The song of the day for Friday, May 23, 2014 is “The Shining Sea.”

About This Song

Our song today, “The Shining Sea,” is from the 1966 film The Russians Are Coming The Russians Are Coming and was written by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Peggy Lee.

I had DVRed this film recently (thanks Turner Classic Movies!) and we sat down to watch it the other day. The film has always been a favorite of mine, but my friend had never seen it. The cast is wonderful: Alan Arkin, Eva Marie Saint, Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters, Brian Keith and many more film and stage actors. In a nutshell, a Russian submarine accidentally runs aground just offshore from a small New England beach town. A few of the Russians sailors come ashore to find out if there’s a boat they can “borrow” to help move the submarine. Needless to say, hilarity and misunderstandings ensue. And, in the end, a Russian sailor saves a little boy who has fallen out of a church tower and all is well. We had a great time. And, of course, we got to listen to this very lovely song by Mr. Mandel.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Shining Sea” in 1966, but the song was not released until 1971 on the album Summer of ’42. This version was arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel and features Bobby Hackett on cornet.

http://open.spotify.com/track/7CFcpNIFDAW9ZIqwSiQO4k
“The Shining Sea,” as well as the album Summer of ’42, is available from iTunes.