Top 10 Tony Bennett Songs

Photo: Andy Witchger, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Our Top 10 Tony Bennett songs list looks back over the career and songs of one of the greatest and most loved singers of all time. Who doesn’t love Tony Bennett? The man was around forever, and he stayed relevant, connecting with young and old audiences through every decade he recorded. Even rock stars loved him as they all jumped at any chance to work with him. From Billy Joel to Lady Gaga, from the late Amy Winehouse to the wonderful Diana Krall, all these talents performed with Tony Bennett.

Sadly, Tony Bennett passed away on July 21, 2023, in New York City at the age of 96. Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but he continued recording and performing into the final years of his remarkable career. His last public concert performances were held at Radio City Music Hall on August 3 and 5, 2021, with Lady Gaga, and his final studio album, Love for Sale, recorded with Gaga, was released later that year.

Tony Bennett scored his first number one hit with “Because of You” in 1951. Over the course of his career, Tony Bennett released more than seventy albums and dozens of singles. That is a lot of material from which to choose only ten songs. So, of course, many great ones will be missing from this list. Nonetheless, we still hope you enjoy the top 10 we have picked to pay tribute to one of the greatest artists of all time.

# 10 – Because Of You

We open our grand Tony Bennett songs list in the most appropriate way with the legendary singer’s first number-one hit, “Because of You.” Tony Bennett’s 1951 recording went straight to number one. The song “Because of You” was written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson. It became a standard covered by many more musical artists in the second half of the decade. However, no one has ever matched the beauty of Tony Bennett’s original recording. This pick is also personal, as it was my mom and dad’s wedding song in the 1950s. It just might have been yours or your parents’ too.

# 9 – The Good Life

Continuing with our Top 10 Tony Bennett songs list, we turn to the great song “The Good Life.” Tony Bennett captures the listener instantly with his magical a cappella vocal opening on this celebratory song. The song was released on Tony Bennett’s great album I Wanna Be Around. The album was released in 1963. “The Good Life” was the third single released from the album. It became a top-20 hit for Tony Bennett, peaking at number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song was featured in the 1962 motion picture The Seven Deadly Sins. Tony Bennett recorded the song multiple times throughout his career, including a great duet version with Billy Joel in 2006. The song “The Good Life” was written by Sacha Distel and Jean Broussolle.

# 8 – I Wanna Be Around

One more time, we go back to the classic I Wanna Be Around album. This time we present the splendid record’s title track “I Wanna Be Around.” This was an important recording for Tony Bennett as it served as the follow-up album and single to his huge career-defining record “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” The song “I Wanna Be Around” was the first single released from the album. This one swings right from the start with that great piano opening that leads right into Tony Bennett’s swinging, lyrical line filled with hopeful revenge. It’s a short tune, but it goes straight to the point and finishes brilliantly like so many of Tony Bennett’s songs. “I Wanna Be Around” was written by Sadie Vimmerstedt and Johnny Mercer.

# 7 – Rags To Riches

The classic Tony Bennett song “Rags to Riches” stands as Tony Bennett’s third number one single. It was released in 1953. It would also become Tony Bennett’s last number one single of his career. A career that would continue on for close to another 70 years, which is unbelievable. “Rags to Riches” was released as a standalone single in 1953. Singles were more popular in the early to mid-50s than full-length albums. So many early recordings by artists such as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry, and many others were released initially as singles. “Rags to Riches,” like so many of the other Tony Bennett songs on this list and many others that we could not fit here, would become standards that he would perform for years. These songs also became part of pop culture, appearing in countless movies, television shows, commercials, and so forth.

# 6 – My Foolish Heart

Tony Bennett released two albums with the brilliant pianist Bill Evans. The first one, entitled The Tony Bennett Bill Evans Album, stands as one of the all-time great jazz vocal albums. Two masters came together and created music that was as organic as it gets. No orchestrations, no special effects, just a piano and a voice. One of the greatest jazz pianists of all time collaborating with one of the greatest vocalists in history. The result was a masterpiece. We could have chosen any song from the album to represent that great record. However, our favorite track was the standard “My Foolish Heart.” Be sure to listen to this if you’ve never heard it before.

# 5 – Stranger In Paradise

As we enter the second half of our Tony Bennett songs list, we once again go way back in time to another Tony Bennett classic. The legendary song “Stranger In Paradise” was released as a single in 1953. The song was taken from the musical play Kismet. “Stranger In Paradise” just missed scoring Tony Bennett another number one single, as the song peaked at number two on Billboard’s Best Sellers in Stores chart. However, it went to number one in the land down under.

# 4 – The Way You Look Tonight

Tony Bennett had a career resurgence in the 1990s for various reasons. One reason that fueled his so-called comeback was his appearance on MTV Unplugged. That appearance brought him an entire new audience of younger people. The other reason was the inclusion of the song “The Way You Look Tonight” on the soundtrack to the motion picture My Best Friend’s Wedding. A great film starring Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz. Tony Bennett delivers a stunning performance on this one. So much class!

# 3 – Fly Me To The Moon

“Fly Me To The Moon” is one of the most widely recorded standards of all time. Everyone has recorded a version of this one. Nonetheless, I will take Tony Bennett’s ballad version over everyone. Listen to his song; that opening line. It will send chills through your body. Tony Bennett first recorded the song in 1965 on the album If I Ruled The World: Songs For The Jet Set. He also released a great live version on the MTV Unplugged album. The 1965 version is spectacular!

# 2 – Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)

Frank Sinatra famously called Tony Bennett the best singer in the business. Listen to Tony Bennett sing this one, and you’ll understand why Old Blue Eyes held Bennett in such high regard. Tony Bennett delivers one of the finest vocals of his career on the song “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me).” Tony Bennett always had great endings on his songs; this one is his best. The song “Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)” was released on the album Who Can I Turn To in 1964.

# 1 – I Left My Heart In San Francisco

We close out our Top 10 Tony Bennett Songs list with Tony Bennett’s signature song. “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” The song was first released in 1962. Everyone loves this one. Ask any professional musician who makes a living playing weddings or nightclubs over the past fifty-plus years what the most popular song requests are that they receive from people, and this will surely be one of them. I know that quite well. Surprisingly, when the song was first released, it was not a real big hit, although it did break the Billboard Top 20, peaking at number 19. Over time, the song’s legacy just continued to grow as it became one of the most loved songs ever released.

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Updated August 16, 2026.