The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: La Vie en Rose

The song of the day for Thursday, April 23, 2026, is “La Vie En Rose.”

About This Song

“La Vie en Rose” was written in 1945 by Marguerite Monnot and Louis Guglielmi (aka Louiguy). The song was made famous by Edith Piaf, who first recorded it in 1946. Mack David wrote the English lyric. “La Vie en Rose” has been widely recorded ever since and used in many films, from Bull Durham to WALL-E. The 2007 film biography of Edith Piaf, which starred Marion Cotillard, was titled La Vie en Rose.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “La Vie En Rose” in March 2002 for their album A Wonderful World, consisting songs recorded by Louis Armstrong. Lee Musiker was the musical director and wrote the musical arrangement; Rob Mathes wrote the vocal arrangement. Peter Matz conducted and created the orchestration.

“La Vie en Rose,” as well as A Wonderful World, is available on Apple Music.

A Wonderful World won the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.


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“La Vie En Rose,” as well as A Wonderful Word, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Edith Piaf’s 1946 recording:

And here is Louis Armstrong’s 1950 recording:

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Friday, December 5, 2025, is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933 by Will Hudson, Irving Mills, and Eddie DeLange. The song has been popular since it was written. The first recordings were by Joe Venuti and His Orchestra, Ethel Waters, and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. Later recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” live on April 12, 1994, for the television program MTV Unplugged. The resulting album, MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, was released on June 28, 1994. Bennett appeared with his trio: Ralph Sharon (piano), Doug Richeson (bass), and Clayton Cameron (drums).

“Moonglow,” as well as MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 12, 2025, is “You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart.”

About This Song

“You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart” was written in 1931 by James P. Johnson and Flournoy Earkin Miller. Johnson, a pianist and composer who was also known as a Stride pianist, collaborated with author and producer Flournoy Miller to produce the Sugar Hill revue in 1931 for this song. Armstrong and Billie Holiday recorded “You Can’t Lose A Broken Heart” as a duet with Sy Oliver and His Orchestra in 1949 on the Decca label.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart” in March 2002 for A Wonderful World. Vocal arrangements were written by Rob Mathes. The album was orchestrated and conducted by Peter Matz, with musical direction and arrangements by Lee Musiker.

“You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart,” as well as A Wonderful World, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Because Of You

The song of the day for Sunday, November 2, 2025, is “Because Of You.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is pleased to honor k.d. lang on her birthday, November 2. She sang with Tony Bennett on Tony Bennett: MTV Unplugged, A Wonderful World, Playin’ With My Friends, Duets: An American Classic, and Duets II.

About This Song

“Because Of You” was written in 1940 by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson. Tony Bennett first recorded it in 1951 and it was a major hit.

Bennett tells this story about that 1951 recording:

By the spring of 1951, I was told that if I didn’t get a hit soon, I’d be dropped from the label. I went into Percy’s [Percy Faith] office and he said, “In this next session you really have to deliver. We have three songs ready, so we need another song.” I remember that he looked through a bunch of sheet music on his desk, grabbed a song, and said, “Well, let’s do this one.” That song was ‘Because of You.’ I was doing a lot of dramatic singing on my early records, but Percy said to me, “Just relax. Use your natural voice and sing the song.” I took his advice.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Because Of You” on February 10, 2006 for Duets: An American Classic. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.

“Because Of You,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available on Apple Music.

Duets: An American Classic won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

On the Sunday after Tony Bennett died on July 21, 2023, k.d. lang sang “Because Of You” as a tribute to him on CBS Sunday Morning.

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Song of the Day: What a Wonderful World

The song of the day for Monday, August 4, 2025, is “What a Wonderful World.”

About Today

We are celebrating the great Louis Armstrong, who was born 124 years ago on August 4, 1901.

About This Song

“What a Wonderful World” was written in 1967 by Bob Thiele (as George Douglas) and George David Weiss. Written at a time of great political and racial unrest in America, “What A Wonderful World” was a kind, gentle, and positive song that was very well received. Louis Armstrong recorded it first, and it was a big hit for him, selling over a million singles. Even though this song has been recorded by many fine artists, it remains closely identified with Louis Armstrong.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “What a Wonderful World” in March 2002 for their album A Wonderful World. Rob Mathes wrote the vocal arrangements. Lee Musiker was the musical director and wrote the orchestra arrangements. Peter Matz conducted and did the orchestrations.

“What a Wonderful World,” as well as A Wonderful World, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Louis Armstrong’s 1967 recording of “What a Wonderful World.”