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 Friday, January 31, 2025, is “The Shadow of Your Smile.”

About Today

We’re featuring the release of Tony Bennett’s favorite of his albums, The Movie Song Album, which was released on January 31, 1966.

About This Song

“The Shadow of Your Smile” was written by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster for the 1965 film The Sandpiper, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. It was filmed, beautifully, in Big Sur on the California coastline. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. Tony Bennett’s 1965 recording won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. To this day, Tony Bennett sings this song in his concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Shadow of Your Smile” on September 26, 1965, for The Movie Song Album. It was arranged and conducted by Johnny Mandel and featured Jimmy Rowles on piano.

“The Shadow of Your Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: The Shadow Of Your Smile

The song of the day for Tuesday, July 11, 2023, is “The Shadow Of Your Smile.”

About This Song

“The Shadow Of Your Smile” was written by Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster as the main love theme from the 1965 film The Sandpiper, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor (and was my late mother’s favorite movie). It was filmed, beautifully, in Big Sur on the California coastline. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Shadow Of Your Smile” on September 26, 1965, for The Movie Song Album, released in 1966. It was arranged and conducted by the composer, Johnny Mandel.

“The Shadow Of Your Smile,” as well as The Movie Song Album is available on Apple Music.

I found this video of Bennett singing today’s song. Sorry, I don’t know the name of the program or the date:

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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")

Listen to The Shadow of Your Smile (Love Theme from "The Sandpiper") on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1966


“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.

http://open.spotify.com/track/66YI4JFp7BcMcepibGprsN
“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.

http://open.spotify.com/track/66YI4JFp7BcMcepibGprsN
“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??