The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song of the day for Monday, December 22, 2025, the 9th day of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

A Personal Note

First of all, Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones from The Year of Tony Bennett. Today’s song, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” is my favorite Christmas song of them all. The first time I heard Judy Garland sing it, I was awestruck and get that exact same feeling every time I listen to it. And then there’s Hugh Martin. who was from Birmingham, Alabama, where I grew up. We both went to the same college (Birmingham-Southern College). I even got to meet him once; he would visit the music department when he visited Birmingham and I was briefly introduced to him. (Arranger Marion Evans also went to Birmingham-Southern; Evans worked with Tony Bennett on several albums.)

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin for the 1944 film for Meet Me In St. Louis, where it was introduced by Judy Garland, who sang it to Margaret O’Brien (who won a special Academy Juvenile Award for her performance).

In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with The Count Basie Big Band, recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008.

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

Here’s Judy Garland’s extraordinary performance of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from the film Meet Me in St. Louis.

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

The song of the day for Sunday, Mary 4, 2025, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross, who was born 105 years ago on May 4, 1920. Cory and Cross met in San Francisco after World War II and were romantic partners for many years. They moved to Brooklyn to start their songwriting career. Feeling homesick, they wrote “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1953. Ralph Sharon, as Tony Bennett’s musical director, was often given songs by songwriters, included Cross and Cory.

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. The song played at the end of all home games won by the San Francisco Giants. A statue of Tony Bennett was installed on the grounds of the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco in honor of Bennett’s 90th birthday.

A passing note about that performance in Hot Springs, AK. A high school student who played the saxophone couldn’t get into the concert, but hung out at the window to listen. That kid was Bill Clinton.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” on January 23, 1962, featuring an arrangement by Marty Manning. It was released on a 45 RPM record on the B side with “Once Upon a Time.” It was released on the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco in June 1962.

The recording received two 1963 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male.

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

In the summer of 1962, Tony Bennett appeared on the Judy Garland Show and sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 22, 2025, is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1937 musical Between the Devil, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. Another great Schwartz-Dietz song from Between the Devil was “I See Your Face Before Me.” This song was used in the 1953 Fred Astaire film, The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “By Myself” in July 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Steppin’ Out won the 1993 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“By Myself,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

We have two wonderful videos today. First up is Fred Astaire singing “By Myself” from The Band Wagon, released in 1953.

Next is Judy Garland singing “By Myself” on her television program in 1964. Be sure to watch until the end. Her exit is one of the most extraordinary things I’ve ever seen.

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Song of the Day: Over The Rainbow

The song of the day for Tuesday, April 8, 2025, is “Over The Rainbow.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett remembers Edgar Yipsel (Yip) Harburg on the anniversary of his birth in New York City on April 8, 1896. We’ve provided a link to biographical information about Yip Harburg. But I do want to add a little factoid: Yip and Ira Gershwin attended high school together and worked together on the school newspaper. They were lifelong friends.

About This Song

“Over the Rainbow” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. During studio previews, the producers wanted to cut the song from the film, as they felt it slowed down 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 for 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 July 1995 for Here’s To The Ladies. In this album, Bennett recorded songs associated with prominent 20th-century female singers. “Over the Rainbow” was included in tribute to Judy Garland.

Here’s To The Ladies won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Over The Rainbow,” as well as Here’s To The Ladies, is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got a couple of great videos today.

First up, here’s Judy Garland singing this song from The Wizard of Oz:

And here is Yip Harburg talking about this song on a 1979 television program featuring popular ong lyricists:

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Thursday, February 6, 2025, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About Today

Today’s song is from Tony Sings For Two, which was released 64 years ago today on February 6, 1961.

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin 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, for his album with Ralph Sharon, Tony Sings For Two, released on February 6, 1961. Bennett told the story of this album in his autobiography, The Good Life.

I always wanted to be unpredictable, and so for my next project, I decided to go in the opposite direction from the big orchestral albums I’d been doing lately and cut an intimate piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time at the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or two takes. In one afternoon we laid down sixteen tunes—which must be some kind of record—twelve of which made it onto the album, which became 1961’s Tony Sings For Two. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of my finest records ever.

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

Here’s the scene from A Star Is Born. Judy Garland was 32 years old: