The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Thou Swell

The song of the day for Monday, July 6, 2020, is “Thou Swell.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart wrote “Thou Swell” for the 1927 musical A Connecticut Yankee, based on the Mark Twain novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. “Thou Swell” is one of the more charming songs from the musical, as the lyrics feature a combination of modern and medieval language: “thine eyes are cute too” and “I’d feel so rich in a hut for two.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Thou Swell” in 1973, featuring the somewhat unusual, but quite perfect, The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on cornet, Barnes on guitar, Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. It’s not often you see a group with piano or drums, but for these Rodgers and Hart songs, the sound is absolutely perfect. “Thou Swell” was released in 1977 on Tony Bennett Sings More Rodgers and Hart.

“Thou Swell,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Blue Moon

The song of the day for Thursday, March 5, 2020, is “Blue Moon.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart wrote “Blue Moon” in 1933. Although written in 1933, “Blue Moon” first appeared in the 1934 film Manhattan Melodrama, though with a completely different lyric. I can’t imagine any lyric other than the one we all know; it’s quite perfect.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Blue Moon” in July 1973, and released it in 1976 on Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. He’s accompanied by The Ruby Braff-George Barnes Quartet, featuring Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. With neither piano or drums, the sound is perfect for the Rodgers and Hart songs.

“Blue Moon,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got Five Dollars

The song of the day for Wednesday, September 18, 2019, is “I’ve Got Five Dollars.”

About This Song

“I’ve Got Five Dollars” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1931 musical America’s Sweetheart, where it was introduced by Ann Sothern and Jack Whiting. Notable recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’ve Got Five Dollars” in 1973 with The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, which consisted to Braff on cornet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. The recording was released in 1977 on Tony Bennett Sings More Rodgers and Hart.

“I’ve Got Five Dollars,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Sweet Lorraine

The song of the day for Friday, July 19, 2019, is “Sweet Lorraine.”

About This Song

“Sweet Lorraine” was written in 1928 by Cliff Burwell and Mitchell Parish. It was originally a vaudeville song; the Rudy Valle recording made the song quite popular as a nice, up-tempo jazz number. Nat King Cole had a major hit with this song in 1940.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Sweet Lorraine” in 1965; it was released on his album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. Bennett tells this story in his autobiography, The Good Life:

That album [If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set] also included a song that’s always been very special to me: “Sweet Lorraine. I dedicated it to Nat Cole, who had died a month earlier in April 1965. I was heartbroken when I heard that Nat had passed away. Bobby Hackett and I were working at the Palmer House in Chicago, and it seemed appropriate to pay tribute by recording Nat’s signature tune while we were in his hometown. Bobby, whose instrument was normally cornet, surprised us all by playing ukulele on this record; his buddy Joe Marsala played clarinet.

Sweet Lorraine

Sweet Lorraine, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“Sweet Lorraine,” as well as If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Could Write a Book

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 27, 2019, is “I Could Write a Book.”

About This Song

Composed by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, “I Could Write a Book” was written for the Broadway musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Gene Kelly and Leila Ernst. This has always been an interesting song. Today it’s considered a lovely romantic number, but in the context of the musical, it’s sung as a phony love song in order to woo the innocent ingenue. It’s been widely recorded by artists including Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Betty Carter, Anita O’Day, and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Could Write a Book” for the 1976 album Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs. Readers of this site will know how much I love these recordings. Instead of a traditional band to accompany him, Bennett used a novel sound that does a great job in invoking the period for many of the songs. The band, The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, consisted of Ruby Braff (cornet), George Barnes and Wayne Wright (guitar), and John Guiffrida (bass). No piano, no drums … it’s an exquisite sound, at least for this listener.

I Could Write A Book

I Could Write A Book, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“I Could Write a Book,” as well as The Complete Improv Recordings, is available from iTunes.

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes the wonderful Harold Jones a very happy birthday! Mr. Jones has played drums for Tony Bennett for some time now and your author never ceases to be amazed at his talent.

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