The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I’m Old Fashioned

The song of the day for Thursday, March 9, 2023, is “I’m Old Fashioned.”

About This Song

“I’m Old Fashioned” was written by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film You Were Never Lovelier, where it was first sung by Nan Wynn who dubbed for Rita Hayworth as part of a song and dance routine with Fred Astaire.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano; Peter Washington on bass; and Kenny Washington on drums) recorded “I’m Old Fashioned” for The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, released in 2015.

“I’m Old Fashioned,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern is available on Apple Music.

Here are Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, and Nan Wynn’s voice from You Were Never Lovelier:

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Sunday, March 5, 2023, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

“Pick Yourself Up” was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1936 movie Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film when Astaire pretends to be unable to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he can dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” for his album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern, released in 2015. He was backed by The Bill Charlap, with Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums.

The album won the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Album.

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern is available on Apple Music.

Here are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing to “Pick Yourself Up” from Swing Time:

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Song of the Day: Dearly Beloved

The song of the day for Thursday, March 10, 2022, is “Dearly Beloved.”

About This Song

“Dearly Beloved” was written by Jerome Kern and Johnny Mercer for the 1942 film You Were Never Lovelier, starring Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth. The song was nominated for an Academy Award.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and The Bill Charlap Trio recorded “Dearly Beloved” for the 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Charlap wrote the arrangement.

“Dearly Beloved,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern is available on Apple Music.

Here’s Fred Astaire singing today’s song, from the movie You Were Never Lovelier.

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Song of the Day: Pick Yourself Up

The song of the day for Wednesday, January 19, 2022, is “Pick Yourself Up.”

About This Song

This song was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields for the 1939 film Swing Time, where it was introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It was used in the early part of the film where Astaire pretends to not be able to dance and asks for Ginger Rogers as his dance instructor just so he could dance with her. This song has been widely recorded, including those by Nat King Cole, Anita O’Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Pick Yourself Up” with The Bill Charlap Trio for the 2015 album The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern. Peter Washington (bass) and Kenny Washington (drums) join Bill Charlap on piano.

“Pick Yourself Up,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern is available on Apple Music.

In the first year of the COVID pandemic, the Actor’s Fund got a lot of jazz musicians together, under the direction of Tony DeSare, to create a video of this song as a fundraiser. It’s a joyous version and did raise a lot of money for out-of-work actors. Enjoy!

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Song of the Day: Somebody Loves Me

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 16, 2021, is “Somebody Loves Me.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett wishes the wonderful Diana Krall a very happy birthday!

About This Song

“Somebody Loves Me” was written by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ballard MacDonald, for George White’s Scandals of 1924. Popular early recordings include those by Paul Whiteman and Cliff Edwards, also known as Ukulele Ike. Other recordings include those by Dave Brubeck, Ella Fitzgerald, Fletcher Henderson, Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and many more.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Diana Krall recorded “Somebody Loves Me” for their 2018 album Love Is Here To Stay with The Bill Charlap Trio (Charlap on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums).

“Somebody Loves Me,” as well as Love Is Here To Stay is available on Apple Music.

Tony and Diana did this story on NPR about their album.

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