The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Tony Live! Where Do I Begin

The song of the day for Sunday, June 14, 2020, is “Where Do I Begin.”

About This Song

“Where Do I Begin,” also known as the theme for the movie Love Story, was written in 1970 by Francis Lai and Carl Sigman.

The movie Love Story, released in 1970, was the ultimate romantic weepie for an entire generation. Love Story was about the young Harvard student from a very good (and wealthy) family (Ryan O’Neal) falling in love with a Radcliffe student from a working class family (Ali MacGraw). When Ryan O’Neal marries Ali MacGraw, his father cuts off all financial support and they live the blissful life of a poor young married couple living above the laundromat. (Spoiler alert) Ali MacGraw becomes terminally ill; the movie ends with the deathbed scene of Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal telling his father that “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” I guess you had to be there.

About This Version

Tony Bennett sang “Where Do I Begin” at his 1971 concert in London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra; the concert was released on the album Get Happy. Marty Manning did the arrangement.

“Where Do I Begin,” as well as Get Happy, is available from Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Thursday, September 5, 2013 is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow by Burton Lane, with lyrics by Yip Harburg. Finian’s Rainbow also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

Today’s version is from Tony Bennett’s legendary 1971 concert with The London Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Robert Farnon.

From the review in The Stage:

“This evening has been the most exciting and greatest episode in my singing career” Tony Bennett told The Stage after the magnificent performance he at the Albert Hall in aid of The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s Nation Appeal Fund.

A great ovation was given to Tony Bennett when he bounced on stage and opened with a snappy number “I Want To Be Happy.”

Nothing fancy — no gimmicks, just excellent singing of many of the songs that have made him world famous.

A wonderful performance that made his ecstatic fans go wild with applause.

http://open.spotify.com/track/5aV8dSbhVggrfNlutQE5G3
“Old Devil Moon,” as well as the Get Happy with The London Philharmonic Orchestra concert recording, is available from iTunes.