TONY BENNETT – "Stranger In Paradise"

Light Entertainment Watch: Tony Bennett was too big a star to need British television apperances in the 1950s. By the 1960s he started to turn up, but all the programmes are missing;

THE ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK SHOW: with The Irving Davies Dancers, The Mike Sammes Singers, Jack Parnell and his Orchestra, Tony Bennett, Donald O’Connor, Leslie Uggams (1970)

THE LONDON PALLADIUM SHOW: with Dickie Henderson (Compere), Tony Bennett, Buddy Rich and his Orchestra, Dusty Springfield, Les Dawson, Les Farfadets, Jack Parnell and his Orchestra (1968)

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Tony Bennett Meets Robert Farnon (1967)

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Tony Bennett Sings… (1971)

SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM (VAL PARNELL’S …..): with The Tiller Girls, Jack Parnell and his Orchestra, The Mike Sammes Singers, Tony Bennett, Dickie Henderson, Dana (1974)

THIS IS… TOM JONES: with The Mike Sammes Singers, The Norman Maen Dancers, Sue & Sonny, Tony Bennett, Vikki Carr, Ace Trucking Company (1969)

TONY BENNETT SINGS (1965)

TONY BENNETT SINGS SYD LAWRENCE PLAYS (1977)

Here’s a list of surviving appearances. He’s the first artist on Popular who still sometimes turns up on TV in the present day;

BBC 1 SESSIONS: with Tony Bennett (2007)

BRUCE’S GUEST NIGHT: with Roy Castle, Tony Bennett, Harry Secombe (1993)

THE DANNY BAKER SHOW: with Jo Brand, Tony Bennett, Sheridan Brown (1994)

THE FRANK SKINNER SHOW: with Tony Bennett, Jodie Marsh, Morrissey, Lee Francis, Davina McCall (2004)

FRIDAY NIGHT’S ALL WRIGHT: with Caprice (Doorwoman), Sheryl Crow, Tony Bennett, Ramon And Anita, Pete Tong, Eileen Drewery, Seeta Indrani, All Saints (1998)

THE GABY ROSLIN SHOW: with Tony Bennett (1996)

HARTY: with Tony Bennett, Julian Lennon (1984)

LATER WITH JOOLS HOLLAND: with The Charlatans, Tony Bennett, Boz Scaggs, Khaled, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci (1997)

LATER… WITH JOOLS HOLLAND: with Scissor Sisters, Tony Bennett, The Good, The Bad And The Queen, The Hours, Eric Bibb, Mr Hudson And The Library, Scott Matthews (2006)

LIVE FROM THE PICCADILLY: with Patti Labelle, Bucks Fizz, Maggie Moone, Tony Bennett (1986)

MICHAEL BALL: with Larry Adler, George Martin, Tony Bennett (1994)

MUPPETS TONIGHT!: with Tony Bennett (1996)

PARKINSON: with Michael Caine, Tony Bennett, Paul Simon (2006)

SHOW OF THE WEEK: Tony Bennett and the Count Basie (1969)

THE SUN TELEVISION AWARDS: with Tony Bennett, Tony Curtis, Max Bygraves, Jimmy Hill (1972)

TONY BENNETT: with Tony Bennett (1974)

THE VAL DOONICAN MUSIC SHOW: with Tony Bennett, Charley Pride, Don Lusher (1978)

WOGAN: with Tony Bennett, Faith Brown, Ruth Madoc, Ann Mallaieu, Anita Roddick (1988)

WOGAN: with Tony Bennett, Frank Evans, David Frost, Bill Jordan (1990)

I’m surprised at the lukewarm comments about Tony Bennett. Although I’m no particular fan, I was under the impression that he was considered the singers’ singer, receiving the highest accolades from Sinatra and other singers.

Bing Crosby recorded my favourite version of this; he’s all lost in a wonderland, and his delivery has the dream-drunk understatement that the lyric requires. Tony B slightly bulldozes it.

I’ve loved this song since I was a kid. It makes the awful mistake of rhyming the title with “danger in paradise”, but beyond that it’s wildly wordy and original:

I saw your face, and I ascended
Out of the common place and into the rare
Somewhere in space
I hang suspended
Until I know there’s a chance that you care

I wonder if it’s the source of the Boo Radleys’ I Hang Suspended?

Eddie Calvert’s Sweep-like version – as well as Bing’s – also charted, but neither got close to no.1.

This single was eighteen months old by the time it was released here. Bennett recorded the song to plug the show Kismet just before it opened (it reached no.2); the single was released in the UK when Kismet opened here. Olde tyme communications.

It’s classy and all, with some fairly poetic lyrics… Doesn’t really get the pulse going though, so 4/10 seems fair.