The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: My Funny Valentine

The song of the day for Sunday, June 223, 2024, 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.

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Song of the Day: I Fall In Love Too Easily

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 19, 2024, is “I Fall In Love Too Easily.”

About This Song

“I Fall In Love Too Easily” was written for the 1945 movie Anchors Away, where it was introduced by Frank Sinatra. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to “It Might As Well Be Spring” by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is a well-respected jazz standard, with recordings by Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Anita O’Day, and Johnny Hartman.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Fall In Love Too Easily” in June 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“I Fall In Love Too Easily,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Best Is Yet To Come

The song of the day for Sunday, June 9, 2024, is “The Best Is Yet To Come.”

About Today

On June 9, 1962, Tony Bennett appeared in concert at Carnegie Hall. In preparation for the concert, Bennett called some old Army buddies, Arthur Penn and Gene Saks, who directed the concert. 1962 was the year that Tony Bennett released “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” Between that recording and the June 9th concert, Bennett’s career catapulted into the stratosphere.

Bennett wrote about that night in his autobiography, The Good Life:

My whole family was in the audience. I was particularly proud that my mother was there; that made me feel like a million bucks. It was the biggest night of my life. My mom couldn’t believe how far I’d come. She was sitting between Mary and Tom, and as the crowds were cheering for an encore, she kept turning to Mary and asking, “Why don’t they let Anthony go home and rest? He must be exhausted after two and a half hours of singing.” She was so precious, she meant everything to me.

About This Song

“The Best Is Yet To Come” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1959. Some say that the song was written for Bennett. In any case, the song is strongly identified with him and he sang it at most of his concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Best Is Yet To Come” on June 9, 1962, live at Carnegie Hall. The resulting album, Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, was released in August and was a big hit. Ralph Sharon assembled and conducted the orchestra, as well as writing all of the arrangements.

“The Best Is Yet To Come,” as well as Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: In The Wee Small Hours

The song of the day for Sunday, June 2, 2024, is “In The Wee Small Hours.”

About This Song

“In The Wee Small Hours” was written in 1955 by David Mann and Bob Hilliard. This song is, of course, widely identified with Frank Sinatra, who anchored his well-received concept album In the Wee Small Hours around this song. Interestingly, the song almost didn’t get written. The two songwriters were working in Hilliard’s home in New Jersey. It was well past midnight and Mann was getting ready to leave for home in New York. Hilliard urged him to stay and Mann came up with the tune, to which Hilliard quickly wrote the lyric.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “In The Wee Small Hours” on February 26, 1964, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. The recording was released on A Time For Love in 1966.

“In The Wee Small Hours,” as well as A Time For Love, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Monday, May 13, 2024, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing in the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Man That Got Away” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

In his autobiography, Bennett shared this memory about making Tony Sings For Two:

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.

“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Judy Garland’s incredible performance of “The Man That Got Away” from A Star Is Born.