When Joanna Loved Me

tony-bennett-when-joanna-loved-me

PROFILE
Composer Jack Segal
Lyricist Robert Wells
Year Written 1963
About When Joanna Loved Me
“When Joanna Love Me” is one of Tony Bennett’s more popular songs. When he sings it in concert, he introduces the song by saying “I love this song so much that I named my first daughter after it.” It’s a lovely ballad.

Lyrics

Today is just another day, tomorrow is a guess
But yesterday, oh, what I’d give for yesterday
To relive one yesterday and its happiness

When Joanna loved me
Every town was Paris
Every day was Sunday
Every month was May

When Joanna loved me
Every sound was music
Music made of laughter
Laughter that was bright and gay

But when Joanna left me
May became December
But, even in December, I remember
Her touch, her smile, and for a little while

She loves me
And once again it’s Paris
Paris on a Sunday
And the month is May

Session / Album Information

1963

“When Joanna Loved Me” was recorded on September 17, 1963 and released in 1964 on the album The Many Moods of Tony. It was arranged by Marty Manning.

When Joanna Loved Me

Listen to When Joanna Loved Me on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

This recording released on:

  • 1964: Columbia 45: 4-42996
  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″: CS 8941 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 2141 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62245 — The Many Moods Of Tony [UK]
  • 1965: CBS EP: EP 6066 — When Joanna Loved Me
  • 1965: Columbia LP 12″: CL 2373 — Tony’s Greatest Hits, Vol. III
  • 1965: Columbia LP 12″: CS 9173 — Tony’s Greatest Hits, Vol. III
  • 1967: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62821 — Tony’s Greatest Hits [UK]
  • 1971: Columbia LP 12″: C 30558 — Love Story
  • 1976: Warwick LP 12″: PR 5021 — The Very Best Of Tony Bennett: 20 Greatest Hits [UK]
  • 1976: Warwick/CBS LP 12″: CBS 5021 — The Very Best Of Tony Bennett: 20 Greatest Hits [UK]
  • 1991: Columbia CD: C4K 46843 — Forty Years – The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
  • 1993: CBS/Sony CD: SRCS-6641 — Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
  • 1993: Columbia CD: CK 53571 — The Essence Of Tony Bennett
  • 2000: Columbia/Legacy CD: CK 63570 — The Ultimate Tony Bennett
  • 2000: Sony Music CD: 63570 — The Ultimate Tony Bennett
  • 2002: Columbia/Legacy CD: 86634 — The Essential Tony Bennett
  • 2004: Columbia/Legacy CD: C5K 92784 — Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett
  • 2006: RPM/Columbia/Legacy CD: 84779 — Tony Bennett’s Greatest Hits Of The ’60s
  • 2008: Columbia/RPM/Legacy CD: 731397 — The Essential Tony Bennett [Limited Edition 3.0]
  • 2011: Disc #28 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK27) The Many Moods of Tony
  • 2011: Disc #41 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK40) Love Story

1994

“When Joanna Loved Me” was recorded and televised live on April 12, 1994 on MTV. The MTV Unplugged album was released in June of that year. The songs from the televised concert were arranged by Tony Bennett and the Ralph Sharon Trio.

When Joanna Loved Me - Live Version

Listen to When Joanna Loved Me - Live Version on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1994

This recording released on:

  • 1993: Columbia CD: CK 66214 — MTV Unplugged
  • 2011: Discs #60/61 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK59) MTV Unplugged

Spring in Manhattan

tony-bennett-spring-in-manhattan-columbia
PROFILE
Composer Anthony Scibetta
Lyricist Alice Reach
Year Written 1963
About Spring in Manhattan
Anthony Scibetta, the composer of “Spring in Manhattan,” was a friend of Blossom Dearie and it was she who invited them to lunch together. Tony Bennett said in the liner notes for Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett that “It was refreshing to hear someone say something good about New York, so I decided to record it.”

Lyrics

Spring in Manhattan
Starts after dark
After a lazy afternoon
In Central Park

Washington Square may be where
You’ll feel her first warm touch
Down in the village, you’ll find
She may be much, too much

Spring in Manhattan
Never stays long
Still if you fall in love
She’ll bless you with a song

And if you’ll listen to every word
The song she’ll sing will bring
Spring in Manhattan
To stay all winter long

Session / Album Information

1963

“Spring in Manhattan” was recorded on April 8, 1963 and was released as a single that same year. It was also on the album The Many Moods of Tony. It was arranged by Don Costa and featured the Will Bronson Singers.

Spring In Manhattan

Listen to Spring In Manhattan on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

This recording released on:

  • 1963: Columbia 45: 4-42779
  • 1963:  CBS 45: AAG 153
  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″: CS 8941 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 2141 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62245 — The Many Moods Of Tony [UK]
  • 1991: Columbia CD: C4K 46843 — Forty Years – The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
  • 1993: CBS/Sony CD: SRCS-6641 — Forty Years: The Artistry Of Tony Bennett
  • 2004: Columbia/Legacy CD: C5K 92784 — Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett
  • 2011: Disc #28 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK27) The Many Moods of Tony

Song of the Jet (Samba do Avião)

Antônio Carlos Jobim

Antônio Carlos Jobim

PROFILE
Composer Antonio Carlos Jobim
Portuguese Lyricist Antonio Carlos Jobim
English Lyricist Gene Lees
Year Written 1963
About Song of the Jet
Song of the Jet, or Samba do Avião in the original Portuguese, was one of Jobim’s early bossa nova compositions. It has been widely recorded by American artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day and Tony Bennett.

Lyrics

How my heart is singing
I see Rio de Janeiro
My longing, lonely days are ending
Rio, my love, there by the sea
Rio, my love, waiting for me
See the cable cars that sway above
The bay of Guanabara
Tiny sailboats far below
Dance the samba as they go
Shining Rio, there you lie
City of sun, of sea, and sky
Mountains of green rising so high
Four minutes more we’ll be there
At the airport of Galeão

Rio de Janeiro [x4]

Statue of the Savior
With open arms above the yellow sea shore
Sugar loaf in majesty
Climbing from a silver sea
Dark eyed girls who smile at me
City of love and mysteries
Fasten seatbelts, no smoking please
Now we’re descending and everything’s rushing
And now the wheels touch the ground

Session / Album Information

1965

“Song of the Jet” was recorded on February 19, 1965 and released in 1965 on the album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. It was arranged by Don Costa.

Song Of The Jet Set

Tony Bennett · If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set · Song · 1965

This recording released on:

  • 1965: CL 2343 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 1965: CS 9143 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 1974: Embassy LP 12″: EMB 31058 — If I Ruled the World [UK]
  • 1997: CK 65317 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 2011: Disc #31 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK30) If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set

So Long Big Time

Harold Arlen and Tony Bennett

Harold Arlen and Tony Bennett

PROFILE
Composer Harold Arlen
Lyricist Dory Langdon Previn
Year Written 1963
About So Long, Big Time
One of Arlen’s later songs, “So Long, Big Time” is about  the “player” who’s run out of luck and is giving up the fast life and knows when it’s time to walk away. The Bill Evans Trio and Monica Zetterlund recorded this song in 1964 for the album Waltz For Debby.

Lyrics

Bright lights are dimmer
Bank roll is slimmer
Looks like I’m down and done
Bye bye
I gotta run
Bye bye

So long, so long
Big time
So long, so long
Big time

I made it fine
I made it fast
That ain’t the sign
It has to last

Had it made for a while
In a highfalutin style

So long, so long
Big time
Big dough, bright lights
Big time

I won’t pretend I am
Glad its ended
It was fun
Now its done
But I’ll never sing
A loser’s song

So long big time
I gotta run
So long

Tell the chicks
And tell all the cronies
Lost it all on the cards
And the ponies
Tell the friends
And fair-weather phonies
Living high
Tell ’em, “Bye”
And tell ’em why

Lady Luck just gave me the brush off
So I’ll rush off
And try a new routine

I’m a guy who rolls with the punches
And my hunch is
Its time to quit the scene

Tell the kids
And tell all the cookies
Tell the babes
And tell all the bookies
That I knew
That I’m through
And when you do
Buy a few beers for me
Tell ’em no tears for me

So long, so long
Big time
Big dough, bright lights
Big time

Ain’t gonna grieve
‘Cause I must be leaving
It was fun
Now its done
But I’ll never sing
A loser’s song

So long big time
I gotta run
So long

Session / Album Information

1963

“So Long, Big Time!” was recorded on  September 17, 1963 and released in 1964 on the album The Many Moods of Tony. It was arranged by Marty Manning.

So Long, Big Time!

Listen to So Long, Big Time! on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 1964

Harold Arlen conducted this song for the recording session; a video of this recording session may be viewed on YouTube.

This recording released on:

  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″: CS 8941 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 2141 — The Many Moods Of Tony
  • 1964: CBS LP 12″: SBPG 62245 — The Many Moods Of Tony [UK]
  • 2011: Disc #28 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK27) The Many Moods of Tony

The Right To Love

Lalo Schifrin

Lalo Schifrin

PROFILE
Composer Lalo Schifrin
Lyricist Gene Lees
Year Written ca. 1963
About The Right To Love
According to the website filmscoremonthly, this song has an interesting history. It was first recorded, without lyrics, in 1963 on an album called Reflections by Stan Getz and Lalo Schifrin. Tony Bennett liked the song from the beginning and suggested that Gene Lees write the lyrics. The resulting song is an anthem for “forbidden” love. At that time, most people associated the song with interracial relationships; in later years, it has been sung by gay singers. In addition to Bennett’s recording, this song has been recorded by Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and k.d. lang.

Lyrics

My love and I ask little of the world
The right to sigh together in the rain
And walk with hands up in the sun
And share our joys and our pains

And yet they say that we were wrong
That we hadn’t the right to our love
That this love was shameful to see
And yet we treasured our love

And so we go our solitary way
Indifferent to the cold unfriendly stares
Indifferent to the whispered talk

We don’t care at all
We have all we need
As long as we can be together

We find our consolation in each other’s eyes
The sweet look of wonder
We know that we have earned the precious right to love

Session / Album Information

1965

“The Right To Love” was recorded on February 18, 1965 and released in 1965 on the album If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set. It was arranged by Don Costa.

The Right To Love

Tony Bennett · If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set · Song · 1965

This recording released on:

  • 1965: CL 2343 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 1965: CS 9143 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 1974: Embassy LP 12″: EMB 31058 — If I Ruled the World [UK]
  • 1997: CK 65317 — If I Ruled The World (Songs For The Jet Set)
  • 2011: Disc #31 in The Tony Bennett Complete Collection (88697874602-JK30) If I Ruled The World: Songs for the Jet Set

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