The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 17, 2021, is “Over The Rainbow.”

About This Song

Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg wrote “Over The Rainbow” in 1939 for The Wizard of Oz. Probably the most widely known of all Arlen’s songs, “Over The Rainbow” is from The Wizard Of Oz. Interestingly, the producers wanted to cut the song from the film, as they felt it slowed downed the movie. Thankfully, the preview audiences preferred the movie with the song. “Over The Rainbow” ranked as the #1 song of the 20th century per the Recording Industry Association of America and the National Endowment of the Arts.The song has always been closely associated with Judy Garland. In a letter to Harold Arlen, Judy Garland wrote that the song “…has become part of my life. It’s so symbolic of everybody’s dreams and wishes that I’m sure that’s why some people get tears in their eyes when they hear it. I’ve sung it thousands of times and it’s still the song that’s closest to my heart.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Over The Rainbow” in 1960 for his album Tony Bennett Sings A String of Harold Arlen. It’s no wonder that Bennett chose Arlen for his first tribute album–Arlen’s body of work will never be eclipsed by any other songwriter. Glenn Osser wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

Over The Rainbow – 2011 Remaster

Listen to Over The Rainbow – 2011 Remaster on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1960.

“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings A String of Harold Arlen, is available from Apple Music.

I got a couple of extra videos for you today.

The first is very dear to me. It’s Yip Harburg singing “Over The Rainbow” from a television program about American songwriting. It makes me cry–in a good way–every time I watch it.

The second is from Judy’s final live performance in Denmark in March 1969. She died on June 22, 1969.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Monday, February 15, 2021, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About Today

Today The Year of Tony Bennett begins a week dedicated to songwriter Harold Arlen, who was born as Hyman Arluck on February 15, 1905. The song of a cantor, Harold Arlen quickly became one of America’s best songwriters. We’ll spending this week exploring some of his songs.

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin was written for Judy Garland for the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” on October 28, 1959, with Ralph Sharon. The singer and the pianist booked the studio for themselves–no other musicians. Sharon brought in a briefcase full of sheet music. They’d look at a song and decide if they wanted to record it. After finding the right key with Bennett, Sharon would work out an arrangement in just a few minutes and then they’d record the song.They recorded 16 songs in that session, 12 of which made it to the album Tony Sings For Two, which Columbia didn’t release until February 1961.

The Man That Got Away – Remastered

Listen to The Man That Got Away – Remastered on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from Apple Music.

How can I play “The Man That Got Away” with also including this video?

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Saturday, February 13, 2021, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written in 1953 by two homesick songwriters, George Cory and Douglass Cross.

This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters were constantly giving Ralph Sharon copies of their songs. Cross and Cory had done that and Sharon had stuck the song in a drawer and forgotten all about it. In 1961, he and Bennett were heading out on tour, which included a stop in San Francisco at The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Sharon came across the music and thought it might be a nice local number for the San Francisco audience. After a performance in Hot Springs, Arkansas, they found a piano and started to work on the song a bit. An early fan was the bartender, who said that he’d buy the first copy if they ever decided to record it. Of course, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was a huge hit at the performance and in January, 1962, Bennett recorded it and released it on a 45 RPM record on the B-side to “Once Upon a Time.” But gradually, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” started getting all the airplay and it became a major hit for Bennett, winning him his first Grammy Award. It is his signature song and is beloved by all of his fans.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” on January 23, 1962. It was released in little over a week as a single, and was the anchor for the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The song was arranged by Marty Manning.

Tony Bennett won the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and for Best Solo Vocal Performance, male, for this recording.

The San Francisco Giants play “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” after every winning game at home.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

Listen to (I Left My Heart) In San Francisco on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1962.

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s Tony on the Judy Garland television program, singing today’s song … Judy joins in too!

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 29, 2020, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” in 1959 with just Ralph Sharon on piano. Bennett and Sharon booked the CBS 30th Street Studio for October 28, 1959, for the two of them to record songs for an album. Sharon brought along a briefcase of sheet music. They would pick a song and Sharon would work up a quick arrangement and they’d record the song, in just one or two takes. In that single session, they recorded 16 songs, 12 of which were on the album Tony Sings For Two, released in February 1961. It’s quite an extraordinary album.

The Man That Got Away – Remastered

Listen to The Man That Got Away – Remastered on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from Apple Music.

And because I love Judy Garland, here’s that scene from A Star Is Born:

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Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

On the sixth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, the song of the day for is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin for the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis, where it was sung by Judy Garland to Margaret O’Brien. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song. It’s mine too.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas. Mr. Bennett is accompanied by his quartet, featuring Lee Musiker on piano, Gray Sargent on guitar, Paul Langosch on bass, and Harold Jones on drums. It’s a wonderful arrangement.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Listen to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2008.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s the lovely scene from Meet Me In St. Louis

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