The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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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

Listen to The Man That Got Away on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 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:

The Man That Got Away - A Star Is Born (1954)

Of course this is the original version that was written for Judy by Harold Arlen for the film A Star Is Born in 1954. Judy Garland is 32 years old here.

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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 (feat. Count Basie Big Band)

Listen to Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (feat. Count Basie Big Band) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, Count Basie Big Band · 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

Meet Me In St. Louis | Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | Warner Classics

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Meet Me In St. Louis (1944) #WarnerClassics #JudyGarland #MeetMeInStLouis About Meet Me In St. Louis (1944): Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith family in St.

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Song of the Day: Get Happy

The song of the day for Sunday, November 8, 2020, is “Get Happy.”

About This Song

“Get Happy” was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler for the 1930 The Nine-Fifteen Revue, where it was introduced by Ruth Etting. Most people today are more familiar with Judy Garland’s wonderful song and dance performance in the 1950 movie Summer Stock.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Get Happy” for his 1968 album Yesterday I Heard The Rain. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

Get Happy

Tony Bennett · Yesterday I Heard The Rain · Song · 1968

“Get Happy,” as well as Yesterday I Heard The Rain, is available from Apple Music.

We also have Judy Garland from Summer Stock:

Get Happy - Judy Garland | Summer Stock | Warner Archive

Get Happy - Judy Garland | Summer Stock (1950) #WarnerArchive #WarnerBros #SummerStock To save Jane Falbury"s (Judy Garland) Connecticut farm, Jane"s sister, Abigail (Gloria DeHaven), convinces Herb Blake (Phil Silvers), the producer of a new Broadway show to rehearse on her farm.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Thursday, September 17, 2020, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating Ralph Sharon, on the anniversary of his birth on September 17, 1923. Sharon was born in London and emigrated to the United States in 1954. He served as Tony Bennett’s pianist and musical director for many years.

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing in the 1954 film 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 and Ralph Sharon recorded “The Man That Got Away” in 1959. They booked the studio for the day. Sharon brought a briefcase of sheet music and they leafed through the music, picked songs that they liked, and recorded them in one or two takes. The result was the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

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

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 10, 2020, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is celebrating America’s greatest female entertainer–Judy Garland. Judy was born as Frances Ethel Gumm on June 10, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She died on June 22, 1969, in London, England from an overdose of barbiturates.

We’ve got lots of extra media of Miss Garland following our customary link to Tony’s recording.

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy’s spectacular 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” in 1959, with Ralph Sharon, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

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

Here is Judy’s performance of our song from her concert at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961:

Of course, no topic about “The Man That Got Away” would be complete without the scene from A Star Is Born:

Judy Garland had a television program, The Judy Garland Show, that ran in 1962 and 1963 on CBS. My mother and I used to watch it every Sunday night. Tony Bennett appeared on the show and they sang about the city of San Francisco:

I love seeing their affection for each other in this clip.