The song of the day for Saturday, August 29, 2015 is “How Do You Keep The Music Playing”?

About This Song

Today’s song, “How Do You Keep The Music Playing”, was composed by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. It was written for the 1982 movie Best Friends, which starred Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. The initial recording was a duet by Patti Austin and James Ingram, which became a hit single in 1983. It was one of three songs with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman that were nominated that year for an Academy Award for Best Song (though the award went to “Up Where We Belong” from the movie An Officer and a Gentleman). The song has become a popular standard and has had many fine recordings, including those by Frank Sinatra (who encouraged Bennett to sing this song), Frankie Laine, Johnny Mathis, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett and George Michael and, most recently, Tony Bennett and Aretha Franklin

About This Version

Today we hear Mr. Bennett’s first, and solo, recording from The Art of Excellence, recorded in 1986. It was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli. This album was the first album Bennett made with Columbia when he returned to the label in the 1980s. In his autobiography, The Good Life, Bennett writes

My new record would be called The Art Of Excellence, referring not only to the songs, but also to my demand for quality. From that day forward people would expect nothing less from Tony Bennett.

It is most definitely one of his best albums and is frequently played in my household for sure. The wonderful cover photograph is by Annie Leibovitz.

“How Do You Keep The Music Playing?,” as well as The Art of Excellence, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Here’s your Saturday video from the wonderful recording of today’s song from Aretha Franklin and Tony Bennett for Duets II, released in 2011. Two of the greats!