The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Shall We Dance

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 1, 2021, is “Shall We Dance.”

About This Song

“Shall We Dance” was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Astaire and Rogers film Shall We Dance. Gershwin wrote a series of songs for this film that demonstrated the different styles of dance and choreography, including ballet, waltzes, and more. Other great songs from this score include “They Can’t Take Away From Me” and “Let’s Call The Whole Thing Off.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Shall We Dance” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“Shall We Dance,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Monday, May 17, 2021, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me” was written in 1936 by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwins’ finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 1967 for his album For Once In My Life. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Friday, September 4, 2020, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

This song was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: They Can’t Take That Away From Me

The song of the day for Wednesday, May 29, 2019, is “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

About This Song

This song was written by George and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 Fred Astaire – Ginger Rodgers movie Shall We Dance. Unlike most songs that Astaire introduced in his films, there was no dance number associated with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It is one of the Gershwin’s finest love songs. George Gershwin died just two months after this film was released.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” in 1967 for the album For Once In My Life, with a fine arrangement by Torrie Zito. Burt Collins on the flugelhorn is the featured soloist.

They Can’t Take That Away From Me – Remastered

They Can’t Take That Away From Me – Remastered, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“They Can’t Take That Away From Me,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: They All Laughed

The song of the day for Friday, June 19, 2015 is “They All Laughed.”

About This Song

George and Ira Gershwin wrote “They All Laughed” in 1937 for the Fred Astaire film Shall We Dance. Mr. Bennett often performs this song in concert.

About This Version

I’m so glad that Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga included this song for this album. It’s a great Gershwin tune and I love that slightly self-deprecating lyric. The excellent arrangement is by — who else — Marion Evans.

About Today

Today is the first of four performances at Radio City Music Hall by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. Nick, a good friend of the blog, sent me this photograph that he took on recent trip to New York:

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“They All Laughed,” as well as Cheek To Cheek, is available from iTunes.

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