"The Good Life" by Tony Bennett

Author: The Best Song Ever (This Week)

"The Good Life" by Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett died on July 21, 2023. "The Good Life" remains one of his greatest achievements, a subtle expression of what the good life actually is, given life by an artist who showed that a good life could be, for yourself and others.

A playlist with "The Good Life" and other songs by Tony Bennet from his late-50s - early 60s era can be found here:

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Hello, and welcome to the bestsong ever this week, A short deep
dive into a song and what makesit special. The best song ever this
week this week is The Good Lifeby Tony Bennett, because two months after
their great singer's death, it's goodto remember why he was so great.

(00:30):
Now I'm Scott Frampton. We won'tbe listening to Tony Bennett together here,
because that's not the way music rightswork for us. There's a link to
a long playlist in the show notes, starting with The Good Life, followed
by not a curated greatest hits,but three of Bennett's jazz records in the
late fifties early sixties. Ray showedsuch growth as an artist. It's good

(00:50):
context for our dive into The GoodLife, which is coming up shortly.
But also listening to those full albumsgave me comfort in the weeks after his
passing, So let's begin. AnthonyDominic Benedetto was an Infra Tuyman in the
European theater of World War Two.As an eighteen year old draftee, he

(01:11):
was sent to the line at theBattle of the Bulge, the largest and
costliest battle fought by the United Statesforces for what he described as quote,
a front row seat and hell.His regiment's last official mission was the liberation
of a concentration camp thirty miles southof Dhakau. After the German surrender,

(01:32):
Benedento was transferred to the Army's SpecialServices Unit, where, inspired to perform
by Bob Hope's USO shows, hesang with the three hundred and fourteenth,
the Army Special Services Band. Hechose to perform under the name Joe Barry.
Barry because it was a bite sizedreference to his Italian heritage, and
Joe because it sounded pretty American.He was singing for fellow soldiers and occupied

(01:57):
Germany, where he learned a lessonabout what pretty American meant to some.
An Army staff sergeant saw him eatingdinner with a black soldier he knew from
New York and summarily stripped Benedetto ofhis corporal stripes, peeling him off his
uniform and thrown to the ground andspitting on them. Benedetto would be discharged
with the lower rank of Private.The Good Life was a top twenty poppet

(02:21):
in nineteen sixty three and anchored tohis sixteenth album as Tony Bennett called I
Want to be around. Bob Hope, who had inspired Bennett, also named
him. In nineteen forty nine,Hope appeared backstage after a gig to offer
the young singer a job as hisopening act. Only the name didn't suit
him. The Hollywood and Radio starsuggested that someone who sang with a full

(02:43):
heart needed a stage name that wascloser to it. On the spot,
Hope shortened Anthony Dominic Benedetto into aname that would quote fit on a Marquis.
Tony Bennett had top Billingham Marquis bynineteen sixty three. He had top
twenty hits, starting with Because ofYou in nineteen fifty one, in Rags

(03:04):
to Riches and I Left My Heartin San Francisco. He already had two
signature songs, each of which wouldhave been enough to make a career.
With the Good Life, he addeda third. Bennett had first crack at
an English translation of LaBelle v,a nineteen sixty two hit by a French
actor and singer songwriter Sasha di Stell. The original song had a chatan stained

(03:27):
world weariness that drew out lyrics Bennettdescribed as quote intriguingly ambiguous Bennett didn't do
on Wi. However, key tohis style was an uncommon warmth that could
radiate through the lush orchestrations that swaddledhis first pop hits and renditions of Broadway
show tunes. That tenderness remained apparenteven as his musicianship grew in sophistication with

(03:50):
jazzier material, first with The Beatof My Heart, which featured Herbie Man,
Nat Adderley and Art Blakey, thentwo albums with account Basie Orchestra.
Here he applies that consummate skill toring emotion out of the conflict inherent in
the Good Life. How does itfeel to recognize that it isn't all that
good? The Good Light's lyrics arejust eight lines. All of the story

(04:14):
is in the telling. Bennett hasa few Bravora notes, but on the
whole, so suddenly aims as phrasingsto hit the truth and the lyrics opposing
ideas. Yes, as the lyricsgo, the good Life lets you hide
all the sadness you feel. Butwhen there comes a time when that armor
no longer fits, can you also, to quote the lyrics, be honest

(04:35):
with yourself? The Good Life canonhas been played for the irony and its
title. Frank Sinatra covered the song, for example, for his own second
album with account Basie Orchestra. Itmight as well be swing. Sinatra is
in fine form on the song,all Rakish charm and crackling abstract genius.

(04:55):
Bennett's warmth and technique, however,doesn't allow for that kind of emotional distance.
He sings with both passion and compassion, pulling the audience toward a close
in view of an existential crisis withtenderness. So much of Sinatra's powers and
what he brought to a song.For Bennett, it's what the song brought
to him. The name Tony Bennettwould appear on Marquees for seventy two years.

(05:20):
In that time, he weathered thechanges in popular music with remarkable grace
and yes warmth, continuing to singwith a full heart and consummate skill.
He was also committed to civil rights, marching with Martin Luther King Selma,
Alabama in March of nineteen sixty five. In his autobiography The Good Life,

(05:40):
he described the experience of walking linkedarm in arm with Harry Belafante and Billy
Eckstein, surrounded by hostile state troopers. He says, I kept flashing back
to that time twenty years earlier,when my buddies and I had fought our
way into Germany. A month afterSelma. Anyone who thought of Bennett as

(06:03):
just another pop crooner was put onnotice that he should be regarded as a
serious artist. Frank Sinatra himself toldLife magazine that he thought of Bennett as
quote the best singer in the business. He moves me. He's the singer
who gets across what the composer hadin mind and probably a little more.

(06:25):
Thanks for listening some Bristlewyn. Popculture is awash and appreciation for artists in
the immediate wake of their passings.Sure we would all ideally appreciate an artist
fully all the time, but modernlife is too busy for that. We
all have our own experiences in contextfor music. I, for example,
didn't really appreciate Frank Sinatra until hedied, and the local American Popular Standards

(06:48):
AM station WMGM went all Sinatra allthe time. My experience was Sinatra's mainly
that we went grocery shopping at Finarisin Gipstown, New Jersey, which played
Sinatra all Sunday. You can imaginehow all songs like it was a very
good year would hit an ancy eightyear old who was busy thinking of ways
to con his mom into buying FlufferNutter, but immersing myself in Sinatra's music

(07:10):
to see what I was missing.I indeed heard what I was missing.
I got it. I could hearwhat he was doing, not just who
he was. He's been a favoriteof mine ever since. Similarly, I
didn't give Bennett his due. Ifelt like he was Sinatra without the sex
until years ago when we worked together. My friend Steve showed me I was
wrong. I'm glad he did.Further, I like that we can share

(07:33):
a moment in the immediate passing ofan artist, to listen together in all
the conversations that follow playing those TonyBennett count Basie records of my wine shop
for a few days led to conversationswith customers about what of his music they
most enjoyed. And in those moments, we feel what a great artist does,

(07:55):
and let's bring us together with ashared emotion. And that was one
of the things that made Tony Bennettgreat. Thanks again, I'll see you
next week.