The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: Sometimes I’m Happy

The song of the day for Sunday, March 16, 2025, is “Sometimes I’m Happy.”

About This Song

“Sometimes I’m Happy” was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Leo Robin, Clifford Grey, and Irving Caesar for the 1927 Broadway musical Hit The Deck. It found early favor as a popular song with numerous recordings in 1927. It has also proven a durable standard, with recordings by Tony Bennett, Dave Brubeck and Paul Desmond, Betty Carter, Bing Crosby, and Billie Holiday, among many others.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Sometimes I’m Happy” nn September 1, 1967, for his album For Once In My Life. Marion Evans wrote the arrangement and arranged the orchestra. The orchestra consisted of some of the top jazz musicians at the time, including Milt Hinton on bass and Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar.

“Sometimes I’m Happy,” as well as For Once In My Life, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Without A Song

The song of the day for Thursday, December 5, 2024, is “Without A Song.”

About This Song

“Without A Song” was written in 1926 by Vincent Youmans (music) and Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu (lyrics). It was written for the 1929 musical Great Day. It has been recorded by artists from Perry Como to Mario Lanza to Frank Sinatra. Great Day was set in 19th-century Louisiana; as a result, some of the lyrics have been changed over time to remove currently objectionable language.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Without A Song” on September 12, 1956, for Bennett’s second album Tony, released in 1957.

“Without A Song,” as well as Tony, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Saturday, January 13, 2024, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written in 1929 by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, for the Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. Despite its poor run, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” on April 4, 1961, for his My Heart Sings album. It was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Sunday, June 18, 2023, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

“More Than You Know” was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliiscu for the 1929 Broadway musical, Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good, so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose, and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. “More Than You Know” has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” on April 4, 1961, for his album My Heart Sings. Ralph Burns, who worked with Bennett on the 1959 Hometown, My Town, arranged and conducted the entire album.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: More Than You Know

The song of the day for Wednesday, April 5, 2023, is “More Than You Know.”

About This Song

More Than You Know” was written by Vincent Youmans, with lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, for the 1929 Broadway musical Great Day, which only ran for 36 performances. In spite of its poor run on Broadway, the score was considered very good and so it got sold to Hollywood, where it was to be a starring vehicle for Joan Crawford. Eight weeks into production, the film was shut down and was never released. Thankfully, this song remained popular, in many ways thanks to Fanny Brice, who was married to Billy Rose and sang the song in her performances with the Ziegfeld Follies. It has been widely recorded by jazz and popular artists since it was written.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “More Than You Know” on April 4, 1961, for his album My Heart Sings. The album was arranged and conducted by Ralph Burns, who also arranged Bennett’s 1959 album Hometown, My Town.

“More Than You Know,” as well as My Heart Sings is available on Apple Music.