The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 3, 2020, is “My Foolish Heart.”

About This Song

“My Foolish Heart” was written in 1949 by Victor Young and Ned Washington for a widely-panned film of the same name, based on a J.D. Salinger short story. Time magazine excoriated the score: “nothing offsets the blight of such tear-splashed excesses as the bloop-bleep-bloop of a sentimental ballad on the soundtrack.” The song was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song but lost to Frank Loesser’s “Baby It’s Cold Outside.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “My Foolish Heart” in 1975 for their first album: The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“My Foolish Heart,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Saturday, August 17, 2019, is “My Foolish Heart.”

About This Song

“My Foolish Heart” was written by Victor Young and Ned Washington for a widely-panned film of the same name, based on a J.D. Salinger short story. Time magazine excoriated the score: “nothing offsets the blight of such tear-splashed excesses as the bloop-bleep-bloop of a sentimental ballad on the soundtrack.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “My Foolish Heart” in June 1975 for their first album, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

My Foolish Heart

Bill Evans, Tony Bennett · The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1975

“My Foolish Heart,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: When You Wish Upon a Star

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 26, 2019, is “When You Wish Upon a Star.”

About This Song

“When You Wish Upon a Star” was written by Leigh Harline and Ned Washington for the 1940 Walt Disney adaption of Pinocchio. It was sung by Cliff Edwards as Jiminy Cricket. “When You Wish Upon A Star” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, and was the first Disney song to win this award. The American Film Institute rated it seventh in their 100 Greatest Songs in Film History. The song has also been recognized by the Library of Congress, which preserved the song in National Recording Registry in 2009.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “When You Wish Upon a Star” in 1998 for his album for children: The Playground.

When You Wish Upon A Star

When You Wish Upon A Star, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“When You Wish Upon a Star,” as well as The Playground, is available from iTunes.

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves a Piano

The playlist of the week of May 12, 2019, is Tony Loves a Piano. Some of Bennett’s finest recordings have been made with just Tony and a pianist. This week we honor some of the best of those recordings.

Tony Loves a Piano

Some of Tony Bennett's finest recordings have been with only Tony and a pianist. This week we honor some of the best of those recordings.

My Foolish Heart (Victor Young and Ned Washington) with Bill Evans
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered (Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart) with Ralph Sharon
Cold, Cold Heart (Hank Williams) with John Bunch
Some Other Time (Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green and Betty Comden) with Bill Evans
The Man That Got Away (Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin) with Ralph Sharon
A Sleepin’ Bee (Harold Arlen and Truman Capote) with Ralph Sharon
Dream Dancing (Cole Porter) with Bill Evans
One For My Baby (by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer)/It Had To Be You (Isham Jones, Gus Kahn) with John Bunch
We’ll Be Together Again (Carl T. Fischer and Frankie Laine) with Bill Evans

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Song of the Day: Stella By Starlight

The song of the day for Thursday, February 28, 2019, is “Stella By Starlight.”

About This Song

“Stella by Starlight” was introduced in the 1944 film The Uninvited. The music was composed in 1944 by Victor Young; the lyrics were written in 1946 by Ned Washington. 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 tenth most important jazz title at jazzstandards.com.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stella By Starlight” for his 1961 album My Heart Sings. This song, as well as the entire album, was arranged by Ralph Burns, who seems to have had a strong feeling about Tony Bennett as a jazz singer, as we hear in today’s recording.

Stella By Starlight

Stella By Starlight, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“Stella By Starlight,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from iTunes.