The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 8, 2013 is “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”

About This Song

“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” was written for the 1940 Broadway musical Pal Joey by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The song was one of the big hits from this show, in addition to another Bennett favorite “I Could Write a Book.” Notable recordings are by Benny Goodman, Mel Tormé, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder admired the lyric and the verse, but found the song “notey.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s 1961 album Tony Sings For Two. This album is rather remarkable: at that time, and perhaps even today, it was practically unheard of for a very popular singer like Bennett to record an album with just piano accompaniment (from Ralph Sharon). Bennett and Sharon recorded sixteen songs in a single session, twelve of which made it onto the album, which is widely considered to be one of Bennett’s finest.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4Re3BBnTFrSppLM2M4iATX
“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Tuesday, October 1, 2013 is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” is, of course, from the 1954 film A Star Is Born, starring Judy Garland and James Mason and directed by George Cukor. Originally 181 minutes long, the film was brutally cut at the insistence of the movie theater owners. It’s widely thought that the cut version cost Judy Garland the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress, which instead went to Grace Kelly for A Country Girl.

The song was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin and its performance in the film is extraordinary. It was filmed dozens of times, with several different sets and costumes. That said, the final result is legendary and remains one of the greatest musical performances in film.

I agree with Alec Wilder regarding this song: “This is a true Arlen song. If you are good rememberer, try to think of anyone else who might have written it. I don’t see who it could have been but Arlen.”

About This Version

Today’s version of “The Man That Got Away” is from Tony Bennett’s 1961 album Tony Sings For Two, where he is accompanied by Ralph Sharon. While many male singers changed the man to the girl or the gal that got away, Bennett records the lyrics as written, which we really appreciate. Other than Judy Garland, I think that Bennett’s recording is one of the finest of this iconic song.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2rmnQNHuDsDExyiWLam3SC
“The Man That Got Away,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and amazon.com.

And because I love it so, here’s the scene from A Star is Born:

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Song of the Day: Where Or When

The song of the day for Saturday, September 28, 2013 is “Where Or When.”

About This Song

“Where Or When” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1937 for the Broadway musical Babes In Arms. Note that the Broadway musical bears little, if any, resemblance to the 1938 film that starred Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney. Only two songs of the Rodgers and Hart songs were used in the film; thankfully “Where Or When” was one of those songs, though only a brief portion of the song is heard.

In the Broadway production, the song was sung by a young couple (played by Ray Heatherton and Mitzi Green) who had just met, fallen in love on sight and sing this song about how they seem to recognize each other, but cannot remember where, or when.

The song has been widely recorded since it was written from Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald and Dinah Shore to Dave Brubeck, Art Tatum, Gene Krupa and Duke Ellington.

About This Version

Today’s song is from the superb album Tony Sings For Two. The entire album was recorded in a single day with just Bennett and Ralph Sharon at the CBS 30th Street Studio. While recorded in October, 1959, it wasn’t released until 1961. Tony tells this story in his autobiography, The Good Life:

I always wanted to be unpredictable, and so for my next project, I decided to go in the opposite direction from the big orchestral albums I’d been doing lately and cut an intimate album piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time in the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or two takes. In one afternoon we laid down sixteen tunes–which must be some kind of record–twelve of which made it into the album, which became the 1961’s Tony Sings For Two. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of my finest albums ever.

In addition to “Where Or When,” this album contains my favorite recording of one of my favorite songs: “The Man That Got Away.” There really isn’t a false moment on the entire album: it’s a brilliant album by two great musicians.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1jKAs45clerby224GYvA7H
“Where Or When,” as well as the album Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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Happy Birthday To Ralph Sharon

The Year of Tony Bennett wants to wish pianist Ralph Sharon a very, very happy birthday.

Mr. Sharon was born September 17, 1923 in London, England. He currently resides in the Denver, Colorado area and performs regularly in the area.

We are saddened by the terrible flooding in Boulder and other parts of Colorado, and hope that Mr. Sharon and his family are safe and sound.

Last year for Mr. Sharon’s birthday, we did Ralph Sharon Week. We’re including the links to those stories here:

Ralph Sharon Week

Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

Song of the Day: It Amazes Me

Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

Song of the Day: Isn’t This a Lovely Day

Song of the Day: I Concentrate On You

Song of the Day: Street Of Dreams

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Sunday, September 8, 2013 is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

This song was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1961. You can read more about this song, hear Tony’s different recordings of it, and read the lyrics at our sister site The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography.

About This Version

Well, it’s been three whole months since I’ve chosen “The Rules of the Road” as the song of the day. I absolutely, completely, totally love this song and cannot and will never get enough of hearing it. Besides, sometimes we all need a little reminding about the rules of the road.

Today’s version is from Tony’s 1964 album When Lights Are Low, featuring Tony and the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3Ym1D0K9Qk4PTK2Iw2Z6It
“The Rules of the Road,” as well as the album When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.