The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Ain’t Misbehaving

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 19, 2024, is “Ain’t Misbehaving.”

About This Song

“Ain’t Misbehaving” was written in 1929 by Fats Waller and Harry Brooks, with lyrics by Andy Razaf. Fats Waller introduced “Ain’t Misbehaving” in the 1929 musical revue Connie’s Hot Chocolates, staged at Connie’s Inn in Harlem. Andy Razaf, the lyricist, says that Waller wrote the entire song in just 45 minutes. It has become one of Waller’s most well-known songs, perhaps due to the wildly successful Broadway musical revue Ain’t Misbehaving, which opened in 1978.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ain’t Misbehaving” on March 26, 1964, for his album When Lights Are Low. The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano; Hal Gaylord on bass; Billy Exiner on drums) accompanied Bennett for this recording; Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Ain’t Misbehaving,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: De Glory Road

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 13, 2024, is “De Glory Road.”

About This Song

“De Glory Road” began as a poem written by a white, socialist, native Alabaman lawyer and writer named Clement Wood, who published the poem in 1928. Wood is also the author of the Clement Wood Rhyming Dictionary, the 1939 edition of which was Stephen Sondheim’s preferred rhyming dictionary.

Jacques Wolfe, was a Jewish Romanian-born composer who discovered African-American music while serving in the Army during World War I. In 1928, Wolfe wrote the music for Wood’s “Three Negro Poems” which included “De Glory Road” Wolfe later worked with Langston Hughes and composed for a 1938 musical, John Henry, which starred Paul Robeson.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “De Glory Road” on March 13, 1962, (62 years ago today) for his album On The Glory Road, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. The album release was canceled at the very last minute, but was included in Bennett’s 2011 Complete Collection box set.

“De Glory Road,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got the World on a String

The song of the day for Sunday, March 10, 2024, is “I’ve Got the World on a String.”

About This Song

“I’ve Got the World on a String” was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler for the 1932 Cotton Club Parade, where it was introduced by Cab Calloway and Bing Crosby. Alec Wilder, in American Popular Song, considers it one of Arlen’s loveliest songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’ve Got the World on a String” in June 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. it was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“I’ve Got the World on a String,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Lost in the Stars

The song of the day for Saturday, March 2, 2024, is “Lost in the Stars.”

About Today

We’re remembering Kurt Weill, who wrote today’s song, on the anniversary of his birth on March 2, 1900. He had a successful career in his home country of Germany until 1933. Weill, who was Jewish, fled Germany and relocated to the United States. He is best remembered for The Threepenny Opera, but also wrote other shows including Lost in the Stars, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, One Touch of Venus, and Lady in the Dark. Weill won the first Tony Award for his work on Street Scene. He was married to Lotte Lenya (who you might remember in From Russia With Love in the role of Rosa Klebb, where she poisons James Bond with a knife blade, laced with the fugu toxin, hidden in her shoe.

About This Song

“Lost in the Stars” was written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson for the 1949 musical of the same name, based on the 1948 novel by Alan Paton, Cry, the Beloved Country. Set in South Africa in an era when apartheid seemed as if it would never end, the plot concerns a black priest whose son kills, in a robbery attempt, a white man who is a friend of his father. The priest sings this song at the end of the first act, in a complete crisis of faith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Lost in the Stars” at his concert at Carnegie Hall on June 9, 1962. The resulting album, Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, was released in August 1962. Ralph Sharon arranged all the songs for the concert and let the orchestra as well. The concert, as well as the album, was a triumph. The original album was released on 4 LP records and only included 28 songs. The 1997 2-CD release contained the full concert.

“Lost in the Stars,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Tuesday, February 27, 2024, is “The Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

“The Rules of the Road” was written by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh in 1961. Significant recordings include those by Lena Horne, Shirley Horn, Anita O’Day, Nat “King” Cole, and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Rules of the Road” on March 26, 1964, for his album When Lights Are Low. The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano; Hal Gaylord on bass; Billy Exiner on drums) accompanied Bennett for the album.

“The Rules of the Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.