Monday, 31 July 2023

Celebrity Jukebox #101: Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett had a pretty good innings, didn't he? Over 70 years as a recording artist, working with everyone from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, he always maintained his cool. Look at this performance from just a year ago... 95 and still delivering the goods. Wow.


The Jukebox obviously has lots of tributes to pay. Let's start with a track from an album called Did I Shave My Legs For This?

Hold your racing horses just one minute
A funny feeling coming over me
I'm hearing violins and Tony Bennett
Boy if this is love then I'm in it


It turns out Tony is an easy metaphor for all kinds of love and romance...

If you were my girl
We'd slow dance in a bar to Tony Bennett's "Sweet Lorraine" 
While I sang you every word


...all across the genres...

You drove up in a powder blue corvette, it was a stingray
With Tony Bennett on the stereo and a rose stickin' out of the ashtray
You jacked up your shades and you smiled at me
You said "Hello." I said, "Oh no, here we go again..."


...the agony and the ecstasy... yes, even the XTC...

Float up with the songbirds I'll croon and how we'll fill skies
Tony Bennett says he'll harmonise

It's a great day for loving you
Just loving you


Beyond the hearts and flowers stuff though, we find a more intriguing reference...

And when I'm next in line I'm in it to win it
Playin' the lotto dreamy eyed like I was Tony Bennett
When I lose consolation rolls up in a minute
Toothless meth head offerin', mad clinic


Plus the weird, obscure titular mentions...


Although I was rather disappointed that the title below was actually a "featuring Tony" credit rather than a song about how Doc finds the old smoothy a bit objectionable...


And I was most disappointed to not be able to find this anywhere online...

The Untanned Hide Of A Young Cow - Tony Bennett

Our final lyrical reference comes in a song about another, slightly less famous, Tony, former Arsenal player and self-confessed alcoholic, Tony Adams. Joe Strummer's song is about finding a way out of addiction, and it's probably not the best tribute to Mr. Bennett out there... but it was my favourite tune today... 

I'm lost in a world beyond the lost city
I'm looking for a phone and I can't find one
Got a Tony Bennett eight-track in the hotel, pity
The moon turned around and shot someone



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