The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: My Funny Valentine

The song of the day for Saturday, December 9, 2023, is “My Funny Valentine.”

About This Song

“My Funny Valentine” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1937 Broadway musical Babes in Arms, where it was introduced by Mitzi Green. This ballad is one of the most-loved songs in the American songbook and has been sung by most jazz and cabaret artists. In addition to Tony Bennett’s excellent recordings of this song, others include those by Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, and Miles Davis.

About This Version

Tony Bennett and Ralph Sharon recorded “My Funny Valentine” on October 28, 1959, for their album Tony Sings For Two. Even though recorded in 1959, the album wasn’t released until 1961.

“My Funny Valentine,” as well as Tony Sings For Two, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Skylark

The song of the day for Wednesday, November 22, 2003, is “Skylark.”

About Today

We are celebrating songwriter Hoagy Carmichael on the anniversary of his birth on November 22, 1899, in Bloomington, Indiana. Carmichael composed several hundred songs, including 50 that achieved hit record status. He is best known for composing four of the most-recorded American songs of all time: “Stardust” (lyrics by Mitchell Parish), “Georgia on My Mind” (lyrics by Stuart Gorrell), “The Nearness of You” (lyrics by Ned Washington), and “Heart and Soul” (lyrics by Frank Loesser). He also collaborated with lyricist Johnny Mercer on “Lazybones” and “Skylark”. Carmichael’s “Ole Buttermilk Sky” was an Academy Award nominee in 1946, from Canyon Passage, in which he co-starred as a musician riding a mule. “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening”, with lyrics by Mercer, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1951.

About This Song

“Skylark” was written in 1941 by Hoagy Carmichael, with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Mercer is said to have worked on the lyrics for “Skylark” over a year. He also 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 easily became a jazz and popular standard.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Skylark” on October 28, 1959, for the album Tony Sings For Two, which Bennett made with Ralph Sharon and no other musicians. “Skylark” was not included in the original LP release of the album, but was added to the 1995 CD re-release.

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

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Song of the Day: The Man That Got Away

The song of the day for Wednesday, October 4, 2023, is “The Man That Got Away.”

About This Song

“The Man That Got Away” was written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin for Judy Garland to sing 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 recorded “The Man Got Away” on October 28, 1959, for his album with pianist Ralph Sharon, 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, of course, here’s Judy Garland’s brilliant performance from A Star Is Born:

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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.

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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.