The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: When Lights Are Low

The song of the day for Sunday, April 20, 2025, is “When Lights Are Low.”

About This Song

“When Lights Are Low” was written in 1936 by Benny Carter and Spencer Williams, while both were living and working in Europe. Carter was the staff arranger for the BBC during that time.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “When Lights Are Low” on March 26, 1964, for his album When Lights Are Low, which was released 61 years ago today on April 20, 1964. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and led the trio that accompanied Bennett for this album: Sharon (piano), Hal Gaylord (bass), and Billy Exiner (drums).

“When Lights Are Low,” as well as the album When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: With Plenty of Money and You

The song of the day for Friday, March 18, 2025, is “With Plenty of Money and You.”

About This Song

“With Plenty of Money and You” was written by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for Gold Diggers of 1937, starring Dick Powell and Joan Blondell and choreographed by Busby Berkeley. Interestingly, the score for the film was to have been written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg, but Berkeley didn’t like what they had written and brought in Warren and Dubin for this song and several other songs. Some Arlen and Harburg songs were used in the film as well.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Count Basie and His Orchestra, recorded “With Plenty of Money and You” on January 5, 1959, for the album Basie Swings/Bennett Sings. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“With Plenty of Money and You,” as well as Basie Swings/Bennett Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: It Had To Be You

The song of the day for Monday, April 14, 2025, is “It Had To Be You.”

About This Song

“It Had To Be You” was written in 1924, with music by Isham Jones and lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song is a popular standard with many fine recordings, including those by Paul Whiteman, Cliff Edwards, and Frank Sinatra. It has also been used in several films, such as Casablanca and Annie Hall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with his trio (Ralph Sharon, piano; Doug Richeson, bass; Clayton Cameron, drums), performed the songs for MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. The album MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett – Live was released in July 1994.

MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett – Live won two 1994 Grammy Awards:

  • Album of the Year
  • Best Traditional Pop Performance

“It Had To Be You,” as well as MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett – Live, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the video from the television program:

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Song of the Day: Where or When

The song of the day for Thursday, April 10, 2025, is “Where or When.”

About This Song

“Where or When” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart 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, with Ralph Sharon, recorded “Where or When” on October 28, 1959. On that day, Sharon brought a briefcase full of sheet music, and in a single session, they recorded sixteen songs in only one or two takes, twelve of which were used for the album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961.

“Where or When,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 31, 2025, is “Skylark.”

About This Song

“Skylark” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer in 1941. Johnny Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” for over a year. The song and the lyrics are outstanding, and it easily became a jazz and popular standard. It’s also believed that Buick named its new car Skylark in 1953, due to the popularity of the song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded”Skylark” on October 28, 1959, at the session for their album Tony Sings For Two. Due to space constraints, “Skylark” was not included on the initial CD release; it was added for the 1995 CD release of the album.

“Skylark,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.