The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Being Alive

The song of the day for Friday, July 31, 2020, is “Being Alive.”

About This Song

“Being Alive” is the closing song in the Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which ran on Broadway for 705 performances. Company was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince), Best Book of a Musical (George Furth), Best Original Music, and Best Original Lyrics as well as Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). Company is the first Broadway musical your author saw and she has a special place in her heart for this musical.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Being Alive” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement. The Art of Romance won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.

“Being Alive,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, June 13, 2020, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. It was originally titled “In Other Words,” but the song was not doing that well, in spite of several recordings. In 1962, Howard renamed the song to “Fly Me To The Moon,” and the song began to catch on. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording for If I Ruled The World was a big hit for Bennett. There have been many recordings of the song, including those by Frank Sinatra, Kaye Ballard, and many more. However, Bart Howard told Bennett that his 1965 recording was “the definitive performance of this song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett released today this wonderful video, made at home in his living room, accompanied by Lee Musiker.

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Song of the Day: Little Did I Dream

The song of the day for Thursday, August 29, 2019, is “Little Did I Dream.”

About This Song

“Little Did I Dream” was written in 2003 by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Dave Frishberg.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Little Did I Dream” in 2004 for his album The Art of Romance, featuring an arrangement by Lee Musiker. The very nice saxophone is from Phil Woods.

“Little Did I Dream,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Being Alive

The song of the day for Friday, August 1, 2019, is “Being Alive.”

About This Song

“Being Alive” is the closing song in the 1970 Stephen Sondheim musical Company, which ran on Broadway for 705 performances. Company was nominated for fourteen Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical (Hal Prince), Best Book of a Musical (George Furth), Best Original Music and Best Original Lyrics as well as Best Scenic Design (Boris Aronson). D.A. Pennebaker made a documentary of the recording of the original cast album, recorded by Columbia Records at the 30th Street Studio, that was released in 2006.

The Year of Tony Bennett is featuring this song today to honor the life of producer-director Hal Prince, who died yesterday at the age of 91. He won an unprecedented 21 Tony awards in his lifetime, one of which was for his direction of Company. Rest in peace, Hal. Broadway will never know another talent like his.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Being Alive” in 2004 for his wonderful album, The Art of Romance. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement.

Being Alive

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“Being Alive,” as well as The Art of Romance, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Can’t Give You Anything But Love

The song of the day for Thursday, March 28, 2019, is “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.”

About This Song

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” was written by Jimmy McHugh (music) and Dorothy Fields (lyrics) for the 1928 revue Blackbirds of 1928, produced by Lew Leslie. The song was the first big hit for this songwriting pair. It has been a widely recorded jazz and popular standard, with recordings by Ukulele Ike, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Anita O’Day, and many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga recorded “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” in 2014, released that year on theird duets album Cheek to Cheek. It was arranged by Lee Musiker, with instrumental arrangements by Brian Newman, Alex Smith, and Steve Kortyka.

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love

I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, a song by Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga on Spotify

“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” as well as Cheek to Cheek, is available from iTunes.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett wants to wish Lady Gaga a very happy birthday! We hope it’s a fabulous day for you!

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