The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Fly Me To The Moon

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 4, 2024, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written by Bart Howard in 1954. The song 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 recorded “Fly Me To The Moon” live on April 12, 1994, on MTV. The MTV Unplugged album was released in June of that year. The songs from the televised concert were arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

MTV Unplugged won the 37th Annual Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Fly Me To The Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the video of “Fly Me To The Moon” from the concert:

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Sunday, October 27, 2024, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and 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.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Old Devil Moon” live on April 12, 1994, for the television program MTV Unplugged. The resulting album, MTV Unplugged, was released in June 1994. The album won two 1994 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Performance.

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take Away From Me

The song of the day for Sunday, August 25, 2024, is “They Can’t Take Away From Me.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating the birthday of Declan Patrick MacManus OBE, better known by his stage name Elvis Costello. He was born on August 25, 1954. Elvis duetted with Tony Bennett on today’s song.

About This Song

“They Can’t Take Away From Me” was written by George and Ira Gershwin in 1936 for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Elvis Costello recorded “They Can’t Take Away From Me” live on April 12, 1994, for Tony Bennett’s MTV Unplugged television program.

MTV Unplugged won the 1994 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Performance.

“They Can’t Take Away From Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Elvis and Tony singing today’s song:

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Friday, April 12, 2024, is “Moonglow.”

About Today

Thirty years ago today, April 12, 1994, Tony Bennett appeared live on MTV Unplugged. The performance was a huge hit in the ratings as was the album released later that year.

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933 by Will Hudson and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. It’s been a popular song since it was written. The first recordings were by Joe Venuti and His Orchestra, Ethel Waters, and The Benny Goodman Orchestra. Later recordings include those by Billie Holiday and Artie Shaw.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Moonglow” live on April 12, 1994. It was the first time Tony Bennett and k.d. lang performed together. The MTV Unplugged album was released in June of that year. The songs from the televised concert were arranged by Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio.

“Moonglow,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

MTV Unplugged won the 1994 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Tradition Pop Performance.

Here’s the video of their performance.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Thursday, August 24, 2023, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes Elvis Costello a very happy birthday! Costello was born in London, England on August 25, 1954.

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire–Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Elvis Costello recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” on April 12, 1994, for Bennett’s legendary MTV Unplugged appearance. The MTV Unplugged album was released in June of that year. The songs from the televised concert were arranged by Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio.

MTV Unplugged won two 1994 Grammy Awards: Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the video of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” from MTV Unplugged:

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