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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

December 20, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song of the day for Wednesday, December 21, 2022, the eighth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin (who was born in my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, and attended the same college I did) and Ralph Blaine in 1943 for the 1944 film Meet Me In St. Louis. The song was introduced by Judy Garland, who sang it to her very young sister, played by Margaret O’Brien.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” in 2004 for his album with The Count Basie Big Band, A Swingin’ Christmas, released in 2008.

In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song. (It’s mine too.)

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

Here’s the clip from Meet Me In St. Louis, with Judy Garland and Margaret O’Brien.

Filed Under: Song of the Day, The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane, The Count Basie Big Band, Tony Bennett

December 17, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Silver Bells

The song of the day for December 18, 2022, the fifth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Silver Bells.”

About This Song

“Silver Bells” was written 1950 by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. Lyricist Evans says that the song was originally called “Tinkle Bells.” That is, until composer Jay Livingston told his wife about the new song and she reminded him that the word ‘tinkle’ had another meaning and so it was changed to “Silver Bells.” It was first recorded in 1950 by Bing Crosby and Carol Richards and was also used in the 1951 movie The Lemon Drop Kid with Bob Hope, who performed the song with Marilyn Maxwell.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Silver Bells” in 2004. The song was released in 2008 on the album A Swingin’ Christmas, with The Count Basie Big Band. Lee Musiker wrote the arrangement.

“Silver Bells,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day, The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Jay Livingston, Lee Musiker, Ray Evans, The Count Basie Big Band, Tony Bennett

December 14, 2022 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Santa Claus is Coming to Town

The song of the day for December 15, 2022, the second day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

About This Song

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town” was written in 1934 by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie. The song had a spectacular debut. The song was first sung on Eddie Cantor’s radio show in November 1934. On the day after the broadcast, there were 100,000 orders for the sheet music; by Christmas, over 400,000 copies of the sheet music had been sold.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” in 2004 and released it in 2008 for A Swingin’ Christmas. It was arranged by Bill Holman and features Andy Snitzer on alto sax. The album features The Count Basie Big Band.

“Santa Claus is Coming to Town,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Andy Snitzer, Bill Holman, Haven Gillespie, John Frederick Coots, The Count Basie Big Band, Tony Bennett

December 18, 2021 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song of the day for Sunday, December 19, 2021, the sixth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

About This Song

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” was written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane and was introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 movie Meet Me In St. Louis. In a Twitter conversation in November 2012, Tony Bennett said that “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is his favorite Christmas song. It’s mine too.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” for his 2008 album A Swingin’ Christmas,” which featured The Count Basie Big Band.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

Today we have a clip from Meet Me In St. Louis, with Judy Garland singing today’s song to a very young Margaret Hamilton:

Filed Under: Song of the Day, The 12 Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas Tagged With: A Swingin' Christmas, Hugh Martin, Judy Garland, Meet Me In St. Louis, Ralph Blane, The Count Basie Big Band, Tony Bennett

December 16, 2021 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Christmas Time Is Here

The song of the day for December 17, 2021, the fourth day of The Twelve Days of a Tony Bennett Christmas, is “Christmas Time Is Here.”

About This Song

“Christmas Time Is Here” was written by Vince Guaraldi and Lee Mendelson for the 1965 television special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is still played each Christmas. This song has also been recorded by artists including Diana Krall, Anita Baker, Mel Tormé, and Mariah Carey.

The program will be aired on December 19, 2021, on PBS (check your local listings). It will also be streaming on Apple TV+.

About This Version

Tony Bennet recorded “Christmas Time Is Here” for his 2008 album with The Count Basie Big Band, A Swingin’ Christmas. Torrie Zito wrote the arrangement.

“Christmas Time Is Here,” as well as A Swingin’ Christmas is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Swingin' Christmas, Lee Mendelson, The Count Basie Big Band, Tony Bennett, Torrie Zito, Vince Guaraldi

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