The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Lady’s In Love With You

The song of the day for Sunday, April 10, 2016 is “The Lady’s In Love With You.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Lady’s In Love With You,” was composed in 1939 by Burton Lane with lyrics by Frank Loesser (who would soon be a major composer as well) for the movie Some Like It Hot (not to be confused with the excellent 1959 Billy Wilder film), where it was introduced by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. It’s been widely recorded, including those by Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, Margaret Whiting, and Michael Feinstein.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Lady’s In Love With You” in 1967 for his terrific album Tony Makes It Happen! This song, as well as the entire album, was arranged by the great Marion Evans.

The Lady"s In Love with You

Listen to The Lady"s In Love with You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart

The song of the day for Friday, April 1, 2016 is “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart.”

About This Song

Duke Ellington wrote “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart” in 1938, with lyrics by Irving Mills, Henry Nemo and John Redmond. It was a major hit for Duke Ellington, reaching #1 on the charts. In addition to his own recording that year, other recordings by Benny Goodman and Mildred Bailey were made that year and were extremely popular as well. In 1952 Ellington named “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart” as one of his eleven favorites.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart” in 1967 for his album Tony Makes It Happen! The arrangement is by our friend Marion Evans.

I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart

Listen to I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

And here’s a sweet version of “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart” played by Ellington and his Orchestra. I believe this is the original 1938 version, with vocals from Ivie Anderson.

I Let a Song Go Out My Heart

Duke Ellington · The Masters of Swing! (33 Best of Swing Generation, Vol. 3) · Song · 2011

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Thursday, March 17, 2016 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written Burton Lane, with lyrics from Yip Harburg, for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.” Far be from me to argue with Alec Wilder when it comes to American popular music.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “Old Devil Moon” several times. Today I chose his 1967 version from Tony Makes It Happen! The arrangement by Marion Evans is superb and Bennett is in wonderful voice. Listen in at 1:25 into the song as he holds the word ‘love’ for what seems like forever. The orchestra is really wonderful; I especially enjoy the cascade of violins at the opening.

One thing I love about Tony Bennett is how open he is about the joy he finds when he sings. You can hear him chuckle several times during this recording. He sounds great, he’s having a good time and he gives us that little laugh. You really can’t beat that.

Old Devil Moon

Listen to Old Devil Moon on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Lady’s In Love With You

The song of the day for Friday, March 4, 2016 is “The Lady’s In Love With You.”

About This Song

“The Lady’s In Love With You” was written for the 1939 film Some Like It Hot (not to be confused with the excellent 1959 Billy Wilder film), with music by Burton Lane and lyrics by Frank Loesser. It was introduced by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. It’s been widely recorded, including those by Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, Margaret Whiting, and Michael Feinstein.

About This Version

I woke up this morning thinking about Tony Makes It Happen! and all the wonderful recordings by Tony Bennett with the great arrangements by Marion Evans. Today’s song, “The Lady’s In Love With You,” is one my favorites due both Mr. Bennett and Mr. Evans. I have to jump up and move every time I hear this recording. I hope you like it as much as I do. It was recorded in 1967 and features John Bunch on piano as well a great band.

The Lady"s In Love with You

Listen to The Lady"s In Love with You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Out of This World

The song of the day for Monday, February 29, 2016 is “Out of This World.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Out of This World,” was written in 1944 by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1945 movie of the same name. Out Of This World starred Eddie Bracken; however Bing Crosby dubbed the vocals for Bracken and introduced the song. Alec Wilder was a fan of this song, praising its ethereal quality and the excellent lyrics by Mercer.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Out of This World” in 1967 for his album For Once In My Life. The arrangement is from Marion Evans.

Out Of This World

Listen to Out Of This World on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“Out of This World,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available from iTunes.

A Few Thoughts

Spending a month with the music of Harold Arlen has been an enormous joy for me. I hope you liked our tour of his wonderful music. Tomorrow is March 1 and our songwriter of the month will be none other than test pilot and composer Jimmy Van Heusen. More great tunes by the great Tony Bennett!

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites