The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Watch What Happens

The song of the day for Friday, November 6, 2020, is “Watch What Happens.”

About This Song

“Watch What Happens” was written by Michel Legrand for the 1964 film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The original French lyrics were written by Jacques Demy, who also directed the film. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel. Tony Bennett’s was the first recording of the song, other than the film soundtrack, and the first in English.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Watch What Happens” in 1965 for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.

Watch What Happens

Listen to Watch What Happens on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1965.

“Watch What Happens,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Watch What Happens

The song of the day for Saturday, July 3, 2020, is “Watch What Happens.”

About Today

Today, our Tony Live! series moves to Buffalo, New York in May 1977. Tony Bennett, Marian McPartland, and a lot more talented musicians did a show at the Statler Hilton’s Downtown Club in Buffalo. Accompanying Tony was Torrie Zito on piano, John Guiffrida on bass, and Joe Cocuzzo on drums.

About This Song

“Watch What Happens” was composed by Michel Legrand for the lovely 1964 French film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. The film’s director and screenwriter, Jacques Demy, wrote the original lyrics. Norman Gimbel wrote the English lyrics. Bennett’s first recording of “Watch What Happens” was made for his 1965 album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. It was the first recording of the song with the Gimbel lyrics.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version in May 1977 in Buffalo, New York; the show also featured Marian McPartland and a fine jazzband, led by cornettist Jimmy McPartland. The show was released on Bennett’s Improv label as Tony Bennett, The McPartlands and Friends Make Magnificent Music and was included as a CD in the 2011 Complete Collection. Currently, it is available on The Complete Improv Recordings.

“Watch What Happens,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: It Was Me

The song of the day for Monday, June 22, 2020, is “It Was Me.”

About Today

It’s summer and there’s no better summer song than this one.

About This Song

“It Was Me” was written in 1960 by Gilbert Bécaud as “C’etait Moi,” with English lyrics by Norman Gimbel. It’s a beautiful love song that brings memories of summers past and, maybe, to come. In 2009, Tony Bennett named this as his favorite summer song in an NPR interview.

Tony Bennett’s Summer Song: ‘It Was Me’

All summer, we’ve been asking the question: What is your favorite summer song? We recently turned to a man who has introduced dozens of songs to the Great American Songbook: the legendary Tony Bennett, who joined Melissa Block from his painting studio in Manhattan to discuss his favorite summer song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It Was Me” in 1962 for the album I Wanna Be Around. Marty Manning wrote the arrangement.

“It Was Me,” as well as I Wanna Be Around, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: It Was Me

The song of the day for Saturday, July 27, 2019, is “It Was Me.”

About This Song

Today’s song was originally titled “C’etait Moi” was composed by Gilbert Bécaud, with lyrics by Maurice Vidalin, in 1960. The English lyrics were written by Norman Gimbel, with the English title “It Was Me.” It’s a beautiful love song that brings memories of summers past and, maybe, to come.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “It Was Me” in 1962 for his 1963 album I Wanna Be Around. The excellent arrangement is by Marty Manning.

In 2009, Tony Bennett was interviewed on NPR for a series where people named their favorite summer song. Bennett picked “It Was Me.”

It Was Me

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“It Was Me,” as well as I Wanna Be Around, is available from iTunes.

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Goes to the Movies

The playlist of the week for May 19, 2019, is Tony Goes to the Movies.

Tony Bennett has recorded many songs from films. These are some of my favorites.

Tony Goes to the Movies

Tony has recorded many songs from films.

If I Only Had a Brain by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg from The Wizard of Oz
The Shadow of Your Smile by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster from The Sandpiper
Steppin’ Out With My Baby by Irving Berlin from Easter Parade
Days of Wine and Roses by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer from Days of Wine and Roses
Samba De Orfeo by Luiz Bonfá from Black Orpheus
Emily by Johnny Mandel and Johnny Mercer from The Americanization of Emily
Top Hat, White Tie and Tails by Irving Berlin from Top Hat
Smile by Charlie Chaplin, John Turner, and Geoffrey Parsons from Modern Times
Maybe September by Percy Faith, Jay Livingston, and Ray Evans from The Oscar
Watch What Happens by Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy, and Norman Gimbel from The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
The Way You Look Tonight by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields from Swing Time

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