• Home
  • About
    • About This Blog
    • About the Authors
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
    • Tony Live!
    • Music
      • Viva Duets
      • Songs
      • Albums
    • Art
  • And More
    • Collaborator of the Month
    • Songwriter of the Month – 2016
    • News
      • Cheek To Cheek
      • Bennett & Brubeck -The White House Sessions Live 1962
      • Life is a Gift
      • Viva Duets
      • Zen of Bennett
      • Other News
    • About His Collaborators
    • Musings
    • Extras
      • Books
      • Interviews
      • Media
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music 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. Tony Bennett · Song · 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.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: I Wanna Be Around, Jack Reardon, Marty Manning, Sacha Distel, Sacha Distel birthday, Tony Bennett

November 1, 2016 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Good Life

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 2, 2016 is “The Good Life.”

About This Song

“The Good Life” was written in 1962 by Sacha Distel and 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 1962 for the album I Wanna Be Around, released in 1963. The arrangement is by Marty Manning.

The Good Life

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


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

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: I Wanna Be Around, Jack Reardon, Sacha Distel

January 29, 2016 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Good Life

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

About This Song

Today’s song, “The Good Life,” was written in 1962 by Sacha Distel, with English 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 his album I Wanna Be Around. The arrangement is by Marty Manning.

The Good Life

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


“The Good Life,” as well as , is available from iTunes.

About Today

The composer of today’s song, Sacha Distel, was born eighty-two years ago today, on January 29, 1933 in Paris. His uncle was a jazz promoter in Paris and young Sacha grew up listening to and falling in love with jazz. In addition to his gifts as a composer, he was a renowned jazz guitarist and singer who recorded many fine albums. Distel died in 2004 at the age of seventy-one.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: I Wanna Be Around, Jack Reardon, Marty Manning, Sacha Distel

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. Tony Bennett · Song · 1963.


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

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: I Wanna Be Around, Jack Reardon, Sacha Distel, Sacha Distel birthday

November 15, 2014 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Good Life

The song of the day for Saturday, November 15, 2014 is “The Good Life.”

About This Song

“The Good Life” was written in 1962 with music by Sacha Distel and 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

This version is Bennett’s original recording for his terrific 1963 album I Wanna Be Around. It was arranged and conducted by Marty Manning and was produced by Ernie Altschuler.

About Today

Yes, it’s Saturday once again. And I have a nice video for us today: Tony Bennett singing today’s song from a 1999 concert, with Ralph Sharon on piano.

The Good Life

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

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: I Wanna Be Around, Jack Reardon, Sacha Distel

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

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

  • Song of the Day: The Right To Love
  • Song of the Day: Once Upon a Time
  • Song of the Day: The Two Lonely People
  • Song of the Day: The Good Life
  • Duke Ellington and the Harlem Renaissance
  • Song of the Day: Love, Look Away
  • Home
  • About
  • Song of the Day
  • Album of the Week
  • Music and Art
  • And More
  • The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography

Copyright © 2023 The Year of Tony Bennett · Genesis Framework by StudioPress · WordPress