The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: By Myself

The song of the day for Saturday, April 10, 2021, is “By Myself.”

About This Song

“By Myself” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dieta for the 1937 musical Between the Devil, where it was introduced by Jack Buchanan. Another great Schwartz-Dietz song from Between the Devil was “I See Your Face Before Me.” “By Myself” was used in the 1953 Fred Astaire film, The Band Wagon.

About These Versions

Earlier in the week, I fell down the YouTube rabbit hole watching Judy Garland videos and came across one I not seen before: “By Myself.” I then remembered that Tony Bennett had also recorded the song and thought that a Bennett recording with the Garland video would make for a nice post.

When it came time to write this post, I couldn’t decide between which of the two versions Bennett had recorded and so decided to use them both. The first was recorded in 1950 and the second in 1993.

The 1959 version is from Hometown, My Town and was arranged by Ralph Burns.

By Myself

Listen to By Myself on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1959.

The 1993 version from Steppin’ Out was arranged by Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

By Myself

Listen to By Myself on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1993.

And finally, Judy Garland, from her television show in 1964. Her exit at the end of the song is legendary.

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Monday, December 7, 2020, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwarz and Howard Dietz for the 1932 Broadway musical Flying Colors. The same song was used for the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, which starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “A Shine On Your Shoes” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, with an arrangement by Bennett and Ralph Sharon. The album consists of songs associated with Fred Astaire.

Shine On Your Shoes

Listen to Shine On Your Shoes on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1993.

“A Shine On Your Shoes,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from Apple Music.

And here’s Fred Astaire from The Band Wagon.

For the “Shine on My Shoes” number, Fred Astaire wanted to dance with the bootblack. They found the real thing in Leroy Daniels, a dancing shoeshine man working in downtown Los Angeles.

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Song of the Day: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails

The song of the day for Saturday, November 28, 2020, is “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails.”

About This Song

Irving Berlin wrote “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” for the 1935 film Top Hat, starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The song was introduced by Mr. Astaire. The film is widely considered to be one of the best of the RKO Astaire and Rogers films; the American Film Institute ranked it 15th on its list of best musicals.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails” in 1993 for Steppin’ Out, which featured songs made famous by his good friend, Fred Astaire.

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails

Listen to Top Hat, White Tie and Tails on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1993.

“Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from Apple Music.

And here’s Fred Astaire from Top Hat:

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Song of the Day: I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan

The song of the day for Friday, October 23, 2020, is “I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan.”

About This Song

“I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1929 revue The Little Show and was introduced by Clifton Webb. It was a featured song in the 1953 movie The Band Wagon, where it was sung by Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan. Even though the original title was “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan,” it more often is sung with Plans.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan” in 1993 for his album Steppin’ Out, which consisted of songs made famous by the great Fred Astaire. Bennett and Ralph Sharon did the arrangement.

“I Guess I’ll Have To Change My Plan,” as well as Steppin’ Out, is available from Apple Music.

And if you have a little extra time today, here’s Fred Astaire and Jack Buchanan in a very classy performance from The Band Wagon.

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Song of the Day: Shall We Dance

The song of the day for Monday, September 28, 2020, is “Shall We Dance.”

About This Song

This song is, of course, the title song for the 1937 Astaire and Rogers film Shall We Dance, released in 1937. George and Ira 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” for his 1998 album Steppin’ Out. It was arranged by Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon.

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

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