The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Bewitched

The song of the day for Sunday, September 16, 2023, is “Bewitched.”

About Today

The Year of Tony Bennett is proud to honor one of Tony Bennett’s greatest collaborators: Ralph Sharon, who was born in London on September 17, 1925. He served as Bennett’s pianist, musical director, and arranger for many years, starting in 1958.

About This Song

“Bewitched” (also known by its full name “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”) was written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart for the 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.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “Bewitched” on October 28, 1959. They wanted to an album of songs from the Great American Songbook, without any other accompaniment, other than Sharon. Bennett’s producer, Mitch Miller, showed up and said to the Frank Laico, who recorded the session, “I’m leaving. I can’t support this.”

The resulting album, Tony Sings For Two, was released in 1961.

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

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of the day for Saturday, August 26, 2023, is “Skylark.”

About This Song

“Skylark” was written in 1941 by Hoagy Carmichael and Johnny Mercer. Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” over a year. It is also said that he wrote the lyrics to express his feelings for Judy Garland, with whom he had been involved. Whether true or not, the song and the lyrics are outstanding and it easily became a jazz and popular standard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Skylark” on October 28, 1959, with Ralph Sharon, for the album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. Tony Bennett tells this story about the album 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 is 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.

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

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: Bewitched

The song of the day for Wednesday, June 28, 2023, is “Bewitched.”

About Today

We are proud to honor songwriter Richard Rodgers, who was born on June 28, 1902, in New York City. Having written 43 Broadway musicals and over 900 songs, he was one of the most well-known American composers of the 20th century. Over his career, he partnered with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein. His songwriting career began in 1920 with Poor Little Ritz Girl and ended in 1979 with I Remember Mama. His body of work was remarkable and his musicals are produced all over the world and often revived on Broadway. He was the first composer to win the coveted EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony awards) as well as the Pulitzer Prize. His legacy lives on, first by his daughter Mary Rodgers, and later her son Adam Guettel, who won Tony awards in 2005 for his musical The Light in the Piazza, capturing Best Score and Best Orchestration.

You can read more about Richard Rodgers on the Songwriters Hall of Fame website.

About This Song

“Bewitched” (sometimes called “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”) was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1940 Broadway musical Pal Joey. where is was introduced by Vivenne Segal. Notable recordings include those 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.” In spite of being notey, it’s a cornerstone of the American Songbook.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Bewitched” with Ralph Sharon on October 29, 1959, for his elegant album Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961. It’s an extraordinary album that is always a joy to listen to.

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

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: I’m Through With Love

The song of the day for Thursday, April 13, 2023, is “I’m Through With Love.”

About This Song

“I’m Through With Love” was written in 1931 by Fud Livingston, Matty Malneck and Gus Kahn. The song has been popular since it was written, with recordings by Nat Cole, Chet Baker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Sarah Vaughan, among others. Marilyn Monroe sang the song in the 1959 film Some Like It Hot.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’m Through With Love” on October 28, 1959, with just Ralph Sharon on piano. The resulting album, Tony Sings For Two, was released in 1961.

“I’m Through With Love,” as well as Tony Sings For Two is available on Apple Music.

By Leave a Comment

Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Wednesday, March 15, 2023, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin or Judy Garland for the 1954 version of A Star Is Born, with James Mason. Her performance of the song is legendary in film history, with 27 takes in three days, three separate sessions, and two different directors. The filmed scene is brilliant and made the song a huge hit for Garland, who sang it in most of her concerts.

About This Version

Tony Bennett, with Ralph Sharon on piano, recorded “The Man That Got Away” on October 28, 1959, in a single recording session where Bennett and Sharon recorded 16 songs, 12 of which were released on Tony Sings For Two, released in 1961.

“The Man That Got Away,” as well as Tony Sings For Two is available on Apple Music.

And here’s that famous scene from the 1954 A Star Is Born:

Subscribe to The Year of Tony Bennett

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Current Reader Favorites