The song of the day for Sunday, March 30, 2025, is “Blues in the Night.”
About This Song
“Blues in the Night” was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1941 movie of the same name. Arlen wrote the music first and wrote a true blues song. Johnny Mercer, who later wrote the lyrics, drew on his southern heritage to write the exceptional blues lyrics. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to “The Last Time I Saw Paris” by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein.
Arlen recalled the writing process of the song:
The whole thing just poured out. And I knew in my guts, without even thinking what Johnny would write for a lyric, that this was strong, strong, strong! When Mercer wrote “Blues in the Night”, I went over his lyric and I started to hum it over his desk. It sounded marvelous once I got to the second stanza but that first twelve was weak tea. On the third or fourth page of his work sheets I saw some lines—one of them was “My momma done tol’ me, when I was in knee pants.” I said, “Why don’t you try that?” It was one of the very few times I’ve ever suggested anything like that to John.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “Blues in the Night” in May 2001 for his album Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues. Rob Mathes wrote the vocal arrangements.
Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues won the 2003 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Album.
“Blues in the Night,” as well as Playin’ With My Friends: Bennett Sings The Blues, is available on Apple Music.
Many thanks to YouTube for having the scene in Blues in the Night when the song was sung.