The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The song of the day for Sunday, April 18, 2025, is “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.”

About This Song

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the musical By Jupiter in 1942. Directed by Joshua Logan, it starred Ray Bolger, Vera-Ellen and Constance Moore. It was their last full-length work. In American Popular Music, Alec Wilder called this song “one of the loveliest songs Rodgers or any other theater writer has ever written. In the area of this form of music it is a masterpiece.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” on October 28, 1959, for his album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. For this album, Bennett and Ralph Sharon booked the Columbia 30th Street Studio and, with only. Sharon accompanying him on piano, recorded sixteen songs, with twelve songs released on the album. There were no formal arrangements; they sat down and chose songs from music books and recorded them in one or two takes.

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Where or When

The song of the day for Thursday, April 10, 2025, is “Where or When.”

About This Song

“Where or When” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1937 musical Babes In Arms. Benny Goodman recorded “Where or When” in 1941 with a very young Peggy Lee. It is a favorite song of many vocalists and has had many fine recordings.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Ralph Sharon, recorded “Where or When” on October 28, 1959. On that day, Sharon brought a briefcase full of sheet music, and in a single session, they recorded sixteen songs in only one or two takes, twelve of which were used for the album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961.

“Where or When,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Take The Moment

The song of the day for Saturday, March 22, 2025, is “Take The Moment.”

About Today

Today we are celebrating the birth of Stephen Sondheim, who was born in New York City on March 22, 1930. He died at his country home in Roxbury, Connecticut on November 26, 2021. I just want to say that the very first musical I saw on Broadway was Company, and it changed my world.

About This Song

“Take The Moment” was written by Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics, for the 1965 Broadway musical Do I Heart a Waltz?. The production was troubled from the start. Oscar Hammerstein passed away as the writing of the piece was started. Stephen Sondheim was a protege of Hammerstein and was asked by Arthur Laurents, who wrote the book, and Mary Rodgers, daughter of Richard Rodgers, to write the lyrics, Richard Rodgers and Sondheim did not mesh and their working relationship was not happy for either artist.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Take The Moment” on January 4, 1965, for his album If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set. Don Costa wrote the arrangement.

“Take The Moment,” as well as If I Ruled The World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available on Apple Music.

Bruce Weber interviewed Stephen Sondheim for the New York Times in June 2008. It was published with his obituary in the Times.

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Song of the Day: Spring Is Here

The song of the day for Friday, March 21, 2025, is “Spring Is Here.”

About This Song

“Spring Is Here” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1938 musical “I Married An Angel,” where it was introduced by Dennis King and Vivienne Segal. It’s one of Hart’s sadder lyrics, where the coming of Spring has no meaning, as his love is gone. But rather than a sad, depressing song, with the lovely melody by Rodgers, the song has sweet poignancy.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Spring Is Here” in July 1973 for Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. Accompanying Bennett is The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, featuring: Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass.

“Spring Is Here,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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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.