The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Sunday, November 14, 2021, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which 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

“Old Devil Moon” was the first song Tony Bennett performed for his now-legendary live performance on MTV Unplugged on April 12, 1994. Singing with The Ralph Sharon Trio (Sharon on piano, Doug Richeson on bass, and Clayton Cameron on drums), Tony Bennett was ecstatically received. The resulting album, MTV Unplugged, won the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance and Album of the Year.

The performance on television and the resulting album was key to introducing Tony Bennett to a completely new audience.

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as MTV Unplugged is available on Apple Music.

We are delighted to include a video of “Old Devil Moon” from the performance.

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Song of the Day: You Go To My Head

The song of the day for Sunday, November 7, 2021, is “You Go To My Head.”

About This Song

Written in 1938 by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie (the same songwriting team that gave us “Santa Claus is Coming To Town”) “You Go to My Head” is a well-respected popular song. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder called it “a phenomenon” and “a minor masterpiece.” Al Gioia in The Jazz Standards notes that “this song comes closer than any tune I know to capturing in musical form the feeling of losing control.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “You Go To My Head” in 1992 with The Ralph Sharon Trio for the album Perfectly Frank.

“You Go To My Head,” as well as Perfect Frank is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Thought About You

The song of the day for Friday, November 5, 2021, is “I Thought About You.”

About This Song

“I Thought About You” was written in 1936 by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Mercer. In the biography Portrait of Johnny: The Life of John Herndon Mercer, author Gene Lees quotes Mercer about this song:

I can remember the afternoon that we wrote it. He [Van Heusen] played me the melody. I didn’t have any idea, but I had to go to Chicago that night. I think I was on the Benny Goodman program. And I got to thinking about it on the train. I was awake, I couldn’t sleep. The tune was running through my mind, and that’s when I wrote the song. On the train, really going to Chicago.

“I Thought About You” proved quite popular and has been recorded many times by jazz performers including Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Hartman, Shirley Horn, Dinah Washington, and Mel Tormé.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Thought About You” with The Ralph Sharon Trio in 1992 for Bennett’s tribute album to Frank Sinatra, Perfectly Frank.

“I Thought About You,” as well as Perfectly Frank is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Isn’t This a Lovely Day

The song of the day for Sunday, October 24, 2021, is “Isn’t This a Lovely Day.”

About This Song

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day” was written by Irving Berlin or the Fred Astaire / Ginger Rogers movie Top Hat. In the film, Astaire and Rogers are caught in a rainstorm while sitting in an outdoor gazebo. The song was introduced by Fred Astaire. This song has also been recorded by Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Diana Krall, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” in 1987 for the album Bennett/Berlin. Bennett was accompanied by the Ralph Sharon Trio and Sharon has a nice turn in this recording.

“Isn’t This a Lovely Day,” as well as Bennett/Berlin is available on Apple Music.

Here’s that scene from Top Hat. Enjoy!

Top Hat: Isn"t This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

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Song of the Day: Rules of the Road

The song of the day for Sunday, September 19, 2021, is “Rules of the Road.”

About This Song

“Rules of the Road” was written in 1961 by Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh. In addition to several recordings by Tony Bennett, the song has also been recorded by Lena Horne, Shirley Horne, Nat King Cole, and Rosemary Clooney.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Rules of the Road” in 1964 with The Ralph Sharon Trio for the album When Lights Are Low. Unlike his 1961 recording, this one is a little slower in tempo and more introspective. Both are wonderful, but this one is my favorite.

The Rules Of The Road

Listen to The Rules Of The Road on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1964.

“Rules of the Road,” as well as When Lights Are Low is available on Apple Music.

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