The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)

The song of the day for Monday, March 10, 2025, is “Bewitched.”

About This Song

“Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz 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.” Despite being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” on October 28, 1959, for their album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961.

Tony Bennett tells his story about Tony Sings For Two in 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.

“Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered),” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Speak Low

The song of the day for Sunday, March 2, 2025, is “Speak Low.”

About Today

We are remembering the composer of today’s song, Kurt Weill. Weill was born in Germany on March 2, 1950. While living in Germany, he worked with Bertold Brecht on The Threepenny Opera, including its famous song, “Mack The Knife.” Weill, who was Jewish, fled Germany in 1933. With his wife, Lotte Lenya, he moved to New York in 1935 and continued writing for films and the stage. His American works include One Touch Of Venus, Lost in the Stars, and Knickerbocker Holiday. Weill died in 1950 from a heart attack.

About This Song

“Speak Low” was written by Kurt Weill and poet Ogden Nash for the 1943 musical One Touch of Venus, where it was introduced by Mary Martin and Kenny Baker. In addition to several very fine Tony Bennett recordings, “Speak Low” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, and Lena Horne.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Speak Low” on March 28, 1964, for his album When Lights Are Low. The Ralph Sharon Trio, with Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass, and Billy Exiner on drums, accompanied Bennett on this album.

“Speak Low,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Wished on the Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, March 1, 2025, is “I Wished on the Moon.”

About This Song

“I Wished on the Moon” was written in 1935 by Ralph Rainger and Dorothy Parker (yes, that Dorothy Parker). The song was first recorded in 1935 by Ruth Etting. Bing Crosby sang it in The Big Broadcast of 1936. Other recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Billie Holiday, Art Pepper, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Wished on the Moon” in June 1992 for Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Perfectly Frank won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance.

“I Wished on the Moon,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Revolvin’ Jones

The song of the day for Monday, February 24, 2025, is “Revolvin’ Jones.”

About This Song

“Revolvin’ Jones” was written by Willard Robison in 1940. Other well-known Robison songs include “A Cottage For Sale” and “Don’t Smoke in Bed.” Alec Wilder wrote about Robison in American Popular Song:

Everybody loved him and many tried to help him, among them John Mercer. Mildred Bailey revered him and sang every song of his she could lay her hands on. I became aware of him in the late twenties when he recorded for Perfect Records. He did manage, during his almost euphoric life, to write a few successful songs, but generally, his songs were known only to a few singers and lovers of the off-beat and the non-urban song. He had a special flair for gentleness and childhood, the lost and the religious. I suppose it’s not part of the growth of popular music, nor perhaps were any of Robison’s songs. But if they could so much bolster John Mercer’s conviction that there was more to write lyrics about than city life, that the world of memory, of remembered sayings and scenes, was as evocative as the whispered words of lovers, then he did make a contribution.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Revolvin’ Jones” on March 16, 1962, for On The Glory Road. Just days before it was to be released, Columbia Records canceled the album. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

Thankfully, Bennett’s 2011 Complete Collection box set included a CD of On The Glory Road.

“Revolvin’ Jones,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available on Apple Music.

Jazz guitarist Matt Munisteri is a strong supporter of the music of Willard Robison. He released an album of Robison’s music in 2012 called Still Runnin’ Round In The Wilderness. Here is his recording of “Revolvin’ Jones” from that album.

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Song of the Day: Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Friday, February 21, 2025, is “Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz 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 “Shine On Your Shoes” in July 1993 for his album in tribute to Fred Astaire: Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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

Fred Astaire performed “Shine On Your Shoes” in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon. Astaire insisting on using a genuine shoe shiner for the number and Leroy Daniels, who sang and danced while he did shoeshines and worked just by the gates at MGM, was cast.