The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 3, 2023, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Old Devil Moon” live on April 12, 1994, for MTV Unplugged. Bennett was accompanied by his trio: Ralph Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged is available on Apple Music.

We have video of this performance:

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Monday, January 2, 2023, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written in 1936 by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rogers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” However, the song was used again in the 1945 film The Barkleys of Broadway, where Astaire and Ginger Rogers danced to “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in July 1993 and was released that year on Steppin’ Out. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

I found this video that has the 1937 version of Astaire singing “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” from Shall We Dance and 1949’s The Barkleys of Broadway with Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing.

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Song of the Day: You’re All The World To Me

The song of the day for Sunday, January 1, 2023, is “You’re All The World To Me.”

About This Song

“You’re All The World To Me” was written by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner for the 1951 MGM musical Royal Wedding, starring Fred Astaire. Astaire performed this song in one of the most famous shots in all of musical film: the dancing on the ceiling number.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “You’re All The World To Me” in July 1993 and was released that year on Steppin’ Out. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

“You’re All The World To Me,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

And here’s that famous sequence of Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling in Royal Wedding:

As a special treat, this video explains how this was filmed.

For more explanation, see the timeline and more information from the person who figured this out!

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Saturday, December 31, 2022, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A 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 “A Shine On Your Shoes” in July 1993 and was released that year on Steppin’ Out. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

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

This clip of “A Shine on My Shoes” from The Band Wagon with Fred Astaire is a favorite number of mine. Astaire wanted a genuine shoeshine man for the number and found Leroy Daniels, who had a stand at Sixth and Main Street in Los Angeles. Turned out he was also an excellent dancer. To get business and set himself apart, Daniels had an old jukebox stocked with jazz records and performed and danced while giving shoeshines.

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Thursday, December 29, 2022, is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1937 musical Between the Devil, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. Another great Schwartz-Dietz song from Between the Devil was “I See Your Face Before Me.” This song was used in the 1953 Fred Astaire film, The Band Wagon.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “By Myself” in July 1993 and was released that year on Steppin’ Out.

The arrangement by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon is very effective, with the brush snare drum as an accompaniment.

“By Myself,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Mr. Astaire performing “By Myself” from The Band Wagon.

Judy Garland sang “By Myself” on her CBS program in 1964. It’s a breathtaking turn.