The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Make It Easy On Yourself

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 8, 2021, is “Make It Easy On Yourself.”

About This Song

“Make It Easy On Yourself” was written in 1962 by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. This song marked the beginning of the long association with Bacharach and David with Dionne Warwick, who recorded many of their songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Make It Easy On Yourself” in 1970 for his album Tony Bennett’s “Something”. Peter Matz wrote the arrangement.

Make It Easy On Yourself

Listen to Make It Easy On Yourself on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1970

“Make It Easy On Yourself,” as well as Make It Easy On Yourself is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Wave

The song of the day for Monday, September 1, 2020, is “Wave.”

About This Song

Written in 1967, “Wave,” or “Vou Te Contar” in the original Portuguese, is a classic bossa nova song by Antonio Carlos Jobim. It’s one of Jobim’s loveliest songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Wave” in 1970 for the album Tony Bennett’s “Something.” Peter Matz wrote the arrangement.

“Wave,” as well as Tony Bennett’s “Something”, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Wave

The song of the day for Sunday, June 28, 2020, is “Wave.”

About This Song

“Wave” (or “Vou Te Contar” in the original Portuguese), is a classic bossa nova song by Antonio Carlos Jobim. It’s one of Jobim’s loveliest songs. He wrote it in 1967.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Wave” at his 1971 concert at Royal Albert Hall in London; the concert was captured on the album Get Happy. Bennett had previously recorded “Wave” for his 1970 album Tony Bennett’s Something, with an arrangement by Peter Matz; the Matz arrangement was used for this live recording.

“Wave,” as well as Get Happy, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Wave

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 11, 2018 is “Wave.”

About This Song

“Wave,” or “Vou Te Contar” in the original Portuguese, is a classic bossa nova song written by Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1967. It’s one of Jobim’s loveliest songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Wave” in 1970 for his album Tony Bennett’s “Something”. It features an arrangement by Peter Matz.

Wave

Listen to Wave on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1970


“Wave,” as well as Tony Bennett’s “Something”, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Exactly Like You

The song of the day for Monday, November 6, 2017 is “Exactly Like You.”

About This Song

“Exactly Like You” was written by Jimmy McHugh and Dorothy Fields in 1930 for Lew Leslie’s International Revue, which also introduced “On The Sunny Side Of The Street.” While the reviewers were not kind to the production, the score was then, and remains still, quite noteworthy. Even though Fields’ lyrics for the song are very fine, the early recordings of the song were mostly instrumentals, such as that by Louis Armstrong. The song became popular again in 1936, with a fine recording by Benny Goodman that featured Lionel Hampton on the vibraphone, followed by the 1937 recording by Count Basie, which included the vocals by Jimmy Rushing. Later notable recordings include those by Carmen McRae (1954), Bing Crosby (1944), Patti Page (1949), Anita O’Day (1975), Nina Simone (1959) and Diana Krall (2006).

About This Version

Tony Bennett and k.d. lang recorded “Exactly Like You” in 2002 for their album dedicated to songs associated with Louis Armstrong: A Wonderful World. The musical director was Lee Musiker and Peter Matz conducted the orchestra.

Exactly Like You

Listen to Exactly Like You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett, k.d. lang · 2002


“Exactly Like You,” as well as Exactly Like You, is available from iTunes.