If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set

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If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set
Tonyjet.jpg
Studio album by
Tony Bennett
ReleasedApril 19, 1965 [1]
RecordedJanuary 4, 1965 (#4, 6, 10)
February 18, 1965 (#3, 7, 9)
February 19, 1965 (#1–2, 5, 8, 11–12)
Studio Columbia 30th Street (New York City)
Genre Jazz
Length41:35
Label Columbia
CL 2343
CS 9143
Producer Ernie Altschuler
Tony Bennett chronology
Who Can I Turn To
(1964)		If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set
(1965)		 The Movie Song Album
(1966)

If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set is a 1965 studio album by Tony Bennett, arranged by Don Costa. Bennett dedicated his recording of "Sweet Lorraine" on the album to Nat "King" Cole, who had died a month before the album's release. [2]

Contents

Two singles from the album, "If I Ruled the World" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated February 13, 1965, peaking at number 34 during its nine-week stay. [3] and number eight on the magazine's Easy Listening chart, during its nine-week stay. [4] number 48 on the Cashbox singles chart during its seven-week stay. [5] and number 40 in The U.K during its five-weeks stay. [6] Another Single, "Fly Me to the Moon", debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the issue dated July 23, 1965, peaking at number 84 during a four-week stay, [3] The song peaked at number 17 on the magazine's Easy Listening chart, during its ten-weeks stay. [4] and number 60 on the Cashbox singles chart during its seven-weeks stay. [5]

The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated May 22, 1965, and remained on the chart for 22 weeks, peaking at number 47. [7] it also debuted on the Cashbox albums chart in the issue dated May 15, 1965, and remained on the chart for 17 weeks, peaking at number 32. [8]

On November 8, 2011, Sony Music Distribution included the CD in a box set entitled The Complete Collection. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [10]
Record Mirror Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [12]

William Ruhlmann of AllMusic stated that "There were also two songs from the Richard Rodgers-Stephen Sondheim musical Do I Hear a Waltz?, which was set in Venice. Other sections might not justify the flight theme -- Duke Ellington's "Love Scene" was given a "destination" of Harlem on the back cover, and that neighborhood is on no known flight plan—but with such high-quality material." [10]

Billboard notes "Bennett segues into 'Fly Me to the Moon', fresh and sparkling ... especially with Don Costa providing the backing." [13] Cashbox thought "The material consists basically of recently penned candidates for the “standard” status." [14]

Variety believed that "There's excellent backing from some topflight instrumentalists and an incidental chorus". [15] Record Mirror described the album as "marvelous". [11]

Track listing

  1. "Samba do Avião" ("Song of the Jet") (Antônio Carlos Jobim, Gene Lees) – 3:34
  2. "Fly Me to the Moon" (Bart Howard) – 4:00
  3. "How Insensitive" (Vinicius de Moraes, Norman Gimbel, Jobim) – 4:23
  4. "If I Ruled the World" (Leslie Bricusse, Cyril Ornadel) – 3:00
  5. "Love Scene" (Marshall Barer, Duke Ellington) – 2:33
  6. "Take the Moment" (Richard Rodgers, Stephen Sondheim) – 3:59
  7. "Then Was Then and Now Is Now" (Cy Coleman, Peggy Lee) – 3:05
  8. "Sweet Lorraine" (Cliff Burwell, Mitchell Parish) – 3:39
  9. "The Right to Love" (Gene Lees, Lalo Schifrin) – 3:41
  10. "Watch What Happens" (Jacques Demy, Gimbel, Michel Legrand) – 2:57
  11. "All My Tomorrows" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:19
  12. "Two by Two" (Rodgers, Sondheim) – 3:25

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Tony Bennett.com
  2. ↑ If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set at AllMusic
  3. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's top pop singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisc.: Record Research. p. 52. ISBN   0898201551.
  4. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wis: Record Research. p. 24. ISBN   978-0-8982-0169-7.
  5. 1 2 Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 24–25. ISBN   1-56308-316-7.
  6. ↑ "TONY BENNETT". Official Charts. April 21, 1955. Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's top pop albums : 1955-1996 : compiled from Billboard magazine's pop album charts, 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 74. ISBN   978-0-8982-0117-8.
  8. ↑ Hoffmann, Frank W (1988). The Cash box album charts, 1955-1974. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press. p. 28. ISBN   0-8108-2005-6.
  9. ↑ "The Complete Collection - Tony Bennett". allmusic.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
  10. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William. "Tony Bennett - If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set: Rating & Reviews". AllMusic . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Jones, Peter; Jopling, Norman (September 11, 1965). "Tony Bennett: Songs For The Jet Set" (PDF). Record Mirror . No. 235. p. 8. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 1, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
  12. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 148. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved March 31, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Pop Spotlight: If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 19. May 8, 1965. p. 52.
  14. ↑ "Cashbox Album Pop Picks Reviews: If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set". Cash Box . Vol. 26, no. 33. May 8, 1965. p. 30.
  15. ↑ "Record Reviews: Tony Bennett's Jet Set, Sammy Davis, Jimmy Smith's Monster, Peter Brady, Carol Channing, Peter Duchin Top LPs". Variety . Vol. 238, no. 10. April 28, 1965. p. 48.
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