The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: The Lady’s In Love With You

The song of the day for Wednesday, February 1, 2017 is “The Lady’s In Love With You.”

About This Song

“The Lady’s In Love With You” was written by Burton Lane (music) and Frank Loesser (lyrics )for the 1939 film Some Like It Hot (not to be confused with the excellent 1959 Billy Wilder film), where it was introduced by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross. It’s been widely recorded, including those by Tony Bennett, Glenn Miller, Margaret Whiting, and Michael Feinstein.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “The Lady’s In Love With You” in 1967 for his album Tony Makes It Happen! The arrangement is by our collaborator of the month, Marion Evans. I adore the way this song starts out — big and bold — and the listener knows a great ride is in store. Relatively short at 1:43 minutes, every second is perfect. I can’t think of better song to start with to honor the work of this arranger.

The Lady"s In Love with You

Listen to The Lady"s In Love with You on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1967


“The Lady’s In Love With You,” as well as Tony Makes It Happen!, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Cold, Cold Heart

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 31, 2017 is “Cold, Cold Heart.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “Cold, Cold Heart” was written in 1951 by Hank Williams. Tony Bennett sings this song in concerts and sometimes tells the story of how Mitch Miller played the song and asked Bennett to record it. Bennett told him he couldn’t sing it, as he wasn’t a country and western singer. He says that Mitch said he’d record it even if he (Mitch) had to tie him to a tree. “And so he tied me to a tree …” Bennett quips. It really is a beautiful and heartfelt song and was a big hit for Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Cold, Cold Heart” in 1951, with an arrangement by Percy Faith. This recording was on the Billboard charts for 27 weeks and reached #1.

Cold, Cold Heart

Listen to Cold, Cold Heart on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2011


“Cold, Cold Heart,” as well as all of the singles collected on the The Columbia Singles, Vol. 1, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie

The song of the day for Monday, January 30, 2017 is “It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie.”

About This Song

“It’s a Sin To Tell a Lie” was written in 1936 by Billy Mathew and was introduced by Fats Waller. The song has been recorded by artists from Billie Holiday to Steve Goodman to Slim Whitman to Patti Page. And, of course, Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie” in 1964 with the Ralph Sharon Trio, featuring Sharon on piano, Hal Gaylord on bass and Billy Exiner on drums, for the album When Lights Are Low. This is how I love Tony Bennett best: a great jazz song played with an impeccable trio or quartet.

It"s A Sin To Tell A Lie

Listen to It"s A Sin To Tell A Lie on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964


“It’s A Sin To Tell A Lie,” as well as When Lights Are Low, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: My Foolish Heart

The song of the day for Sunday, January 29, 2017 is “My Foolish Heart.”

About This Song

Today’s song, “My Foolish Heart,” was written in 1949 by Victor Young and Ned Washington. It was written for a widely-panned film of the same name, based on a J.D. Salinger short story. Time Magazine excoriated the score: “nothing offsets the blight of such tear-splashed excesses as the bloop-bleep-bloop of a sentimental ballad on the soundtrack.” The experience of making this film caused Salinger to refuse to allow any of his works to ever be filmed.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Bill Evans recorded “My Foolish Heart” in 1975 for their first album, The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album.

My Foolish Heart

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


“My Foolish Heart,” as well as The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: The Way You Look Tonight

The song of the day for Saturday, January 28, 2017 is “The Way You Look Tonight.”

About This Song

“The Way You Look Tonight” was written in 1936 by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. It was introduced by Fred Astaire in the 1936 film Swing Time; the song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for the year. Dorothy Fields remarked “The first time Jerry played that melody for me I went out and started to cry. The release absolutely killed me. I couldn’t stop, it was so beautiful.” Dorothy Fields was the first woman to win an Oscar for songwriting. It’s a magnificent love song that has found a strong position as a jazz standard, with recordings by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Mel Tormé and Frank Sinatra.

About This Version

I decided that a celebration of Jerome Kern’s birthday could easily be extended for a second day; I also know for a fact that this song is favorite of several of this site’s readers, because they write to me and tell me so. And for good reason–the song is more than beautiful. When I listen to it, I understand exactly how Dorothy Fields felt when she first heard the song.

Today I’m featuring Bennett’s most recent version from the 2015 album with Bill Charlap; The Silver Lining: The Music of Jerome Kern.

The Way You Look Tonight

Tony Bennett, Bill Charlap · The Silver Lining - The Songs of Jerome Kern · Song · 2015


“The Way You Look Tonight,” as well as The Silver Lining: The Music of Jerome Kern, is available from iTunes.

About Today

It’s a video Saturday! Here are Tony and Bill Charlap.

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