The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Crazy Rhythm

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 25, 2023, is “Crazy Rhythm.”

About This Song

“Crazy Rhythm” was written Joseph Meyer, Roger Wolfe Kahn, and Irving Caesar for the 1929 musical Here’s Howe. It’s been a popular standard since it was written and has been heavily recorded, not just by jazz and popular artists, but by other genres including hillbilly. Significant recordings include those by Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Stan Getz, Bing Crosby, Bix Beiderbecke, and Whispering Jack Smith.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Crazy Rhythm” on June 27, 1957, for his album The Beat of My Heart, with an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. For this album, Bennett invited percussionists to play; this recording featured Chico Hamilton.

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

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Song of the Day: The Song Is Ended

The song of the day for Saturday, October 21, 2023, is “The Song Is Ended.”

About Today

We are celebrating the great Dizzy Gillespie, who was born in South Carolina on October 21, 1917. Dizzy and Tony Bennett were neighbors in Englewood, New Jersey in the late 1950s and 1960s. One evening, Dizzy dropped by and rang the doorbell at Bennett’s house. Bennett’s son Danny answered the door and Gillespie announced “Hi, I’m Dizzy.” Danny suggested that he come in for a glass of water.

About This Song

“The Song Is Ended (but the Melody Lingers On” was written by Irving Berlin in 1927. In his book The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia, Thomas Hischak calls this song “… an Irving Berlin standard whose title has been called the theme of all popular music, a chilling number in which both the lover and the ballad that was ‘their song’ is gone; yet neither can be forgotten because they remain in one’s memory.” This song was recorded in 1927 by Ruth Etting and has remained popular over the years with recordings by Dick Haymes, Dizzy Gillespie, Jeri Southern, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat “King” Cole and many more.

The song’s lyric is referenced in Ira Gershwin’s verse to “They Can’t Take That Away from Me”, in the line “the song is ended, but as the songwriter wrote, the melody lingers on.” Berlin himself used the “melody lingers on” idea in the opening line of the verse to his earlier song “All Alone” (1924): “Just like a melody that lingers on / You seem to haunt me night and day.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Song Is Ended” in May 1987 for his album Bennett/Berlin, which features Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet. The song was arranged by Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

“The Song Is Ended,” as well as Bennett/Berlin, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Life Is A Song

The song of the day for Friday, October 20, 2023, is “Life Is A Song.”

About This Song

“Life Is A Song” was written in 1935 by Fred Ahlert and Joe Young. This song was first recorded by Rudy Vallee in 1935. Other recordings include those by Ruth Etting, Bob Crosby, and Johnny Mathis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Count Basie and His Orchestra, recorded “Life Is A Song” on January 5, 1959, for the album Basie Swings/Bennett Sings. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Life Is A Song,” as well as Basie Swings/Bennett Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)

The song of the day for Saturday, October 15, 2023, is “East of the Sun (And West of the Moon).”

About This Song

Brooks Bowman wrote “East of the Sun” in 1934 while a student at Princeton University for a student musical production called Stags at Bay, produced by the Princeton Triangle Club. The song had great reception and was noted by Princeton alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald. After his graduation from college in 1936, he worked briefly in Hollywood for the film industry, but decided to return to the East Coast. He was about to start a contract with a New York music publisher when he was killed in an automobile accident in 1937.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “East of the Sun (And West of the Moon)” in June 1992 for his album in tribute to Frank Sinatra: Perfectly Frank. It was arranged by Ralph Sharon.

“East of the Sun (And West of the Moon),” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Friday, October 6, 2023, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Diets for the 1932 Broadway musical Flying Colors. The same song was used for the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, which starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “A Shine On Your Shoes” in July 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“A Shine On Your Shoes,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available on Apple Music.

When Fred Astaire was filming The Band Wagon, he wanted to use an authentic bootblack for “A Shine On Your Shoes.” He hit the jackpot when they found Leroy Daniels, a dancing shoeshine man who worked in downtown Los Angeles.