The song of the day for Saturday, November 16, 2013 is “So Long, Big Time!”

About This Song

Harold Arlen wrote “So Long, Big Time!” in 1963, with lyrics by Dory Langdon Previn. It’s one Arlen’s later songs, but it’s unmistakably written by Harold Arlen. Today’s version by Tony Bennett appears to be the first recording of “So Long, Big Time!” Bill Evans recorded it with Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund and his trio in 1964 for his album Waltz For Debby, which you can listen to on Spotify.

About This Version

I’ve never hidden my affection for the music of Harold Arlen. And having presented one Harold Arlen song earlier in the week (Wednesday’s “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea”), I can’t resist digging deeper. Tony Bennett recorded “So Long, Big Time!” in September, 1963 for the 1964 album The Many Moods of Tony.

http://open.spotify.com/track/3KjtHoSOKmduvJYnYnhoW3
“So Long, Big Time!” as well as the album The Many Moods of Tony, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

And today’s video is one of my very favorites; it captures some of the recording session in 1963 when Tony Bennett recorded “So Long, Big Time” in the famed CBS 30th Street Studio, with Harold Arlen conducting the orchestra. The smile on Arlen’s face at the transition from the bridge into the second chorus (2:09) is absolutely genuine and beautiful.

This video is excerpted from the Arlen documentary, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, which is available for purchase from Amazon and for DVD rental from Netflix.