• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

January 14, 2021 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Used To Be Color Blind

The song of the day for Friday, January 15, 2021, is “I Used To Be Color Blind.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “I Used To Be Color Blind” for the 1938 film Carefree, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. Tony Bennett and Lee Musiker have a nice little exchange in the documentary film The Zen of Bennett about this song after Bennett discovers that the shoeshine person mistakenly shined his black shoes with brown polish.

About This Version

As I do every Thursday afternoon, I was listening to John Pizzarelli’s online show It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: A Musical Social From A Distance. One of the songs he played this week was “I Used To Be Color Blind” and he mentioned that he loved Tony’s recording of the song. He also said that his dad, Bucky Pizzarelli, played on the recording.

Tony Bennett recorded “I Used To Be Color Blind” in 1975 for the album Tony Bennett Sings “Life Is Beautiful”, released on Bennett’s Improv label. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

I Used To Be Color Blind

Listen to I Used To Be Color Blind on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 2004.

“I Used To Be Color Blind,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from Apple Music.”

You can catch It’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere: A Musical Social From A Distance on Facebook on the John Pizzarelli page or on Instagram- JohnPizzarelliOfficial. It starts every Thursday at 6:00 ET and lasts about an hour. His wife Jessica Molaskey joins every week and she sings several songs each week. Each Monday, John posts about the upcoming show and asks for your request.

You can also catch John and Jessica on Radio Deluxe, which is one of the best shows ever for jazz, cabaret, and show tunes. They almost always feature at least one Tony Bennett recording. You can find more information on radiodeluxe.com with information on how to listen. This show runs for about two hours. Both of these are great fun and you’ll learn a lot about the songs and the people who sang them.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Irving Berlin, Jessica Molaskey, John Pizzarelli, Radio Deluxe, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett Sings Life Is Beautiful, Torrie Zito

September 21, 2020 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: You Must Believe In Spring

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 22, 2020, is “You Must Believe In Spring.”

Note About Today’s Song

Every weekend I listen to the radio show Radio Deluxe, hosted by John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey. This weekend, they featured several songs from Tony Bennett, including today’s song. I was reminded why I love this song and especially this recording of it.

Radio Deluxe is a swell show: part jazz, part cabaret, and all of it excellent. John and Jessica always have something unique and wonderful to say about each of the songs they feature. It’s one of the highlights of my weekend. You can find out more about Radio Deluxe on its website radiodeluxe.com.

About This Song

“You Must Believe In Spring” was composed by the great Michel Legrand. The original French lyrics were written by Jacques Demy (who also wrote and directed the film); the English lyrics were written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman. The song was written for the 1967 French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, which starred Catherine Deneuve. “You Must Believe In Spring” has been widely recorded by artists including Sylvia Syms, Barbra Streisand, and Bill Evans, in a posthumous release of an album with the same name, featuring sessions with Eddie Gomez and Eliot Zigmund.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “You Must Believe In Spring” in September 1976 for their second album Together Again, released in 1977 on Bennett’s Improv label.

“You Must Believe In Spring,” as well as , is available from Apple Music and Quboz.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Alan Bergman, Bill Evans, Jacques Demy, Jessica Molaskey, John Pizzarelli, Les Demoiselles de Rochefor, Marilyn Bergman, Michel Legrand, Radio Deluxe, Together Again, Tony Bennett

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites

  • Twilight World
  • Duke Ellington and the Harlem Renaissance
  • Song of the Day: Speak Low
  • Song of the Day: Make Someone Happy
  • Song of the Day: If Yesterday Could Only Be Tomorrow
  • Song of the Day: Yesterday I Heard The Rain
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress