The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Until I Met You

The song of the day for Saturday, July 3, 2026, is “Until I Met You.”

About This Song

“Until I Met You” was written in 1956 by Freddie Green and Donald E. Wolf. This song is also known as “Corner Pocket.” Freddie Green played rhythm guitar for the Count Basie Orchestra for fifty years. This song has also been recorded by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Sarah Vaughan, among others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Until I Met You” on March 16, 1962, for On The Glory Road, which was to be released in 1962 but was canceled; fortunately the album was included in the 2011 Complete Collection and is available ‘on streaming platforms. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Until I Met You,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

In 1961, Duke Ellington and Count Basie, with their combined orchestras, released the album First Time! The Count Meets The Duke. The instrumental version of today’s song, “Corner Pocket” is on that album.

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Song of the Day: Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)

The song of the day for for Sunday, June 28, 2026, is “Bewitched.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett remembers one of Broadway’s greatest composers, Richard Rodgers, who was born on June 28, 1902, in New York City. In his six decades, he wrote more than 900 songs and 40 musicals. He was the first person to attain EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) status; he also won a Pulitzer Prize, which made his the first person to win all five awards.

About This Song

“Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1940 musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Vivienne Segal. 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

Tony Bennett recorded “Bewitched” on October 28, 1959, accompanied only by his pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon. The resulting album, Tony Sings For Two, was released in January 1961. In his autobiography The Good Life, Bennett writes:

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 piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time at 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 onto the album, which became 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 records ever.

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

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Song of the Day: Lazy Afternoon

The song of the day for Saturday, June 27, 2026, is “Lazy Afternoon.”

About This Song

“Lazy Afternoon” was written by Jerome Moross and John Latouche for the 1954 musical The Golden Apple, which uses mythological Greek characters from Ulysses but is set in the state of Washington (at Mount Olympia, of course) in the United States. This song, as well as the entire score, is quite beautiful.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lazy Afternoon” on June 27, 1957, for his third album, The Beat of My Heart. For this album, Bennett and Ralph Sharon (who wrote the arrangement) invited percussionists to play on the album. For “Lazy Afternoon,” Chico Hamilton played drums.

“Lazy Afternoon,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Time After Time

The song of the day for Friday, June 19, 2026, is “Time After Time.”

About This Song

“Time After Time” was written by Jule Syne and Sammy Cahn in 1947 for the movie It Happened in Brooklyn. The song was introduced by Frank Sinatra and was a major hit for him. This song has been widely recorded by many artists. In his fine book The Jazz Standards, Al Gioia quotes Jule Styne as saying “It’s a man’s song — ‘Time After Time.’ When a woman sings it, it is drained of all its power, so to speak. The girls can’t do it.” Well, tell that to Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, and Etta James.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Time After Time” in June 1992 for his album in tribute to Frank Sinatra, Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Time After Time,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Frank Sinatra’s 1947 version of today’s song.

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Song of the Day: My Funny Valentine

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 16, 2026 is “My Funny Valentine.”

About This Song

“My Funny Valentine” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Mitzi Green. This ballad is one of the most-loved songs in the American songbook and has been sung by most jazz and cabaret artists. In addition to Tony Bennett’s excellent recordings of this song, others include those by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, and Miles Davis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “My Funny Valentine” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

Bennett shared his thoughts about Tony Sings For Two, from 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 piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time at 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 onto the album, which became 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 records ever.

“My Funny Valentine,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.