The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Shadow of Your Smile

The song of the day for Tuesday, November 1, 2016 is “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

About This Song

Johnny Mandel wrote “The Shadow of Your Smile” with Paul Francis Webster in 1965 for the Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor film The Sandpiper. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Shadow of Your Smile” in 1965 for his album The Movie Song Album, which was released in January 1996. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. Bennett often sings this song in concert; in fact, I had the great pleasure of hearing him sing this song last week in Portland.

The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from “The Sandpiper”)

The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from “The Sandpiper”), a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“The Shadow of Your Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Shadow Of Your Smile

The song of the day for Saturday, June 7, 2014 is “The Shadow Of Your Smile.”

About This Song

“The Shadow Of Your Smile” was written by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster for the 1965 film The Sandpiper, which starred Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The song was immediately popular and won both the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

In addition to Tony Bennett’s well-known recording we present here today, other recordings include those by Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin and Astrud Gilberto.

About This Version

We’re very happy to feature another song from The Movie Song Album, released in 1966. This song was arranged and conducted by the composer, Johnny Mandel and features Jimmy Rowles on piano.

The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from “The Sandpiper”)

The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from “The Sandpiper”), a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“The Shadow Of Your Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

Today’s video is from 1966 on Japanese television:

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Song of the Day: The Shadow of Your Smile

The song of the day for Saturday, November 23, 2013 is “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

About This Song

“The Shadow of Your Smile” (also known as the theme from The Sandpiper) was written by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster for the 1965 film The Sandpiper, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The Sandpiper was set in and filmed on location in Big Sur, on the California coast. The song was very popular and won both the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

We choose this song today in honor of the birthday of Johnny Mandel, who was born on November 23, 1925 in New York City. He is quite well-known for his wonderful film scores, including those for Emily, M*A*S*H and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming. His popular songs, many recorded by Tony Bennett, also include “Close Enough For Love” and one of my personal favorites, “Where Do You Start?” He is also associated with Tony Bennett as an arranger and conductor on albums including The Movie Song Album and The Art of Romance. Happy Birthday, Mr. Mandel.

On a personal note, today’s song was a favorite of my late mother and I’d like to dedicate today’s song to her as well.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this song for what he has often called his favorite of all his albums: the 1966 The Movie Song Album. Today’s song was arranged and conducted by Mr. Mandel. “The Shadow of Your Smile” is a favorite of Tony Bennett: he sings it regularly in his concerts, always to great applause.


“The Shadow of Your Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes and Amazon.

And no, I haven’t forgotten that it’s YouTube Saturday. Here’s Tony Bennett singing today’s song, from The Andy Williams Show in 1966.

Tip: Never, never, ever trust a spelling checker. The Sandpaper? Really??

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Song of the Day: The Shadow of Your Smile

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 20, 2013 is The Shadow Of Your Smile.

About This Song

Written by Johnny Mandel, with lyrics by Paul Francis Webster, The Shadow of Your Smile was written as the theme song for the Richard Burton – Elizabeth Taylor film The Sandpiper from 1965. This song won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the Academy Award for Best Original Song. I felt in love with Big Sur and the California coastline from seeing this movie. Our family made our first vacation trip to California a year later and seeing Big Sur for real was really wonderful. I still love that part of coast all these years later.

About This Version

This version is from Tony Bennett’s delightful The Movie Song Album. Composer Mandel, a frequent collaborator of Bennett, arranged and conducted this recording. Bennett sings The Shadow of Your Smile regularly in his live concerts.

The Shadow of Your Smile, as well as The Movie Song Album, is available from iTunes.

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