The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Get Happy

The song of the day for Sunday, December 1, 2013 is “Get Happy.”

About This Song

“Get Happy” was written by Harold Arlen, with lyrics by Ted Koehler, in 1930 for The Nine-Fifteen Revue, where it was introduced by Ruth Etting. It was the first song that Arlen and Koehler wrote together. Even though written in 1930, “Get Happy” may be best known by its performance by Judy Garland in the 1950 musical film Summer Stock. In addition to several recordings by Judy Garland, other recordings of this song include those by Frank Sinatra, Johnny Dankworth, Ella Fitzgerald, June Christy and Rufus Wainwright.

About This Version

Tony Bennett first recorded this song for his 1968 album Yesterday I Heard the Rain; it was arranged and conducted by Torrie Zito. The Torrie Zito arrangement was used for Bennett’s 1971 concert album Get Happy with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Farnon.

http://open.spotify.com/track/4ft0sAHcZ1Znf00yiTbFk8
“Get Happy,” as well as the album Yesterday I Heard The Rain, is available from iTunes.

And here’s Miss Judy Garland, performing “Get Happy” from Summer Stock:

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Song of the Day: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 13, 2013 is “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”

About This Song

“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” was written by Harold Arlen (music) and Ted Koehler (lyrics) in 1931 for The Cotton Club. Early on, it was recorded by Louis Armstrong and Cab Calloway. Other noted recordings include this one by Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. George Harrison recorded it for his last album, Brainwashed.

About This Version

My readers know about my love of Harold Arlen and it’s been a while since I’ve featured a Harold Arlen song. Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1964 album Who Can I Turn To, produced by Ernie Altschuler. The album was arranged and conducted by George Siravo and features the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums.

http://open.spotify.com/track/0w2zSgxWS1fwSkA4dNwWnq
“Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” as well as the album Who Can I Turn To, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams

The song of the day for Monday, August 19, 2013 is “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.”

About This Song

“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” is a classic Depression-era song written by Harry Barris with lyrics by Ted Koehler and Billy Moll. The song was written in and 1931; Bing Crosby was the first person to record this song.

About This Version

Today’s song is from Tony Bennett’s 1964 album Who Can I Turn To. This song, as well as the entire album, was arranged by George Siravo and produced by Ernie Altschuler.

http://open.spotify.com/track/669cS5WKTDpyMn3A1Tg7EJ
“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams,” as well as the album Who Can I Turn To, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 4, 2013 is “Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams.”

About This Song

“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams” was written in 1931 by Harry Barris, with lyrics by Ted Koehler and Billy Moll. Bing Crosby, with the Gus Arnheim Orchestra, first recorded this song in 1931.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this lovely song in 1964 for his album Who Can I Turn To. This version was arranged and conducted by George Siravo and featured the Ralph Sharon Trio, with Sharon, Hal Gaylord (bass) and Billy Exiner (drums). The arrangement has a great evocative feel for the early 1930s.

http://open.spotify.com/track/669cS5WKTDpyMn3A1Tg7EJ
“Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams,” as well as the entire Who Can I Turn To album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

The song of the day for Friday, March 29, 2013 is Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.

About This Song

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was written in 1932 by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. It’s been a popular standard for many years, with notable recordings by Frank Sinatra, Cab Calloway and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

If you’ve been following the song of the day for any time, you’ll know that I can’t go too long without a song by Harold Arlen. This song is from Tony Bennett’s 1964 album Who Can I Turn To. The album was arranged by George Siravo and played by the Ralph Sharon Trio (Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums) with a not-overused orchestra. The whole album has a nice, easy jazz sound that I like a lot.  This song is a lot of fun and while it may not be one of Arlen’s most famous songs, there’s a lot there. But again, that can be said about all of Arlen’s work.
http://open.spotify.com/track/0w2zSgxWS1fwSkA4dNwWnq
Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, as well as the full Who Can I Turn To album, is available from iTunes.

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