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The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

August 10, 2025 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Street of Dreams

The song of the day for Sunday, August 10, 2025, is “Street of Dreams.”

About This Song

“Street of Dreams” was written in 1932 by Victor Young and Sam M. Lewis. The song has a classic Depression-era sense, where love is one of the few things that may be impossible for those with money, but “no one is poor as long as love is sure.” Bing Crosby was the first singer to record “Street of Dreams”, though the Russ Columbo recording was also popular.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Street of Dreams” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

Bennett wrote about making this album in The Good Life.

I always wanted to be unpredictable, and so for my next project, I decided to go in the opposite direction from the big orchestral albums I’d been doing lately and cut an intimate piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time in the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or two takes. In one afternoon we laid down sixteen tunes—which must be some kind of record—twelve of which made it onto the album, which became 1961’s Tony Sings for Two. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings for Two turned out to be one of my finest records ever.

“Street of Dreams,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Mitch Miller, Ralph Sharon, Sam M. Lewis, Tony Bennett, Tony Sings for Two, Victor Young

May 18, 2025 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me

The song of the day for Sunday, April 18, 2025, is “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me.”

About This Song

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the musical By Jupiter in 1942. Directed by Joshua Logan, it starred Ray Bolger, Vera-Ellen and Constance Moore. It was their last full-length work. In American Popular Music, Alec Wilder called this song “one of the loveliest songs Rodgers or any other theater writer has ever written. In the area of this form of music it is a masterpiece.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me” on October 28, 1959, for his album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. For this album, Bennett and Ralph Sharon booked the Columbia 30th Street Studio and, with only. Sharon accompanying him on piano, recorded sixteen songs, with twelve songs released on the album. There were no formal arrangements; they sat down and chose songs from music books and recorded them in one or two takes.

“Nobody’s Heart Belongs To Me,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Larry Hart, Lorenz Hart, Ralph Sharon, Richard Rodgers, Tony Bennett, Tony Sings for Two

April 10, 2025 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Where or When

The song of the day for Thursday, April 10, 2025, is “Where or When.”

About This Song

“Where or When” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1937 musical Babes In Arms. Benny Goodman recorded “Where or When” in 1941 with a very young Peggy Lee. It is a favorite song of many vocalists and has had many fine recordings.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Ralph Sharon, recorded “Where or When” on October 28, 1959. On that day, Sharon brought a briefcase full of sheet music, and in a single session, they recorded sixteen songs in only one or two takes, twelve of which were used for the album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961.

“Where or When,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Babes in Arms, Larry Hart, Lorenz Hart, Ralph Sharon, Richard Rodgers, Tony Bennett, Tony Sings for Two

April 1, 2025 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of the day for Tuesday, March 31, 2025, is “Skylark.”

About This Song

“Skylark” was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer in 1941. Johnny Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” for over a year. The song and the lyrics are outstanding, and it easily became a jazz and popular standard. It’s also believed that Buick named its new car Skylark in 1953, due to the popularity of the song.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded”Skylark” on October 28, 1959, at the session for their album Tony Sings For Two. Due to space constraints, “Skylark” was not included on the initial CD release; it was added for the 1995 CD release of the album.

“Skylark,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer, Ralph Sharon, Tony Bennett, Tony Sings for Two

March 9, 2025 By Suzanne Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)

The song of the day for Monday, March 10, 2025, is “Bewitched.”

About This Song

“Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 1940 musical Pal Joey, where it was introduced by Vivienne Segal. Notable recordings are by Benny Goodman, Mel Tormé, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra. Alec Wilder admired the lyric and the verse but found the song “notey.” Despite being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)” on October 28, 1959, for their album Tony Sings For Two, which was released in 1961.

Tony Bennett tells his story about Tony Sings For Two in his autobiography, The Good Life:

I always wanted to be unpredictable, and so for my next project, I decided to go in the opposite direction from the big orchestral albums I’d been doing lately and cut an intimate piano-vocal album with Ralph Sharon. We booked time at the studio and pored through music books, trying one tune after another. The arrangements were spontaneous, and we finished each song in one or two takes. In one afternoon, we laid down sixteen tunes—which must be some kind of record—twelve of which made it onto the album, which became 1961’s Tony Sings For Two. Mitch Miller showed up at the start of these sessions, furious that I was really going through with it. When he saw that there was no dissuading me, he turned to Frank Laico and said, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.” Tony Sings For Two turned out to be one of my finest records ever.

“Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered),” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

Filed Under: Song of the Day Tagged With: Larry Hart, Lorenz Hart, Pal Joey, Ralph Sharon, Richard Rodgers, Tony Bennett, Tony Sings for Two

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