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 Thursday, January 5, 2023, is “Fly Me To The Moon.”

About This Song

“Fly Me To The Moon” was written in 1954 by Bart Howard. 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 “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” on April 12, 1994, for MTV’s Unplugged. 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.

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

Here’s the recording of “Fly Me To The Moon” from the MTV television performance.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 4, 2023, is “Speak Low.”

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill and Ogden Nash for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and his trio recorded “Speak Low” live on April 12, 1994, for MTV Unplugged. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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

Here’s video from the television presentation.

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 3, 2023, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 947 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 MTV Unplugged. Bennett was accompanied by his trio: Ralph Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

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

We have video of this performance:

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Song of the Day: Moonglow

The song of the day for Saturday, December 4, 2021, is “Moonglow.”

About This Song

“Moonglow” was written in 1933 by Will Hudson and Irving Mills, with lyrics by Eddie DeLange. 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” on April 12, 1994, on MTV Unplugged. This was the first time they sang together, but certainly not the last. The album MTV Unplugged won the 1994 Grammy Awards for Album of the Year and Best Traditional Pop Performance.

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

Here’s the video of this song’s performance.

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Song of the Day: Fly Me to the Moon

The song of the day for Friday, November 19, 2021, 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 “Fly Me To The Moon,” and it 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 performed “Fly Me to the Moon” on April 12, 1994, for his performance on MTV Unplugged. As he did in his concerts, Bennett asked for the microphones to be turned off. The first time I saw Bennett in concert, I was seated in the balcony. When he sang “Fly Me to the Moon” with no amplification, I could hear every word. It was a miracle to hear an unamplified voice in a huge concert hall.

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

Here’s that performance.