The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Love You

The song of the day for Monday, October 7, 2024, is “I Love You.”

About This Song

“I Love You” was written in 1944 for the movie Mexican Hayride. Bing Crosby made the first recording, which topped the Billboard charts for five weeks. Porter wrote the song because of a dare made by his friend Monty Woolley, who said that Porter couldn’t write a song with a cliche title like “I Love You” and included the banal sentiment “It’s spring again and birds on the wing again” and be successfull. Porter accepted the challenge and Crosby’s recording topped the charts. Porter did remark that “the superior melody overcame the ordinary lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recoreded “I Love You” on January 23, 1962. The song was intended for release for his 1962 album On The Glory Road; however the album was canceled at the last moment. On The Glory Road was finally released in the 2011 Complete Collection box set. This song was arranged by Marty Manning.

“I Love You,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Love You

The song of the day for Thursday, June 27, 2024, is “I Love You.”

About This Song

“I Love You” was written by Cole Porter in 1944 for the film Mexican Hayride.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Love You” on January 23, 1962, for On The Glory Road, which was to be released in 1962 but was canceled. The album was released as part of the 2011 Complete Collection. It was arranged by Marty Manning.

“I Love You,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Soon It’s Gonna Rain

The song of the day for Thursday, April 25, 2024, is “Soon It’s Gonna Rain.”

About This Song

“Soon It’s Gonna Rain” was written by Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones for their off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, which ran for an astounding 42 years and 17,162 performances at the Sullivan Street Playhouse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Soon It’s Gonna Rain” on March 16, 1962, for the album On The Glory Road, which was to be released in 1962 but was canceled. The song was arranged by Ralph Sharon. The recording was added to Bennett’s 1964 album, The Many Moods of Tony. Thankfully, On The Glory Road was released with the 2011 Complete Collection box set and is also available on streaming services.

“Soon It’s Gonna Rain,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: De Glory Road

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 13, 2024, is “De Glory Road.”

About This Song

“De Glory Road” began as a poem written by a white, socialist, native Alabaman lawyer and writer named Clement Wood, who published the poem in 1928. Wood is also the author of the Clement Wood Rhyming Dictionary, the 1939 edition of which was Stephen Sondheim’s preferred rhyming dictionary.

Jacques Wolfe, was a Jewish Romanian-born composer who discovered African-American music while serving in the Army during World War I. In 1928, Wolfe wrote the music for Wood’s “Three Negro Poems” which included “De Glory Road” Wolfe later worked with Langston Hughes and composed for a 1938 musical, John Henry, which starred Paul Robeson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “De Glory Road” on March 13, 1962, (62 years ago today) for his album On The Glory Road, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. The album release was canceled at the very last minute, but was included in Bennett’s 2011 Complete Collection box set.

“De Glory Road,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Revolvin’ Jones

The song of the day for Friday, February 9, 2024, is “Revolvin’ Jones.”

About This Song

“Revolvin’ Jones” was written in 1940 by Willard Robison, who also wrote “A Cottage For Sale” and “Don’t Smoke in Bed.” In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder wrote

Everybody loved him and many tried to help him, among them John Mercer. Mildred Bailey revered him and sang every song of his she could lay her hands on. I became aware of him in the late twenties when he recorded for Perfect Records. He did manage, during his almost euphoric life, to write a few successful songs but generally his songs were known only to a few singers and lovers of the off-beat and the non-urban song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Revolvin’ Jones” on March 16, 1962, for the album On The Glory Road, which was to be released in 1962, but was canceled at the last minute by Columbia Records; thankfully, it was included in the 2011 Complete Collection box set. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Revolvin’ Jones,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.