The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Saturday, January 3. 2026, is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.” The song was also used in the 1953 film The Band Wagon, starring Fred Astaire.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dancing in the Dark” on April 6, 1961, for My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangements and conducted the band, which contained several noted musicians, including Milt Hinton, Chuck Wayne, and Eddie Costa.

“Dancing in the Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

Here are Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse performing “Dancing in the Dark” from the 1953 film The Band Wagon. I think it’s one of Astaire’s finest dance numbers.

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Monday, December 1, 2025, is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella By Starlight” was composed by Victor Young in 1944 for the film The Uninvited. The lyrics by Ned Washington were added in 1947. The song was recorded in 1947 by Harry James and Frank Sinatra; it has been frequently recorded ever since. It found its way as a jazz standard in the early 1950s, with recordings by Stan Getz, Bud Powell, and Stan Kenton. It ranks as the 10th most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” on April 6, 1961, for My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangements and conducted the band.

“Stella By Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me

The song of the day for Saturday, October 11, 2025, is “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me.”

About This Song

“Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” was written in 1938 by Rube Bloom and Ted Koehler for the World’s Fair edition of the Cotton Club show in 1939. Significant recordings include those by Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Joni Mitchell, and Count Basie with Joe Williams.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” on April 4, 1961, for My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted.

“Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

I found a couple of different versions of “Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me” you might enjoy.

Count Basie and Joe Williams from Basie’s 1957 album One O’Clock Jump:

Joni Mitchell from her 2000 album Both Sides Now:

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Song of the Day: Lover Man

The song of the day for Monday, September 1, 2025, is “Lover Man.”

About This Song

“Lover Man” was written in 1941 by Jimmy Davis, Roger “Ram” Ramirez, and James Sherman. The song was written for Billie Holiday, and remains most closely associated with her, despite many other fine recordings. Her recording of “Lover Man” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1989. Other significant recordings include those by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Evans and Stan Getz, Charlie Parker, and Barbra Streisand.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lover Man” on April 4, 1961, for My Heart Sings, which was released 64 years ago on September 1, 1961. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.

“Lover Man,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Billie Holiday’s 1944 recording of “Lover Man.”

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Tuesday, August 12, 2025, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, for the 1929 musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good, and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” on April 4, 1961, for My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the arrangement and conducted the band.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.