
| Composer | Cy Coleman |
| Lyricist | Carolyn Leigh |
| Year Written | 1958 |
About This Song
“Firefly” was written as an audition for the 1959 musical Gypsy; the job went to Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim instead.
View lyrics
I call her Firefly, ’cause, oh my, she radiates moon glow,
Wants none of that noon glow,
She starts to glitter when the sun goes down ’bout eight P. M.
It’s mayhem. She switches those brights up, lights up and gives me a call: “Hey, take me to the fireflies’ ball!”
But when I get her there, set her there
Do I get to pet her there ’n grab me some glow?
No, she’s a gad about, mad about
Lurin’ ev’ry lad about, while leavin’ me moanin’ low:
“Oh, firefly, why can’t I latch onto you no how?
Oh, how I love ya, but gee,
While you set the night on fire, fly, shine a little light on me!”
Recordings
1958
Tony Bennett recorded “Firefly” on December 20, 1958. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement.
CO 61986
Release History
| 1959 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1294 — In Person! With Count Basie |
| 1959 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8104 — In Person! With Count Basie |
1959 to current
| 1959 | Philips LP 12″: 840059BY — In Person! With Count Basie [UK] |
| 1959 | Philips LP 12″: BBL 7398/SBBL 542 — In Person! With Count Basie [UK] |
| 1972 | CBS LP 12″: CBS 68200 — All-Time Greatest Hits [UK] |
| 1972 | Columbia LP 12″: KG 31494 — All-Time Greatest Hits |
| 1975 | Columbia LP 12″: KG 33376 — Let’s Fall In Love With The Songs Of Harold Arlen And Cy Coleman |
| 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 |
| 1994 | Columbia CD: CK 64276 — In Person! With Count Basie |
| 1996 | Columbia House Music Collection CD: C21 8653 — The Great American Composers: Cy Coleman |
| 1997 | Columbia CD: CK 65316 — All-Time Greatest Hits |
| 1999 | Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab CD: UDCD743 — In Person! |
| 2002 | Columbia/Legacy CD: 86634 — The Essential Tony Bennett |
| 2004 | Columbia/Legacy CD: C5K 92784 — Fifty Years: The Artistry of Tony Bennett |
| 2008 | Columbia/RPM/Legacy CD: 731397 — The Essential Tony Bennett [Limited Edition 3.0] |
| 2008 | Jasmine CD: JASCD482 — Together At Last/A Perfect Combination |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Disc 14 — In Person! |
| 2013 | Columbia — Sixty Years – The Artistry of Tony Bennett |
| TBD | Columbia LP 12″: LE 10125 — In Person! With Count Basie |
| TBD | CBS LP 12″: 35DP159 — In Person! With Count Basie [Japan] |
| TBD | CBS LP 12″: 20AP1418 — In Person! With Count Basie [Japan] |
| TBD | Philips LP 12″: 840059BY — In Person! With Count Basie [UK] |
1962
Tony Bennett recorded “” live on June 9, 1962, at Carnegie Hall. Ralph Sharon wrote the arrangement and conducted the orchestra.
CO 75875
Release History
| 1962 | Columbia LP 12″: CS 8705 — At Carnegie Hall – vol.1 |
| 1962 | CBS LP 12″: BPG62116 — At Carnegie Hall – Part 1 (UK) |
| 1962 | Columbia LP 12″: C2L 23 — Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall |
| 1962 | Columbia LP 12″: C2S 823 — Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall |
| 1993 | Sony Music Special Products CD: 15056 — Tony Bennett Sings for You |
| 1995 | Sony Music CD: WK 75012 — Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall |
| 1997 | Columbia C2K 64609 — Tony Bennett At Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert |
| 2011 | Columbia: The Complete Collection — Discs 24 and 25 — Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall |