Tony Bennett was the fourteenth artist I devoted a post to on Friday Night Jukebox (Vol. XIV), and seven years later I wrote a second one (Vol. CCCLXXXIX) for one of the finest singers this world has ever seen. Sadly, Bennett passed away today at the age of ninety-six, leaving us his wonderful legacy of over seventy years in the music business.
Bennett is the last of his generation--Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Perry Como, Johnny Mathis, among many others--of male crooners, artists who interpreted songs written by others and left their own indelible mark on those songs. While the bulk of its success was before my time (and I freely admit to not being an expert), it was a gift that so, so many of us will be able to enjoy for the rest of our lives--and for generations to come.
For me, Bennett will always hold a special place in my heart for "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" his paean to my forever home and my city by the bay. This December will mark fifty years since my family left the Bay Area, and lo these many years the sentiments in Bennett's signature tune resonate as much today as they did on a cold winter's day in 1973 when our plane landed in our new home of Indiana. Just a beautiful tribute from a one-of-a-kind singer to a one-of-a-kind city.
As noted last week, this week's tune also was introduced to me via a sampler of Sentimental Journey: Pop Vocal Classics, Vol. 1-4. Little did I know, though, until just a few weeks ago when I saw My Fair Lady for the first time, that it's actually a song from...well, My Fair Lady. And the poor fellow who sings the song doesn't even get the girl in the end (and what a loss that was, as it was Audrey Hepburn... hubba-hubba).
Vic Damone was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928 and rose from his humble beginnings to become one of the great crooners of the 50's and 60's. Damone's early career was marked by the releases of numerous singles and playing TV and radio shows that catered to fans of his type of music. Frank Sinatra at one time said that Damone "had the best set of pipes in the business." Damone's career ran from 1947 until 2002 at which time a stroke forced his early retirement (though he did do a one off concert in 2011 in Palm Beach, Florida so that his grandchildren could see him perform for the first--and only--time). Damone scored nine top ten singles in his career, including one number one. Sadly, Damone died in 2018 at the age of eighty-nine from complications from a respiratory illness..
Fun Fact: Damone dropped out of high school to help support his family after his father died. He worked at a theater as an usher, and one evening he spotted Perry Como (a big crooner of the forties and fifties for those not in the know) and stopped his elevator in between floors and sang for Como. Como was so impressed he got him an audition...and the rest is Damone's history. Damone would eventually name his first born son Perry.
"On the Street Where You Live" was released as a single in 1956, and rose all the way to #4 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100. While Damone's version has since appeared on numerous compilations, it was originally released only as a single.
If you've ever fallen in love, you know there's a very special feeling when it first begins to happen and when you come anywhere near your newly beloved it can at times feel like you're walking on clouds. And that is exactly the spirit of love that is captured so brilliantly in "On the Street Where You Live." While the strings and the stand-up bass (I think) add a lush undertone, it's Damone's otherworldly baritone that is the beginning, middle, and end of this classic ballad. I noted last week that Johnny Mathis' voice conjured the singing of angels, and I'm not exaggerating (too much) when I say that Damone's would conjure the Gods themselves. It's a beautiful song from a bygone era when ballads were ballads and an electrician's son could sing a tune that made the Gods of music smile--and smile, I assure you, they did for a long, long while.
Lyric Sheet: "People stop and stare, they don't bother me/For there's nowhere else on earth that I would rather be/Let the time go by, I won't care if I/Can be here on the street where you live..."
Enjoy:
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