The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Trav’lin’ Light

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 5, 2014 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. Billie Holiday and the Paul Whiteman Orchestra recorded this song the year it was written and it was very well received.

Additional recordings include those Peggy Lee, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald and Queen Latifah. And, of course, Tony Bennett.

About This Version

This may very well be the most beautiful Tony Bennett song that you’ve never heard. Mr. Bennett recorded it for his 1997 album of songs associated with Billie Holiday, On Holiday. Note that the picture of Miss Holiday used on the cover of the album was painted by Tony Bennett.

I had come across the Billie Holiday recording of this song and fell in love with it immediately. The melody is quite beautiful and the lyrics are classic Johnny Mercer.

This is a stunning arrangement, featuring Ralph Sharon with a nice and subdued orchestra. The album was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli and produced by Tony Bennett and Danny Bennett.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1qgbAv7Q5TY5IAEv03FzJ3
“Trav’lin’ Light,” as well as the album On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

By 2 Comments

Song of the Day: Tangerine

The song of the day for Thursday, January 30, 2014 is “Tangerine.”

About This Song

“Tangerine” was written by Victor Schertzinger and Johnny Mercer in 1941 for the 1942 movie The Fleet’s In, which was directed by Schertzinger. The most popular recording of this song was by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, featuring vocals by Helen O’Connell and Bob Eberly.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Tangerine” for his 1995 album Here’s To The Ladies.; the liner notes reference Helen O’Connell as the singer most widely identified with this song. The song was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli; the album was produced by David Kahne.

http://open.spotify.com/track/49IDSL3lYJNMs2lVlDbPRr
“Tangerine,” as well as the album Here’s to the Ladies, is available from iTunes.

By 2 Comments

Song of the Day: I Wanna Be Around

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 21, 2014 is “I Wanna Be Around.”

About This Song

The story of “I Wanna Be Around” is legendary in the music business. Sadie Vimmerstedt, who lived in Youngstown, Ohio, was a big fan of Johnny Mercer’s music. 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. Tony Bennett recounts in his autobiography The Good Life that she sent him postcards from her travels.

It is one of the great songs in the American Songbook.

About This Version

I can hear you now … she’s been playing a lot of Johnny Mercer lately; it’s true–I have been. Mercer, Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, and “The Rules of the Road” are all on the list of songs and songwriters that I just cannot resist.

Today’s version of “I Wanna Be Around” is the original. Tony Bennett recorded this version in 1962; it was released as a single in 1962 and featured for his 1963 album of the same name. This album also contains another of his great hits: “The Good Life” (stayed tuned; this song is coming up soon). It was arranged and conducted by Marty Manning and was produced by Ernie Altschuler.

I Wanna Be Around...

Listen to I Wanna Be Around... on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1963

“I Wanna Be Around,” as well as the album of the same name, is available from iTunes.

By 1 Comment

Song of the Day: Come Rain Or Come Shine

The song of the day for Sunday, January 19, 2014 is “Come Rain Or Come Shine.”

About This Song

“Come Rain Or Come Shine” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for their 1946 musical St. Louis Woman. The song was introduced by Ruby Hill and Harold Nicholas (his brother Fayard was also cast in the production). While the Arlen/Mercer score was widely praised, the production had a number of problems, ranging from a poor book to a rather depressing and serious story. The leading role had been originally intended for Lena Horne, but after the NAACP criticized the musical, she turned down the role. Other songs from St. Louis Woman include “Any Place I Hand My Hat Is Home” and “I Had Myself a True Love.”

About This Version

The Year of Tony Bennett crew (all two of us) sat down this evening and viewed the Johnny Mercer documentary The Dream’s On Me, produced by Clint Eastwood. We enjoyed it immensely — how can you not love the lyrics of Johnny Mercer, especially when paired with the music of Harold Arlen? I knew we had to feature a Johnny Mercer song; I also wanted to explore more the score of the musical they wrote together, St. Louis Woman.

Tony Bennett recorded this song in 1960 for the album Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen. All of the songs on the album were arranged and conducted by Glenn Osser.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2FIt3D8ZMrnPx3vIoGpWZJ
“Come Rain Or Come Shine,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: One For My Baby/It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 15, 2013 is a medley of “One For My Baby” and “It Had To Be You.”

About These Songs

“One For My Baby” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 film The Sky’s The Limit; the song was, of course, introduced by the great Fred Astaire.

“It Had To Be You” was written in 1924 by Isham Jones, with lyrics by Gus Kahn and has been performed and recorded ever since by singers from Cliff Edwards and Ruth Etting to Frank Sinatra and Billie Holiday. This song is 90 years old and sounds as fresh, current and meaningful as it ever did. Now that’s a great song.

About This Version

Earlier this week, I picked another song from the Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 1 disc for the song of the day. Following my usual custom, I listened to the remaining songs on the disc while writing the song of the day topic, choosing a quote of the day and doing other basic blog duties. When I heard this medley, I knew I had to feature it soon as the song of the day. In reality, the song is “I Had To Be You” with “One For My Baby” at the beginning and the end.

This medley was recorded in 1970 and features John Bunch at the piano. I love listening to Tony Bennett singing a well-written ballad like this: sweet and soft, with impeccable phrasing and attention to the lyric. It’s a beautiful arrangement and I hope you like it as much as I do.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7I6ab6OcXBwR2k3m0QYdEv
The medley of “One For My Baby” and “It Had To Be You,” as well as all of the cuts on Rarities, Outtakes and Other Delights, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.