The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I Wish I Were in Love Again

The song of the day for Thursday, November 16, 2017 is “I Wish I Were in Love Again.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote ” I Wish I Were in Love Again” for the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms. It was a favorite song of Judy Garland, who recorded it in 1940. Other recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Audra McDonald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded today’s song in 1973 for his wonderful pair of albums of Rodgers and Hart songs. Today, however, I’m featuring his 1992 recording for Perfectly Frank, arranged by Ralph Sharon.

I adore the Hart lyrics on this song, which have some nifty internal rhymes:

The sleepless nights – the daily fights
The quick toboggan – when you reach the heights
I miss the kisses – and I miss the bites
I wish I were in love again

and

When love congeals – it soon reveals
The faint aroma – of performing seals
The double-crossing – of a pair of heels
I wish I were in love again

I Wish I Were In Love Again

Listen to I Wish I Were In Love Again on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1992


“I Wish I Were in Love Again,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Sing You Sinners

The song of the day for Friday, November 3, 2017 is “Sing You Sinners.”

About This Song

“Sing You Sinners” was written by w. Franke Harling and Sam Coslow for the 1930 film Honey, starring Lillian Roth. The song was an early hit in 1950 for Tony Bennett. He sings the song regularly in concerts today.

About This Version

Today I’m featuring Mr. Bennett’s recording of “Sing You Sinners” from the live recording of Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. He’s backed by his trio: Ralph Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums, as well as the Sahara house orchestra led by Louis Basil.

Sing You Sinners - Live at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV - April 1964

Listen to Sing You Sinners - Live at the Sahara Hotel, Las Vegas, NV - April 1964 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“Sing You Sinners,” as well as Live at the Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964, is available from iTunes.

About Today

For the next two weeks, Mr. Bennett and his quartet (Tom Ranier, Gray Sargent, Marshall Wood and Harold Jones) are performing at the Encore in Las Vegas. I’m sure this show will be even more exciting than that in 1964.

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Song of the Day: Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered

The song of the day for Monday, October 23, 2017 is “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.”

About This Song

“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was one of the hit songs from 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.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” in 1959, with Ralph Sharon, for the 1961 album Tony Sings For Two.

Bewitched

Tony Bennett · Tony Sings For Two · Song · 1961


“Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Saturday, October 21, 2017 is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Dancing in the Dark” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, which featured songs introduced by Fred Astaire. Bennett and Ralph Sharon created the arrangement.

Dancing In the Dark

Listen to Dancing In the Dark on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1993


“Dancing in the Dark,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from iTunes.

About Today

For our video this Saturday, here are Cyd Charisse and Fred Astaire dancing to this number from the 1953 film The Band Wagon.

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

The song of the day for Thursday, October 12, 2017 is “East of the Sun (West of the Moon).”

About This Song

Bruce 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, Bowman 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 (West of the Moon)” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon did the arrangement and recording engineer Frank Laico came out of retirement to record this album.

East of the Sun (West of the Moon)

Listen to East of the Sun (West of the Moon) on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1992


“East of the Sun (West of the Moon),” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.