The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Time After Time

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 21, 2014 is “Time After Time.”

About This Song

“Time After Time” was composed in 1947 by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn. The song was written for the film It Happened In Brooklyn an was introduced by Frank Sinatra and also by Kathryn Grayson, who sang it later in the film. The song is a wonderful ballad with a beautiful theme. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder said this of the song:

It’s a strong, pure, dramatic, uncluttered, unselfconscious melody. It bespeaks personal involvement and great warmth. I know of no other ballad by Styne equal to it. I’d have been proud to have written it.

High praise, indeed.

About This Version

Tony Bennett has recorded “Time After Time” several times, most recently for his 1992 album Perfectly Frank; he also sang it at The Sahara in Las Vegas, captured on the recently released Tony Bennett Live at The Sahara: Las Vegas, 1964. However, today’s version is his first, recorded in 1958 for his fourth 12″ LP record Long Ago … And Far Away. It’s early Tony Bennett and it’s wonderful. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and features Frank DeVol and His Orchestra. DeVol did all the arrangements for the album.

http://open.spotify.com/track/2kpmZe4Cpm1gIWAZa8ZU0J
“Time After Time,” as well as the album Long Ago And Far Away, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: All My Tomorrows

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 28, 2014 is “All My Tomorrows.”

About This Song

“All My Tomorrows” was written in 1959 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn for the Frank Capra film A Hole in the Head, which starred Frank Sinatra. Sinatra sang the song over the credits; he also released as a single with another Van Heusen / Cahn song, “High Hopes.” This song has also been recorded by Shirley Horn and Jack Jones, as well as Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All My Tomorrows” in 1965 for If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. While many of the songs on this album use a full orchestra, arranged and conducted by Don Costa, today’s song features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums. It’s a beautiful arrangement, with a seeming simplicity that serves both the song and Tony Bennett’s voice perfectly.

http://open.spotify.com/track/77FBZJrodMtpxyM2NxPKc7
“All My Tomorrows,” 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: What Makes It Happen?

The Song of the Day for Tuesday, November 26, 2013 is “What Makes It Happen?”

About This Song

“What Makes It Happen?” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn for the 1966 musical Walking Happy. Van Heusen and Cahn were nominated for the Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist, but lost to Kander and Ebb for Cabaret.

About This Version

Forty-seven years ago today, November 26, 1966, Tony Bennett recorded three songs, all arranged by Marion Evans: My Inamorta, Country Girl and today’s song of the day, What Makes It Happen. Today’s song is the question that the name of the album it appears on answers: Tony Makes It Happens! Ernie Altschuler produced the album, which was released in 1967.

What Makes It Happen

Listen to What Makes It Happen on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967

“What Makes It Happen?,” as well as the album Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Fall In Love Too Easily

The song of the day for Tuesday, September 3, 2013 is “I Fall In Love Too Easily.”

About This Song

“I Fall In Love Too Easily” was written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn in 1944. It was written for the 1945 film Anchors Aweigh, where it was introduced by Frank Sinatra. Though nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, it lost of to the Rodgers and Hammerstein song “It Might As Well Be Spring.” Your opinionated author thinks that it’s been a long time since we’ve seen songs of this calibre competing for Best Original Song.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1992 album Perfectly Frank, in which he sings 24 of Sinatra’s most famous songs. While the songs themselves may be associated with Sinatra, this album is pure Bennett.

Tony Bennett won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance for Perfectly Frank.

http://open.spotify.com/track/1TmTljafQ4PRLb7Dag7Qli
“I Fall In Love Too Easily,” as well as the album Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes and Amazon.com.

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Song of the Day: All My Tomorrows

The song of the day for Thursday, August 1, 2013 is “All My Tomorrows.”

About This Song

I can’t resist a Jimmy Van Heusen song and so today’s is “All My Tomorrows.” Van Heusen wrote the song with Sammy Cahn for the 1959 Frank Sinatra movie A Hole in the Head, directed by Frank Capra. Van Heusen and Cahn won the Academy Award for Best Song that year, but for another song from the film: “High Hopes.” In any other year, “All My Tomorrows” would certainly have won an award. It’s a singer’s song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “All My Tomorrows” in 1965 for If Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. The arrangement is lovely; Bennett sounds wonderful against Ralph Sharon’s piano for this song. If I Ruled The World is, for this author, one of Bennett’s finest albums and this song is certainly one of the many highlights. To be truthful, the album comes very close to being a perfect experience.

http://open.spotify.com/track/77FBZJrodMtpxyM2NxPKc7
“All My Tomorrows,” as well the album If I Ruled the World: Songs For the Jet Set, is available from iTunes.

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