The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Days of Wine and Roses

The song of the day for Tuesday, June 11, 2024, is “Days of Wine and Roses.”

About Today

We’re continuing our look at The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, which was recorded June 10-13, 1975, at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Californai.

About This Song

“Days of Wine and Roses” was written by Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer was written for the 1962 film of the same name, starring Lee Remick and Jack Lemmon. This movie is arguably the most powerful film ever made about alcoholism and the struggles of Remick and Lemmon to stop drinking. There are scenes in this film that I know I will never forget; it is a true masterpiece. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded in June 1975 for their first album The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“Days of Wine and Roses,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: We’ll Be Together Again

The song of the day for Friday, November 23, 2023, is “We’ll Be Together Again.”

About This Song

“We’ll Be Together Again” was written by Carl T. Fischer in 1945, Frankie Laine’s pianist and musical director. Fischer asked Laine to write the lyrics, which he did quite nicely. In addition to the recording by Tony Bennett and Bill Evans, this song has been recorded by Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Frankie Laine.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “We’ll Be Together Again” in June 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

“We’ll Be Together Again,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Some Other Time

The song of the day for Sunday, October 30, 2020, is “Some Other Time.”

About This Song

“Some Other Time” was written by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green for the musical On The Town, the story of three sailors on leave in New York City and their romantic adventures. This song is sung at the end by two of the couples. Inexplicably, this beautiful song was cut from the 1949 film version.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “Some Other Time” in June 1975 for The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album. The album was released in 1975 on the Fantasy label, Bill Evans’ label.

“Some Other Time,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Some Other Time

The song of the day for Thursday, September 30, 2021, is “Some Other Time.”

About This Song

“Some Other Time” was written for the 1944 Broadway musical On The Town by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Adolph Green and Betty Comden. This song is sung at the end by two of the couples. Inexplicably, this beautiful song was cut from the 1949 film version.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “Some Other Time” in 1975 for their first album, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, which was released on Fantasy Records, which published Evans’ albums.

Some Other Time

Bill Evans, Tony Bennett · The Tony Bennett / Bill Evans Album (Expanded Edition) · Song · 1975

“Some Other Time”, as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: But Beautiful

The song of the day for Thursday, January 9, 2020, is “But Beautiful.”

About This Song

“But Beautiful” was written by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke for Bing Crosby to sing in the 1947 movie The Road to Rio. The song has been widely recorded, including recordings by Bill Evans, Johnny Hartman, Billie Holiday, Gregory Porter, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “But Beautiful” in June 1975. In fact, the entire album was recorded in three days: June 10-June 13. The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album was released on Bill Evans’s label: Fantasy Records. In 1991, Fantasy released the CD version, adding alternate takes for several songs.

Bennett wrote in his autobiography, The Good Life:

I remember how the intensity of the whole experience kept mounting. “Don’t wait for us to do a take, just keep the tape running all the time.” But all he said was, “I can’t. I’ll run out of tape.” My one regret is that we didn’t record all those rehearsals and run-throughs. It was fascinating to hear Bill work on songs. He was always improvising and revising, changing and improving his approach.

“But Beautiful,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

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