Sacha Distel birthday Archives | The Year of Tony Bennett

January 28, 2018 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Good Life

The song of the day for Monday, January 29, 2018 is “The Good Life.”

About This Song

“The Good Life” was written in 1962 by Sacha Distel, with lyrics by Jack Reardon. Originally titled “La Belle Vie,” “The Good Life” was featured in the movie Seven Capital Sins. Tony Bennett is the singer most widely identified with “The Good Life;” other good recordings include those by Betty Carter, Carmen McRae and Stephane Grappelli. It has been said that Distel wrote this song about Bridgette Bardot, who refused Distel’s marriage proposal.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Good Life” in 1962 for the album I Wanna Be Around, released in 1963. Marty Manning wrote the arrangement.

The Good Life
Listen to The Good Life on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1963

“The Good Life,” as well as I Wanna Be Around, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today, we honor Sacha Distel, who was born on January 29, 1933 in Paris, France. In addition to composing, Distel was a famed guitarist and singer. He was awarded the Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1997. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 71.

January 29, 2015 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Good Life

The song of the day for Thursday, January 29, 2015 is “The Good Life.”

About This Song

“The Good Life” was written in 1962 by Sacha Distel, with lyrics by Jack Reardon. Originally titled “La Belle Vie,” the song was featured in the movie Seven Capital Sins. Tony Bennett is the singer most widely identified with “The Good Life;” other good recordings include those by Betty Carter, Carmen McRae and Stephane Grappelli. It has been said that Distel wrote this song about Bridgette Bardot, who refused Distel’s marriage proposal.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Good Life” in December, 1962 for the album I Wanna Be Around, released in 1963. It was arranged and conducted by Marty Manning and produced by Ernie Altschuler.

About Today

Songwriter Sacha Distel was born on this day, January 29, in Paris in the year 1933. His uncle, Ray Ventura, was a jazz promoter in the 1930s and was instrumental in developing swing in France. Thanks to his uncle, he was able to meet and listen to the great swing artists and founded his own band that focused on jazz and bebop. He is probably best known for “The Good Life,” though he wrote many other songs over his career. He performed regularly up to his death in 2004.

The Good Life
Listen to The Good Life on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1963

“The Good Life,” as well as I Wanna Be Around, is available from iTunes.

January 29, 2013 By Suzanne 5 Comments

Song of the Day: The Good Life

The Year of Tony Bennett celebrates the composer Sacha Distel, who was born on January 29, 1933, with our choice of The Good Life as the song of the day for January 29, 2013.

About The Good Life

Originally known as La Belle Vie, The Good Lifewas written by composer Sacha Distel with lyrics by Jack Reardon. It was written 1962 and was featured in the movie Seven Capital Sins. The song is primarily associated with Tony Bennett, but has been sung by many other performers, including Frank Sinatra, Petula Clark, Duke Ellington, Shirley Horn, and many more.

About This Version

Today’s version of The Good Life is the first. And the best. Tony Bennett recorded the song in December 1962. It appeared as a single in 1963 and was the first song on Bennett’s 1963 album I Wanna Be Around, which also featured the Johnny Mercer song of the same name. I Wanna Be Around stands as one of Bennett’s great albums and The Good Life as one of his very best recordings. It is also worth noting that Tony Bennett titled his 1998 autobiography The Good Life.

The Good Life
Listen to The Good Life on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1963

The Good Life, as well as the full I Wanna Be Around album, is available from iTunes.