One for My Baby

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Tony Bennett

About One for My Baby

"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical The Sky's the Limit (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire. It was further popularized by Frank Sinatra. Harold Arlen described the song as "another typical Arlen tapeworm" – a "tapeworm" being the trade slang for any song which went over the conventional 32 bar length. He called it "a wandering song. [Lyricist] Johnny [Mercer] took it and wrote it exactly the way it fell. Not only is it long – forty-eight bars – but it also changes key. Johnny made it work." In the opinion of Arlen's biographer, Edward Jablonski, the song is "musically inevitable, rhythmically insistent, and in that mood of 'metropolitan melancholic beauty' that writer John O'Hara finds in all of Arlen's music."Sinatra recorded the song several times during his career: In 1947 with Columbia Records, in 1954 for the film soundtrack album Young at Heart, in 1958 for Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely, in 1962 for Sinatra & Sextet: Live in Paris, in 1966 for Sinatra at the Sands and finally, in 1993, for his Duets album. At a Johnny Carson-hosted Rat Pack concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis in 1965, Sammy Davis Jr., backed by Quincy Jones conducting the Count Basie Orchestra, performed the song imitating the styles of successively Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Vaughn Monroe, Tony Bennett, Mel Tormé, Frankie Laine, Louis Armstrong, an inebriated Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis. 


Year:
1962
42 

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Tony Bennett

Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett (born August 3, 1926), is an Italian-American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a serious and accomplished painter, having created works—under the name Anthony Benedetto—that are on permanent public display in several institutions. He is the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in New York City. more »

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10 facts about this song

Original Composition
"One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" was written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the 1943 movie, "The Sky's the Limit."
Famous Variations
This song has been recorded by many famous artists including Fred Astaire, who originally sang it in the movie, as well as Frank Sinatra.
Collaboration
The song is often associated with Sinatra because of his memorable performance of the song in collaboration with his longtime pianist, Bill Miller.
Distinctive Arrangement
Sinatra's rendition is often noted for its highly distinctive vocal arrangement and minimalist piano accompaniment.
Significant Performances
Sinatra performed the song often over the years, so much so it became one of his signature songs. Several performances were recorded and released, including ones for his albums "Only the Lonely" (1958) and "Duets II" (1994).
Tony Bennett's Version
The song "One for My Baby" was also performed by Tony Bennett in a big band setting. His rendition was featured on the album "Tony Sings For Two" (1959).
Frankie Laine's Recording
Frankie Laine, too, recorded a version of "One for My Baby" that remains a classic.
Connection to Writers
Mercer wrote the lyrics to the song during a time when he was suffering from alcohol addiction, and later admitted to a personal connection with the lyrics.
Song Lyrics and Meaning
The song's melancholy lyrics tell the story of a lonely man talking to a bartender late at night. It encapsulates the loneliness of the closing hours of a bar, and provides insight into the theme of lost love.
Beloved by Jazz Artists
Beyond pop and big-band singers, the song has also been covered by numerous jazz musicians due to its rich harmonic structure. This list includes Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Wes Montgomery.

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