The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Where Or When

The song of the day for Thursday, July 7, 2016 is “Where Or When.”

About This Song

“Where or When”, by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was written for the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. Benny Goodman recorded “Where or When” in 1941 with a very young Peggy Lee. It is a favorite song of many vocalists and has had many fine recordings.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Where Or When” in 1959 with just Ralph Sharon in a legendary studio session where the pair recorded nineteen songs in just one day. The result was the sublime album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1962.

Where or When

Listen to Where or When on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1961


“Where Or When,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I Get A Kick Out Of You

The song of the day for Friday, June 17, 2016 is “I Get A Kick Out Of You.”

About This Song

“I Get a Kick Out of You” was written for Cole Porter’s 1934 musical Anything Goes, where it was introduced by Ethel Merman. It’s been popular since then and has been recorded by artists including Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Anita O’Day, Max Roach and many more. The original lyrics reference the use of cocaine (I get no kick from cocaine), and that particular line in the lyric is often rewritten, often to champagne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Get a Kick Out of You” for his 1957 jazz album The Beat of My Heart. The cut was not on the original LP release, but was added to the first CD release in the early 1990s. The arrangement is by Ralph Sharon and features Art Blakey on drums.

I Get a Kick out of You

Listen to I Get a Kick out of You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“I Get A Kick Out Of You,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

And because I love Ethel Merman, here’s one of her recordings of today’s song.

I Get A Kick Out Of You - From "Anything Goes"

Listen to I Get A Kick Out Of You - From "Anything Goes" on Spotify. Song · Ethel Merman · 2006

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Just One Of Those Things

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 15, 2016 is “Just One Of Those Things.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Just One of Those Things” for the 1935 musical Jubilee. It’s one of Porter’s most popular songs and has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra.

Alec Wilder in “American Popular Song” spoke of the lyric as ‘a trip to the moon on gossamer wings’ and “that it seems impossible that it wasn’t sitting on his piano, waiting for Porter even before he wrote the lyric.” It has a certain literary fame as well: Holden Caulfield, in Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” likes the song and notes that even the “stinking band” in the hotel lounge “couldn’t ruin it entirely.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just One Of Those Things” in 1957 for this third album The Beat of My Heart. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

Just One Of Those Things

Listen to Just One Of Those Things on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“Just One Of Those Things,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Begin The Beguine

The song of the day for Saturday, June 11, 2016 is “Begin The Beguine.”

About This Song

One of Cole Porter’s most popular songs, “Begin the Beguine” is from the 1935 musical Jubilee. The song has an unusual structure, having a 108 measure length, as opposed to the standard 32-bar structure of most popular music. One of the earliest popular recordings was Artie Shaw’s instrumental in 1938. The middle eastern style of the song is well-served by Shaw’s clarinet solo.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Begin the Beguine” in 1957, with an arrangement by Ralph Sharon; the recording features drummer Jo Jones. The song was originally omitted from Bennett’s album The Beat of My Heart, but was added to the first CD release.

Begin The Beguine

Listen to Begin The Beguine on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“Begin The Beguine,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Our first video today is from the movie Broadway Melody of 1940 and features the great Fred Astaire and the great Eleanor Powell dancing to our song of the day.

I was a pretty serious clarinet player in high school and adored both Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. I think Shaw’s recording of “Begin the Beguine” is a real masterpiece, so here’s an extra video today.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Love For Sale

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 7, 2016 is “Love For Sale.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Love For Sale” in 1930 for the Broadway musical The New Yorkers. The song was sung by a prostitute advertising her services. The song was considered rather scandalous at the time. In fact, for the production of The New Yorkers, it was supposed to be sung by the white star Kathryn Crawford, but the song was assigned to an African-American singer instead. In spite of being banned from play on the radio, “Love For Sale” has had many fine recordings, including those by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Miles Davis

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Love For Sale” in 1957 for his third album: The Beat of My Heart. For this album, Tony Bennett and his new pianist, Ralph Sharon, gathered drummers and percussionists from all over the world to collaborate on the album. “Love For Sale” featured Candido, Sabu and Billy Exiner.

Love for Sale

Listen to Love for Sale on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1957


“Love For Sale,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available from iTunes.