The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I Thought About You

The song of the day for Saturday, December 6, 2024, is “I Thought About You.”

About This Song

“I Thought About You” was written in 1939 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer. In the biography Portrait of Johnny: The Life of John Herndon Mercer, author Gene Lees quotes Mercer about this song:

I can remember the afternoon that we wrote it. He [Van Heusen] played me the melody. I didn’t have any idea, but I had to go to Chicago that night. I think I was on the Benny Goodman program. And I got to thinking about it on the train. I was awake, I couldn’t sleep. The tune was running through my mind, and that’s when I wrote the song. On the train, really going to Chicago.

“I Thought About You” proved quite popular and has been recorded many times by jazz performers including Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Dinah Washington, and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Thought About You” in June 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“I Thought About You,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Poor Little Rich Girl

The song of the day for Friday, January 5, 2024, is “Poor Little Rich Girl.”

About This Song

“Poor Little Rich Girl” was written by Noël Coward for the 1925 revue On With The Dance. It’s one of his most popular songs.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Count Basie and His Orchestra, recorded “Poor Little Rich Girl” on January 5, 1959, for the album Basie Swings/Bennett Sings. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Poor Little Rich Girl,” as well as Basie Swings/Bennett Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Friday, December 29, 2023, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Arlen considered “Last Night When We Were Young” one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a wonderful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in June 1992 for Perfectly Frank, an album in tribute to Frank Sinatra. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Just One Of Those Things

The song of the day for Monday, December 11, 2023, is “Just One Of Those Things.”

About This Song

Cole Porter wrote “Just One of Those Things” for the 1935 musical Jubilee. It’s one of Porter’s most popular songs and has been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder in “American Popular Song” spoke of the lyric as “a trip to the moon on gossamer wings” and “that it seems impossible that it wasn’t sitting on his piano, waiting for Porter even before he wrote the lyric.” It has a certain literary fame as well: Holden Caulfield, in J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye likes the song and notes that even the “stinking band” in the hotel lounge “couldn’t ruin it entirely.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Just One Of Those Things” on October 14, 1957, for his second jazz album, The Beat of My Heart. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement. Tony Bennett invited several percussionists to participate in this album. Art Blakey played drums for this recording.

“Just One Of Those Things,” as well as The Beat of My Heart, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: My Funny Valentine

The song of the day for Saturday, December 9, 2023, 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 and Ralph Sharon recorded “My Funny Valentine” on October 28, 1959, for their album Tony Sings For Two. Even though recorded in 1959, the album wasn’t released until 1961.

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