The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: What a Wonderful World

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 7, 2023, is “What a Wonderful World.”

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, including Tony Bennett, 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.

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

Here’s Armstrong’s recording of “A Wonderful World.”

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

The song of the day for Sunday, February 5, 2023, 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 composer who was also known as a Harlem Stride pianist, collaborated with author and producer Miller to produce the Sugar Hill revue in 1931 for this song. Louis 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 the album A Wonderful World. Vocal arrangements were 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.

Here’s the Louis Armstrong and Billy Holiday 1949 duet of “You Can’t Lose a Broken Heart” on the Decca label:

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Song of the Day: La Vie En Rose

The song of the day for Friday, February 3, 2023, is “La Vie En Rose.”

About This Song

“La Vie En Rose” was written in 1946 by Marguerite Monnot and Louis Guglielmi (aka Louiguy). Edith Piaf wrote the French lyrics; Mack David wrote the English lyrics.

While now considered one of Edith Piaf’s most identifiable songs (taking second place only to “Non, je ne regrette rein”), this song had a slow and somewhat troubled beginning. The lyric came to Miss Piaf in 1944. She worked with Louiguy on the melody. At the time the song was written, only Louiguy, as neither Piaf or Monnot were qualified to copyright their work under the auspices of Société des auteurs, compositeurs et éditeurs de musique, the official French association. Initially, the song was thought to be weak as compared to the rest of her repertoire and she was encouraged to not sing it at her concerts. She did not sing it publicly until 1946 and it quickly became a favorite of audiences. She finally recorded the song in 1947. “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 May 2002 for their album Tony Bennett & k.d. lang: A Wonderful World. The album was orchestrated and conducted by Peter Matz; Lee Musiker wrote the arrangements and served as musical director.

“La Vie En Rose,” as well as Tony Bennett & k.d. lang: A Wonderful World is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Armstrong’s 1951 recording:

And here’s Edith Piaf’s 1947 recording:

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Song of the Day: It Don’t Mean A Thing

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 24, 2023, is “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing).”

About This Song

“It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” was written in 1930 by Duke Ellington, with lyrics by Irving Mills. This song was one of the first songs to use the word “swing” in the title and this song certainly defined what it meant to swing. Ellington recorded the song with Ivie Anderson on vocals and it was an immediate hit. It has been widely recorded since it was written and the song is a lot of fun to play and listen to. Significant recordings include those by Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, Gigi Gryce, Tony Bennett, and Thelonious Monk.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” in May 1999 for Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool. Ralph Burns did the arrangement. Clayton Cameron was exceptional on the drums for this recording.

“It Don’t Mean A Thing,” as well as Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool is available on Apple Music.

We’ve got two additional recordings of “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” that you might enjoy.

Ivie Anderson on vocals on Ellington’s 1932 recording:

Next is Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington’s recording from The Great Reunion, recorded in 1963. Armstrong sings the verse, which is wonderful and almost never heard:

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Song of the Day: Exactly Like You

The song of the day for Thursday, April 21, 2022, is “Exactly Like You.”

About This Song

“Exactly Like You” was written in 1930 by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields for Lew Leslie’s International Revue, which also introduced “On The Sunny Side Of The Street.” While the reviewers were not kind to the production, the score was then, and remains still, quite noteworthy. Even though Fields’ lyrics for the song are very fine, the early recordings of the song were mostly instrumentals, such as that by Louis Armstrong. The song became popular again in 1936, with a fine recording by Benny Goodman that featured Lionel Hampton on the vibraphone, followed by the 1937 recording by Count Basie, which included the vocals by Jimmy Rushing. Later notable recordings include those by Carmen McRae (1954), Bing Crosby (1944), Patti Page (1949), Anita O’Day (1975), Nina Simone (1959), and Diana Krall (2006).

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Exactly Like You” in 2002 for their album A Wonderful World, which consisted of songs associated with Louis Armstrong. The album was orchestrated and conducted by Peter Matz, with musical direction and arrangements by Lee Musiker.

“Exactly Like You,” as well as A Wonderful World is available on Apple Music.

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