The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: There Will Never Be Another You

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 21 2020, is “There Will Never Be Another You.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating the birth of William James “Count” Basie, who was born on July 21, 1904, in Red Hook, New Jersey. We can’t imagine American jazz without Count Basie.

About This Song

“There Will Never Be Another You” was written in 1942 by Harry Warren and Max Gordon for the movie Iceland. The song has become a serious jazz standard and has had many fine recordings, including Bennett’s 1959 recording with Count Basie and his 1962 improvisation with Dave Brubeck at the White House Sessions. Other significant recordings include those by Lionel Hampton, Chet Baker, Nat King Cole, and Sonny Rollins.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “There Will Never Be Another You” in 1959 with Count Basie and His Orchestra for their second album, In Person!. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangment.

“There Will Never Be Another You,” as well as In Person!, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! I Love a Piano

The song of the day for Sunday, July 19, 2020, is “I Love a Piano.”

About This Song

Written in 1915, “I Love A Piano” was one of Berlin’s ragtime style songs. It was introduced in the 1915 Broadway musical Stop! Look! Listen!, where it was sung by Harry Fox. It as recorded in 1915 by Billy Murray, but did not catch on immediately, due in part, I’m sure, to the fact that home phonographs may not have been as prevalent as they were a few decades later. Berlin included it in the 1948 movie Easter Parade with Fred Astaire and Judy Garland and since then the song has been well-received.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “I Love a Piano” at his 1994 MTV Unplugged concert. It gave him a chance to introduce his pianist and musical director, Ralph Sharon.

“I Love a Piano,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Saturday, July 11, 2020, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About Today

Tony Live moves to 1994 and one of Tony Bennett’s greatest triumphs: His live appearance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. The performance was a huge hit, for both MTV and Bennett. The concert album MTV Unplugged not only won Bennett the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance but also the coveted award for Album of the Year.

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by for the 1947 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

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTVUnplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Sometimes I’m Happy

The song of the day for Wednesday, July 8, 2020, is “Sometimes I’m Happy.”

About This Song

“Sometimes I’m Happy” was composed by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Leo Robin, Clifford Grey, and Irving Caesar, was written for the 1927 musical Hit The Deck. It found early favor as a popular song with numerous recordings in 1927. It has also proven a durable standard, with recordings by Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, Betty Carter, Bing Crosby and Billie Holiday, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Sometimes I’m Happy” featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. It was to be released on the 1962 album On The Glory Road; however, Columbia pulled the album immediately before the release date. On The Glory Road was, thankfully, released as part of the 2011 Complete Collection and is also available on Apple Music and iTunes.

“Sometimes I’m Happy,” as well as On The Glory Road, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Thought About You

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 23, 2020, 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, Frank Sinatra, and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Thought About You” in 1992 for his album of songs popularized by Frank Sinatra: Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

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