The song of the day for Tuesday, July 15, 2025, is “The Way You Look Tonight.”
About Today
We are very happy to celebrate the great Dorothy Fields on the anniversary of her birth on July 15, 1904. She was born into a prominent show business family. Her father, Lew Fields, was a successful theatrical producer. Her brother Joseph was a writer and producer; her other brother, Herbert, was a writer who collaborated with Dorothy.
She had a remarkable career as librettist and lyricist, starting in 1928, writing with Jimmy McHugh on Blackbirds on Broadway; the pair continued to work on several Cotton Club shows. In the 1930s, she began working on films, especially Jerome Kern. She returned to Broadway shows, writing librettos for Stars in Your Eyes and A Tree Grows In Brooklyn with Arthur Schwartz. Dorothy, with her brother Herbert, wrote the book for Irving Berlin‘s Annie Get Your Gun. In the 1960s, she wrote lyrics for Sweet Charity and Seesaw with Cy Coleman.
Her career lasted for 48 years and in that time she won Tony, Oscar, and Grammy Awards. She was the first woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
About This Song
“The Way You Look Tonight” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song; she was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting.
Dorothy Fields wrote 32 songs with Jerome Kern between 1935 and 1952. She wrote this about “The Way You Look Tonight.”
The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded this version of “The Way You Look Tonight” with The Ralph Sharon Trio for the 1977 movie My Best Friend’s Wedding.
“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as Rarities, Outtakes & Other Delights, Vol. 2, is available on Apple Music.
Tony Bennett recorded “The Way You Look Tonight” with Bill Charlap for their 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern.