The song of the day for Thursday, August 17, 2017 is “Revolvin’ Jones.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Revolvin’ Jones,” was written in 1940 by Willard Robison. Other well-known Robison songs include “A Cottage For Sale” and “Don’t Smoke in Bed.” In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder wrote that

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. He had a special flair for gentleness and childhood, the lost and the religious. I suppose it’s not part of the growth of popular music, nor perhaps were any of Robison’s songs. But if they could so much bolster John Mercer’s conviction that there was more to write lyrics about than city life, that the world of memory, of remembered sayings and scenes, was as evocative as the whispered words of lovers, then he did make a contribution.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Revolvin’ Jones” in 1962 for the album On The Glory Road, which was pulled from release at the last moment. Until the release of the Tony Bennett Complete Collection box set in 2011, several songs from the album were never released, including this song. Fortunately, the album is now available to be downloaded from iTunes.

This is a sly, humorous and charming song and Tony Bennett seems to enjoy the singing of it very much. I know I enjoy hearing him sing this song very much.

“Revolvin’ Jones,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from iTunes.