The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Dancing in the Dark

The song of the day for Friday, November 12, 2021, is “Dancing in the Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dancing in the Dark” in 1993 for his album of songs made famous by Fred Astaire, Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Dancing in the Dark,” as well as Steppin’ Out is available on Apple Music.

Speaking of Fred Astaire and The Band Wagon, here’s that exquisite dance with Astaire and the beautiful Cyd Charisse from the 1953 movie.

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Monday, November 8, 2021, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Diets in 1932 for the 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 the album Steppin’ Out, an album of songs associated with Fred Astaire. Bennett and Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangements for the album. Bennett is accompanied by The Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums.

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

I hope you have time to watch this wonderful dance number from The Band Wagon. Astaire insisted on using a real bootblack instead of an actor for the number. They discovered the 23-year old Leroy Davis. You can read more about him here. I think he gives Astaire a run for his money.!

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Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 20, 2021, is “Dancing In The Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing In The Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Dancing In The Dark” in 1961 for the album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns wrote the very fine arrangement.

Dancing in the Dark

Listen to Dancing in the Dark on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: A Shine On Your Shoes

The song of the day for Sunday, Mary 23, 2021, is “A Shine On Your Shoes.”

About This Song

“A Shine On Your Shoes” was written by Arthur Schwartz 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 of songs made famous by his good friend Fred Astaire: Steppin’ Out. Bennett and Ralph Sharon arranged the entire. Playing with Sharon on piano are Doug Richeson on bass and Clayton Cameron on drums.

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.

Here’s Astaire in his performance of today’s song from the movie The Band Wagon. Astaire insisted on using a real shoeshine man for the number, not an actor. He hit the jackpot with Leroy Daniels who at 23 was an accomplished hoofer. You can read about Mr. Daniels here.

Here are Astaire and Daniels:

Shine On Your Shoes

Fred Astaire and Leroy Daniels."For the "Shine on My Shoes" number, Fred Astaire wanted to dance with the bootblack. They found the real thing in Leroy Danie...

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Song of the Day: Dancing In The Dark

The song of the day for Thursday, February 25, 2021, is “Dancing In The Dark.”

About This Song

“Dancing in the Dark” was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 revue The Band Wagon and is widely considered to be the finest of the songs written by Schwartz and Dietz. Alec Wilder in American Popular Song describes it as “… a very strong song with a superb, poetic lyric.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Dancing in the Dark” in 1962 for the album My Heart Sings. The Ralph Burns arrangement is wonderful. Bennett first worked with Burns on the 1959 Hometown, My Town and several singles, including Bennett’s first recording of Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile.”

Dancing in the Dark

Listen to Dancing in the Dark on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1961.

“Dancing In The Dark,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available from Apple Music.

The song, as an instrumental, was used in the 1953 film version of The Band Wagon, featuring the exquisite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse. The number is pure heaven; I particularly love the business with the bench (starts at 3:36). Michael Kidd choreographed the dance.

Cyd Charisse w/ Fred Astaire (1953) The Band Wagon [Dancing in the Dark]

(HD Video - 986x720)

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