The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I’ve Got Five Dollars

The song of the day for Tuesday, January 7, 2025, is “I’ve Got Five Dollars.”

About This Song

“I’ve Got Five Dollars” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1931 musical America’s Sweetheart, where it was introduced by Ann Sothern (who was still using her given name of Harriette Lake) and Jack Whiting. Notable recordings include those by Ella Fitzgerald, Jeri Southern, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I’ve Got Five Dollars” in July 1973 with The George Barnes/Ruby Braff Quartet (Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, Braff on trumpet, and John Guiffrida on bass). It was released on Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers and Hart in 1977.

“I’ve Got Five Dollars,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: This Can’t Be Love

The song of the day for Tuesday, December 10, 2024, is “This Can’t Be Love.”

About This Song

“This Can’t Be Love” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1938 Broadway musical The Boys From Syracuse.” It is one of their most joyous and least ironic love songs. Both Benny Goodman and Eddy Duchin recorded the song in the late 1930s. In addition to Tony Bennett’s fine recording here, “This Can’t Be Love” has also been recorded by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Diana Krall.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “This Can’t Be Love” in July 1973 for his album Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs, released in 1976. Accompanying Bennett was The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass. Even without either piano or drums, it’s a lovely sound for these Rodgers and Hart songs.

The album was released on Bennett’s Improv label, created after he left Columbia Records.

“This Can’t Be Love,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Isn’t It Romantic

The song of the day for Thursday, October 10, 2024, is “Isn’t It Romantic.”

About This Song

“Isn’t It Romantic” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1932 movie Love Me Tonight, starring Maurice Chevalier and Jeanette MacDonald. The song has proved to be one of their most popular and has been and still is widely recorded by artists including Chet Baker, Peggy Lee, Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald, and The Bill Evans Trio. In his book American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls “Isn’t It Romantic” a “perfect song.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Isn’t It Romantic” in July 1973 for Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. He was accompanied by The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, with Braff on trumpet, Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass.

“Isn’t It Romantic,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: Have You Met Miss Jones?

The song of the day for Sunday, August 18, 2024, is “Have You Met Miss Jones?.”

About This Song

Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart wrote “Have You Met Miss Jones?” for the 1937 musical revue I’d Rather Be Right. It’s one of their sweetest and most charming love songs, as the young man who is introduced to Miss Jones and falls in love immediately. In addition to Bennett’s recording, other significant recordings include those by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Have You Met Miss Jones?” in July 1973 for his album Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. He was accompanied by The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, consisting of Braff on cornet, Barnes on guitar, Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass.

“Have You Met Miss Jones?,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.

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Song of the Day: I Wish I Were In Love Again

The song of the day for Saturday, March 15, 2024, is “I Wish I Were In Love Again.”

About Today

We are remembering Ruby Braff on the anniversary of his birth on March 16, 1927. Braff was a noted cornet and trumpet player. Braff, with The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet, played for Tony Bennett’s two albums of Rodgers and Hart songs: Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers and Hart Songs and Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart, both released on Bennett’s own Improv label in 1973.

About This Song

“I Wish I Were In Love Again” was written by Richard Rodgers and Larry Hart for the 1937 musical Babes in Arms. It was a favorite song of Judy Garland, who recorded it in 1940. Other recordings include those by Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Audra McDonald.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “I Wish I Were In Love Again” in July 1973 with The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet (Braff on cornet, George Barnes and Wayne Wright on guitar, and John Guiffrida on bass), for Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers and Hart, released in 1973.

In 1973 Tony Bennett and The Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet did a concert at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Whitney Balliett wrote a profile essay called “A Quality That Lets You In” for the January 7, 1974, issue of The New Yorker. Here’s an excerpt:

The concert at Alice Tully the next evening is billed as “An Evening with Rodgers and Hart,” and it is a smooth and engaging success. The hall is sold out, and the audience is hip. Bennett sings the verses of most of the songs and by the time he gets a note or two into the chorus there is the applause of recognition. He sings twenty-one Rodgers-and-Hart tunes, and many are memorable. He sings a soft, husky “Blue Moon,” and then comes a muted Ruby Braff solo. “There’s a Small Hotel” is even softer, and Braff and George Barnes react with pianissimo statements. The group, indeed, is impeccable. The solos are beautiful and the dynamics all anticipate Bennett’s. He does “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” as an encore. The ovation is long and standing.

“I Wish I Were In Love Again,” as well as Tony Bennett Sings The Rodgers & Hart Songbook, is available on Apple Music.