The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Happiness is a Thing Called Joe

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 20, 2021, is “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe.”

We are pleased to present today’s song in honor of the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr.

About This Song

“Happiness is a Thing Called Joe” was written in 1940 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. It’s from the 1940 Broadway musical Cabin in the Sky, starring Ethel Waters and Dooley Wilson. The song was introduced by Ethel Waters, sung to her husband Joe, played by Dooley Wilson. The 1943 film version of Cabin in the Sky also featured Miss Waters with the role of Joe played by Eddie Anderson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe” in 1959 with Ralph Sharon. The two booked the CBS 30th Street Studio to record. Sharon brought in a briefcase of sheet music and they chose a song, found a good key, and recorded the songs in one or two takes. In a single session, they recorded 16 songs. Twelve of those songs were released, finally, in the 1961 album Tony Sings For Two.

Bennett tells this story in his autobiography The Good Life:

Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, ‘I’m leaving. I can’t support this.’ Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of the my finest records ever.

Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe

Listen to Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1961

“Happiness is a Thing Called Joe,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Rags to Riches

The song of the day for Sunday, February 23, 2020, is “Rags to Riches.”

About This Song

“Rags to Riches” was written by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross in 1953. When Tony Bennett first heard “Rags to Riches,” he hated the song and was forced by Mitch Miller to record it. With a very nice arrangement by Percy Faith, the recording was a big hit for Bennett and earned him a gold record. Thankfully, Bennett grew to enjoy singing the song. Martin Scorcese used the 1953 recording in the opening of Goodfellas, which helped find a new audience for this song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Rags to Riches” at the Washington DC concert in 1962, as captured on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962.

“Rags to Riches,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Street of Dreams

The song of the day for Thursday, October 10, 2019, is “Street of Dreams.”

About This Song

“Street of Dreams” was written in 1932 by Victor Young and Sam M. Lewis. The song has a classic depression-era sense, where love is one of the few things that may be impossible for those with money, but “no one is poor as long as love is sure.” Bing Crosby was the first singer to record “Street of Dreams”; the Russ Columbo recording was also popular.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Street of Dreams” on October 28, 1959, at the famous CBS 30th Street Studio. On that day, Bennett and Sharon came in with nothing but a briefcase full of sheet music and recorded sixteen songs, twelve of which were released on Tony Sings For Two, which wasn’t released until 1961.

Tony remembers the session in his autobiography The Good Life:

We booked time in the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or more takes. … Mitch Miller showed up at the start of the session, furious that I was going through with it. When he saw there was no dissauding me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of my finest records ever.

“Street of Dreams,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Bewitched

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 17, 2019, is “Bewitched.”

About Today

Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett’s long-term pianist and musical director, was born on September 17, 1923, in London. Sharon first started working with Tony Bennett in 1957 and, after a hiatus in the late 1960s and 1970s, rejoined Bennett, touring and recording until his retirement in 2001. Ralph Sharon passed away on March 31, 2015. Tony remembered him in his book Just Getting Started:

I’m still inspired and guided by what Ralph told me so many years ago, in so many words: keep growing, and believe in what you do. I lost a real brother when Ralph passed away in 2015. I hope to keep going for a while. But it’s nice to know that when my time comes, Ralph and I will accompany each other.

About This Song

“Bewitched,” which often goes by its “full” name “Bewitched, Bothered, and Bewildered,” was written in 1940 by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the Broadway musical Pal Joey. Notable recordings are by Benny Goodman, Mel Tormé, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder admired the lyric and the verse, but found the song “notey.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Bewitched” on October 29, 1959. Bennett describes that day in Getting Started:

We booked time at the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or two takes. In one afternoon we laid down sixteen tunes—which must be some kind of record—twelve of which made is onto the album, which became 1961’s Tony Sings For Two. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of my finest records ever.

Tony Sings For Two wasn’t released until 1961. It’s a remarkable album created by two remarkable artists.

“Bewitched,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

As a postscript, I will also note the search term used by an anonymous reader who found information about this song on this blog by typing “bewiced bwildered”. Other related search terms include “how to play like Ralph Sharon” and my favorite of all “i just want to hear tony bennett and nobody else right now”.

I think if I were ever tempted to write an essay or book about my experience with The Year of Tony Bennett, I would have to name it I Just Want to Hear Tony Bennett and Nobdy Else Right Now.

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Song of the Day: Blue Velvet

The song of the day for Friday, July 26, 2019, is “Blue Velvet.”

About This Song

“Blue Velvet” was written in 1950 by Bernie Wayne and Lee Morris. Tony Bennett’s 1951 recording of “Blue Velvet” was the first recording of the song and was one of his early hits for Columbia.

About This Version

“Blue Velvet” was recorded on July 17, 1951, and was released as a single that same year. It was arranged by Percy Faith. Tony tells this story in his autobiography, The Good Life:

Mitch Miller customarily reserved Monday afternoons to audition new material, and songwriters and demo singers lined up the entire length of the hall outside Mitch’s office. When songwriter Bernie Wayne got his chance to play “Blue Velvet” for Mitch, he got as far as the first line, “She wore blue velvet …” when Mitch interrupted an said, “How about Tony Bennett?” Bernie said, “Don’t you want to hear the rest of the song?” and Mitch answered, “Quit while you’re ahead.”

Blue Velvet – Remastered

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“Blue Velvet,” as well as The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

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