Saturday 9: I've Got Your Number

Saturday 9: I've Got Your Number (1965)

On Saturdays I take a break from the heavy stuff and have some fun…

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

Chosen in memory of Tony Bennett, who passed away on July 21.

 

1) In this song, Tony sings that he recognizes his lover's insecurities because she's a lot like him. Are you unsure in social situations? Or do you meet new people easily?

I am awkward in social settings.

2) While singing was his livelihood, painting was Tony Bennett's passion. What hobby do you participate in with the greatest enthusiasm?

Three guesses and the first two don’t count. Photography as if you haven’t guessed.

3) Tony was a proud son of New Jersey. Many singers hail from The Garden State, including Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi and Frank Sinatra. What heroes, heroines or celebrities hail from your home state?

You got two choices… A) Nathan Hale or B) Benedict Arnold. 

4) Though Tony dreamed of becoming a commercial artist, he had to drop out of school in his teens to help support his family. Looking back on your teen years, what did you want to do for a living? Is that what you ended up doing?

I was always interested in engineering, my father was a civil engineer, my brother a systems engineer, and I went into electrical engineer.

5) During WWII, Tony served in Germany. The first time his voice was broadcast was during an aircheck for Armed Forced Radio. For the occasion he sang "St. James Infirmary." That was Tony's first. Let's contrast it with your last. What's the most recent song you sang?

I can’t remember that far back… singing is not one of my favorite activities.

6) After the War, Bob Hope saw him perform under his real name, Anthony Benedetto. Hope told him that, no matter how great his talent, his name would hold him back because it was too long for a marquee. And so, Tony Bennett was born. Tell us about a marquee in your town. Is it announcing a movie, play, or concert performance?

Um… I think it is about the flower club thanking them for doing the flowers around town.

7) In 2006, he recorded his Duets album, partnering with a variety of singers he admired. Tony said he enjoyed working with Paul McCartney at London's Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles created their classic recordings. If you vacationed in London, what would you be sure to visit?

Well first off I never really plan on going to a foreign country, if I did probably to a museum.

8) "I've Got Your Number" was performed by Dick Van Dyke and Mary Tyler Moore on The Dick Van Dyke Show. According to Dick, they were so believable as a married couple that he received glares from a hotel clerk while checking in with his real-life wife, Margie. What TV or movie couple do you feel had "chemistry?"

Since I don’t watch that much television, probably the one you named Dick Van Dyke Show.

9) Special summertime random question: Would you have more fun at a pro baseball game or an art museum exhibit?

Since I am not a fan of sports it will be a museum, before the plague I used to go to the local museum, they are known for their Hudson River School collection and Thomas Hart Benton collection.

I remember the art history class I took for my undergraduate degree, the professor talked about Thomas Hart Benton collection at the New Britain Museum of American Art and I was “like oh Wow” that is just the next town over! It took almost 30 years for me to get there.