The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

The song of the day for Saturday, May 21, 2016 is “Blue Velvet.”

About This Song

“Blue Velvet” was written by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris in 1950.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blue Velvet” in 1951. It was one of the first recordings of this song and was an early hit for Bennett. The arrangement is by Percy Faith.

Blue Velvet

Tony Bennett · The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1 · Song · 2011


“Blue Velvet,” as well as all of the singles collected on The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Our video for this Saturday is the Tony Bennett and k.d. lang duet of “Blue Velvet,” from Duets II, released in 2011.

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Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

The song of the day for Saturday, March 1, 2014 is “Blue Velvet.”

About This Song

“Blue Velvet” was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. Tony Bennett’s was the first recording of this song and it did well on the Billboard charts in 1951. This song has been widely recorded over the years by artists including Bobby Vinton, The Clovers and, more recently, Lana Del Rey. Bennett’s version has been used in several films, including The Last Picture Show and Raging Bull.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blue Velvet” on July 17, 1951 and it was released on September 21, 1951. It reached #16 on Billboard. It was arranged and conducted by Percy Faith.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6bjd70prjZHdOpR7qv1KQA
“Blue Velvet,” as well as all of the songs on The Columbia Singles, Volume 1, is available from iTunes.

Today’s video is from Bennett’s recent Viva Duets album. Here’s “Blue Velvet,” featuring the Brazilian singer Maria Gadú.

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Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

It’s still Tony Bennett 1950s Hit Parade Week and the hits keep coming. The song of the day for Friday, January 11, 2013 is Blue Velvet.

Bennett, Tony, NYC, New York, 1950

About Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. It was first recorded by an R&B group called The Clovers. It’s been recorded a number of times over the decades, including Tony Bennett duets with k.d. lang (Duets II) and Maria Gadú (Viva Duets – Target and South American versions).

About This Version

Today’s version is Tony Bennett’s first recording of the song in July, 1951, arranged and conducted by Percy Faith. It reached #19 on the Billboard popular chart in October, 1951. Mr. Bennett also sang Blue Velvet at his legendary 1962 Carnegie Hall concert.

Blue Velvet

Tony Bennett · The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1 · Song · 2011

Blue Velvet, as well as the full Columbia Singles: Volume 1, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes k.d. lang a very happy birthday and features her duet with Tony Bennett, Blue Velvet, as the song of the day for November 2, 2012.

About Blue Velvet

Blue Velvet was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. Although Tony Bennett did not record the song first, his 1951 recording, arranged by Percy Faith, was the first recording of the song that was a hit.  Tony Bennett’s version of the song was used several films, including The Last Picture Show and Raging Bull. The song also inspired David Lynch’s 1986 film Blue Velvet, which starred Isabella Rossellini.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang sang Blue Velvet for the 2011 Duets II. This version was arranged by Jorge Calandrelli.

And again, a very happy birthday to k.d. lang!

 

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