The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves Broadway

The playlist of the week starting May 5, 2019, is Tony Loves Broadway.

Tony Loves Broadway

Many of Bennett’s early successes were Broadway songs. This year’s Tony Award nominations have me in a Broadway kind of mood

About These Songs

Just in Time from Bells Are Ringing — 1956: Jule Styne, Adolph Green, Betty Comden
Stranger in Paradise from Kismet — 1953: Alexander Borodin, Robert Wright, George Forrest
Lazy Afternoon from The Golden Apple — 1954: Jerome Moross, John Treville Latouche
All the Things You Are from Very Warm For May — 1939: Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein
Some Other Time from On the Town — 1944: Leonard Bernstein, Adolph Green, Betty Comden
Baby, Dream Your Dream from Sweet Charity — 1966: Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields
The Party’s Over from Bells Are Ringing — 1956: Jule Styne, Adolph Green, Betty Comden

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Stranger in Paradise

The song of the day for Saturday, March 9, 2019, is “Stranger in Paradise.”

About This Song

“Stranger in Paradise” was written in 1953 by Robert Wright and George Forrest, based on Alexander Borodin’s “Gilding Dance of the Maidens.” It was the hugely popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet. The popularity of Kismet is due in large part to Tony Bennett. At the time Kismet was preparing to open, New York City was having a massive newspaper strike and publicizing the opening of the musical was nearly impossible. The producers asked Tony Bennett to record “Stranger in Paradise” to help promote the production. His version was a hit and so was Kismet.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stranger in Paradise” in 1953 and features an arrangement by Percy Faith; it was released as single that year. Today’s song was included on the 1962 Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits.

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“Stranger in Paradise,” as well as Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits, is available from iTunes.

About Today

For our video today, we have Tony singing his duet of “Stranger in Paradise” with Andrea Bocelli for the album Duets II.

Stranger In Paradise (from Duets II: The Great Performances)

Tony Bennett & Andrea Bocelli’s official music video for ‘Stranger In Paradise’. Click to listen to Tony Bennett on Spotify: http://smarturl.it/TonyBennettSpotify?IQid=TonyBSIP As featured on Duets II.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Stranger In Paradise

The song of the day for Sunday, February 11, 2018 is “Stranger In Paradise.”

About This Song

“Stranger in Paradise” was the hugely popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet. It was written by Robert Wright and George Forrest; the composition was based on Alexander Borodin’s Gliding Dance of the Maidens.

The popularity of Kismet is due in large part to Tony Bennett. At the time Kismet was preparing to open, New York City was having a massive newspaper strike and publicizing the opening of the musical was nearly impossible. The producers asked Tony Bennett to record “Stranger in Paradise” to help promote the production. His version was a hit and so was Kismet. `

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded “Stranger In Paradise” in 1953. He chose to open a series of songs from Broadway musicals at his June 9, 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall with this song.

Stranger In Paradise (From “Kismet”) – Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY – June 1962

Stranger In Paradise (From “Kismet”) – Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, NY – June 1962, a song by Tony Bennett, Ralph Sharon & His Orchestra on Spotify


“Stranger In Paradise,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

By 2 Comments

Song of the Day: Stranger in Paradise

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 24, 2017 is “Stranger in Paradise.”

About This Song

“Stranger in Paradise” was written for the 1953 musical Kismet by Robert Wright and George Forrest; it was based on the Alexander Borodin composition Gilding Dance of the Maidens.

The song was hugely popular, due in large part to Tony Bennett. At the time Kismet was preparing to open, New York City was having a massive newspaper strike and publicizing the opening of the musical was nearly impossible. The producers asked Tony Bennett to record “Stranger in Paradise” to help promote the production. His version was a hit and so was Kismet.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stranger in Paradise” in 1953, featuring an arrangement by Percy Faith, and it was released as a single that year. Bennett included it on his 1962 album Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits.

Up until the advent of rock music, songs from Broadway musicals became popular to a wide range of listeners, due in a great part to vocalists like Bennett, who regularly recorded songs from new Broadway shows, such as today’s “Stranger in Paradise” and yesterday’s “Just in Time.” The music of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart and Cy Coleman became popular in this way. Today, little music from Broadway is even recorded by popular artists, much less becoming hits. A perfect example is the music of Stephen Sondheim, one of America’s greatest Broadway composers, whose only hit in popular music was “Send In The Clowns” from A Little Night Music. While I doubt this trend will ever return, there are musicals that still find their way into the musical hearts of America–Hamilton is a perfect example. I sing “I’m Not Giving Away My Shot” and “The Room Where It Happened” in the shower–the same way earlier generations sang “Anything Goes” and “Blue Moon.”

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Stranger in Paradise,” as well as Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits, is available from iTunes.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Stranger in Paradise

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 8, 2015 is “Strangers in Paradise.”

About This Song

“Stranger in Paradise” was the hugely popular song from the 1953 musical Kismet. The melody is based on “Gilding Dance of the Maidens” by Alexander Borodin and was adapted by Robert Wright and George Forrest.

The popularity of Kismet is due in large part to Tony Bennett. At the time Kismet was preparing to open, New York City was having a massive newspaper strike and publicizing the opening of the musical was nearly impossible. The producers asked Tony Bennett to record “Stranger in Paradise” to help promote the production. His version was a hit and so was Kismet.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Stranger in Paradise” on October 13, 1953. The arrangement was by Percy Faith and used The Ray Charles Singers. “Stranger is Paradise” was released as a single, with “Why Does It Have To Be Me.” The recording was featured on Bennett’s 1961 album Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits.

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered

Stranger in Paradise – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“Stranger in Paradise,” as well as Mr. Broadway: Tony’s Greatest Broadway Hits, is available from iTunes.

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites