating one of America’s greatest lyricists: John Herndon Mercer, born in Savannah, Georgia on November 19, 1909. In addition to being a lyricist, he was also a composer, singer, and record company executive as a co-founder of Capitol Records.

You can read about Johnny Mercer at johnnymercer.org.

About This Song

“I Wanna Be Around” was written by Johnny Mercer (music and lyrics) and Sadie Vimmerstedt (lyrics).

The story of “I Wanna Be Around” is legendary in the music business. Sadie Vimmerstedt, who lived in Youngstown, Ohio, was angered when Frank Sinatra left his first wife for Ava Gardner in 1950. She wrote the opening line ‘I want to be around to pick up the pieces, when somebody breaks yours heart’ and felt it sounded like a Johnny Mercer song. She mailed a letter to ‘Johnny Mercer, Songwriter, New York.’ The post office forwarded the letter to ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), who got the letter to Mercer. Mercer wrote the melody himself and completed the lyrics for “I Wanna Be Around” in 1959 and asked Tony Bennett to record it, which he did in 1962. Mercer gave 50% of the profits to Ms. Vimmerstedt, which made her a wealthy woman and enabled her to retire and travel the world. It is one of the great songs in the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Wanna Be Around” on October 19, 1962, for the album I Wanna Be Around, released in 1963. Marty Manning wrote the arrangement.

“I Wanna Be Around,” as well as I Wanna Be Around, is available on Apple Music.