The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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

The song of the day for Friday, April 18, 2014 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 and Ted Koehler in 1931 for the Cotton Club revue RhythMania. Both Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong recorded it at the time it was written.

About This Version

Today’s version of this song is from Tony Bennett’s 1964 album Who Can I Turn To. The song was arranged and conducted by George Siravo and features the Ralph Sharon Trio.

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

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Song of the Day: Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good)

The song of the day for Sunday, March 2, 2014 is “Ill Wind (You’re Blowin’ Me No Good).”

About This Song

“Ill Wind was composed by Harold Arlen with lyrics by Ted Koehler. This song was written for the 1934 Cotton Club Parade, their last show at the famed Cotton Club. The song was used in the 1984 movie The Cotton Club, where it was sung by Lonette McKee. Notable recordings of this song include today’s version by Tony Bennett, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Maxine Sullivan, Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Ill Wind” for his 1997 album On Holiday, which features songs sung by the great Billie Holiday. The song was arranged and conducted by Jorge Calandrelli and features Ralph Sharon on piano.

http://open.spotify.com/track/6R5zx6937yNXi8jqasrT9D
“Ill Wind,” as well as the album On Holiday, is available from iTunes.

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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.