The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Tony Live! What Good Does It Do

The song of the day for Saturday, February 8, 2020, is “What Good Does It Do.”

About This Song

What Good Does It Do” was written by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg for the 1957 Broadway musical Jamaica, which starred Lena Horne and Ricardo Montálban; the principal dancer was Alvin Ailey. Yarburg had been blacklisted during the McCarthy period and was unable to work in film or TV from 1951 to 1962. Fortunately, producer David Merrick and Broadway welcomed him. Jamaica was nominated for major Tony Awards, including Best Musical, all the acting nominations, and both scenic and costume design, though it lost to The Music Man.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “What Good Does It Do” for his 1962 concert at Carnegie Hall, captured on Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall.

“What Good Does It Do,” as well as Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Sunday, December 29, 2019, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Arlen considered it to be one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1992 for the album Perfectly Frank. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: Old Devil Moon

The song of the day for Thursday, October 3, 2019, is “Old Devil Moon.”

About This Song

“Old Devil Moon” was written by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg for the 1947 musical Finian’s Rainbow, which also gave us “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” While Alec Wilder was no fan of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra?”, in America Popular Song, he praises “Old Devil Moon” as “a well-written, wholly convincing song. It drives, and its initial intensity is sustained throughout.”

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded “Old Devil Moon” for his first LP album, Cloud 7, released in 1955. Guitarist Chuck Wayne wrote the arrangement. Cloud 7 was jazz album that defined Tony Bennett as the singer he was, not what the studio says it was. It was a remarkable first album for this, or any, singer.

“Old Devil Moon,” as well as Cloud 7, is available from iTunes.

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Playlist of the Week: Tony Loves Judy and So Do We

The playlist for the week of September 29, 2019, is Tony Loves Judy and So Do We.

The founders of the Year of Tony Bennett saw the new film Judy last night, starring an absolutely amazing Renee Zellweger as Judy Garland. Both of us were moved to tears by Zellweger’s performance, and also from sadness over the challenges that Judy Garland, an immensely talented actress and singer, faced over her entire life, which ended much too soon.

Our playlist this week consists of a few of the songs that Judy Garland sang at her 1961 performance at Carnegie Hall and those same songs sung by Tony Bennett. There are also a couple of wonderful videos.

All of the Judy Garland recordings are from Judy Garland at Carnegie Hall.

Tony Bennett’s recordings are, in order, from Basie/Bennett, Tony Sings For Two, Together Again, and Tony Bennett Sings a String of Harold Arlen.

This clip is from Tony’s appearance on Judy Garland’s television program from 1963:

This clip is from a documentary on songwriters. It features Yip Harburg, who wrote the lyrics for “Over the Rainbow,” talking about his song:

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Song of the Day: Last Night When We Were Young

The song of the day for Friday, September 6, 2019, is “Last Night When We Were Young.”

About This Song

“Last Night When We Were Young” was written in 1935 by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg. Arlen considered “Last Night When We Were Young” to be one of his favorite songs. In American Popular Song, Alec Wilder calls it a “most remarkable and beautiful song … (that) goes far beyond the boundaries of popular music.” Yip Harburg has said that he doesn’t know exactly where the title came from but that “the juxtaposition of those two phrases is almost a whole world of philosophy.” All in all, it’s a very beautiful and introspective song that is much beloved by singers. Frank Sinatra included on his wonderful album In The Wee Small Hours. It has also been recorded by Judy Garland, Mel Tormé, Carmen McRae, and Tony Bennett.

About This Version

Tony Bennett recorded this version of “Last Night When We Were Young” in 1992 for his album Perfectly Frank, featuring an arrangement by Ralph Sharon. Bennett also recorded this song in 1959 for his album To My Wonderful One.

“Last Night When We Were Young,” as well as Perfectly Frank, is available from iTunes.