The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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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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Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Tuesday, May 12, 2020, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg.

Harold Arlen considered “Last Night When We Were Young” to be one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.”

Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, and Carmen McRae.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank, where he sings songs associated with his friend Frank Sinatra. Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Time After Time

The song of the day for Friday, January 17, 2020, is “Time After Time.”

About This Song

“Time After Time” was written by Jule Styne and Sammy Kahn in 1947 for the movie It Happened in Brooklyn. The song was introduced by Frank Sinatra and was a major hit for him. This song has been widely recorded by many artists. In his fine book The Jazz Standards, Al Gioia quotes Jule Styne as saying “It’s a man’s song — ‘Time After Time.’ When a woman sings it, it is drained of all its power, so to speak. The girls can’t do it.” Well, tell that to Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, and Cyndi Lauper all of whom have made fine recordings of “Time After Time.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Time After Time” in 1992 for his tribute album to Frank Sinatra: Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“Time After Time,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Sunday, December 29, 2019, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Arlen considered it to be one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: You Go To My Head

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 22, 2019, is “You Go To My Head.”

About This Song

“You Go To My Head” was written in 1938 by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie. Composed by the same songwriting team that gave us “Santa Claus is Coming To Town,” “You Go to My Head” is a well-respected popular song. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder called it “a phenomenon” and “a minor masterpiece.” Al Gioia in The Jazz Standards notes that “this song comes closer than any tune I know to capturing in musical form the feeling of losing control.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “You Go To My Head” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank, consisting of songs associated with Frank Sinatra. Ralph Sharon did the arrangement. Mr. Bennett had previously recorded “You Go To My Head” in 1957 for The Beat of My Heart, though it wasn’t released until the 1997 CD re-release of that album.

“You Go To My Head,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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