The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got the World on a String

The song of the day for Thursday, July 30, 2020, is “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

About This Song

Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler wrote “I’ve Got the World on a String” for the 1932 Cotton Club Parade, where it was introduced by Cab Calloway and Bing Crosby. Alec Wilder, in American Popular Song, considers it one of Arlen’s loveliest songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’ve Got the World on a String” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“I’ve Got the World on a String,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Wish I Were In Love Again

The song of the day for Thursday, July 23, 2020, is “I Wish I Were In Love Again.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart wrote “I Wish I Were In Love Again” for the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. It was a favorite song of Judy Garland, who recorded it in 1940. Other recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Audra McDonald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Wish I Were In Love Again” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“I Wish I Were In Love Again,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Thought About You

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 23, 2020, is “I Thought About You.”

About This Song

“I Thought About You” was written in 1939 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer. In the biography Portrait of Johnny: The Life of John Herndon Mercer, author Gene Lees quotes Mercer about this song: “I can remember the afternoon that we wrote it. He [Van Heusen] played me the melody. I didn’t have any idea, but I had to go to Chicago that night. I think I was on the Benny Goodman program. And I got to thinking about it on the train. I was awake, I couldn’t sleep. The tune was running through my mind, and that’s when I wrote the song. On the train, really going to Chicago.” “I Thought About You” proved quite popular and has been recorded many times by jazz performers including Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Dinah Washington, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Thought About You” in 1992 for his album of songs popularized by Frank Sinatra: Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“I Thought About You,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: East of the Sun

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 16, 2020, is “East of the Sun.”

About This Song

“East of the Sun” was written in 1934 by Brooks Bowman, a student at Princeton University, for a student musical production called Stags at Bay, produced by the Princeton Triangle Club. The song had a great reception and was noted by Princeton alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald. After his graduation from college in 1936, he worked briefly in Hollywood for the film industry but decided to return to the East Coast. He was about to start a contract with a New York music publisher when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1937.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “East of the Sun” in 1992 for album of songs often sung by Frank Sinatra, Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“East of the Sun,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Night and Day

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 20, 2020, is “Night and Day.”

About This Song

“Night and Day” was written by Cole Porter for the 1932 musical Gay Divorce, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song became and still is quite popular and certainly a standard in the American songbook. Significant recordings include those by Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker, Ella Fitzgerald, and Django Reinhardt.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Night and Day” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank, dedicated to Frank Sinatra. Ralph Sharon wrote the very effective arrangement.

Perfectly Frank won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“Night and Day,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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