The song of the day for Sunday, November 2, 2014 is “Poor Little Rich Girl.”
About This Song
“Poor Little Rich Girl” was written in 1925 by Noël Coward for the revue On With The Dance. The Noël Coward Society ranks this song as one of ten most popular songs.
About This Version
Today’s version is from one of my favorite of Bennett’s early albums: Basie/Bennett (sometimes called Basie Swings, Bennett Sings) from his first album with Count Basie and His Orchestra, released in 1959. In his autobiography The Good Life, Bennett relates:
Although I’d talked with him on the phone, I didn’t meet Count Basie until our rehearsals began. It was an amazing experience, the fulfillment of a dream, and I’ll never forget it. We hit it off right away, as though we always knew and understood each other. At one point, Basie turned to his band, pointed at me, and said, “Anything this man wants, he gets!” I was floored.
You can hear that connection in every song in this album … it sounds as if Tony Bennett had been singing with Basie for years.
“Poor Little Rich Girl,” as well as the album Basie Swings, Bennett Sings, is available from iTunes.