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Duets: An American Classic

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Duets: An American Classic
Studio album by
Tony Bennett
ReleasedSeptember 26, 2006 (2006-09-26)
RecordedFebruary – June 2006
StudioBennett Studios, Abbey Road Studios, Capitol Studios, Studio at the Palms
GenreTraditional pop
Length65:56
LabelColumbia
ProducerPhil Ramone
Tony Bennett chronology
The Art of Romance
(2004) 		Duets: An American Classic
(2006) 		A Swingin' Christmas
(2008)
Singles from Duets: An American Classic
  1. "Just in Time"
    Released: September 2006
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Rolling Stone[2]

Duets: An American Classic is a studio album by Tony Bennett, released in 2006 via Columbia label.[3]

Background

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The album was released in conjunction with Bennett's 80th birthday the previous month. The songs selected were mostly ones that Bennett had played a major role in introducing into the Great American Songbook.

Unlike some other celebrity duets efforts where performances were recorded separately and then combined by producers, such as Frank Sinatra's 1993 Duets, Bennett was physically present with each of his partners during recording. The vocals were performed live as the band was playing.

Charts

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The album debuted at number 3 on The Billboard 200, selling around 202,000 copies in its first week.[4] It spent five consecutive weeks in the top 10 and was certified Gold in less than four weeks. It also reached number one in Canada. The sequel album, Duets II, was released in 2011 in conjunction with Bennett's 85th birthday.

Grammy Awards

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The album won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Bennett's duet with Stevie Wonder, "For Once in My Life", also won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Duet partnerLength
1."Lullaby of Broadway"Al Dubin, Harry WarrenDixie Chicks3:03
2."Smile"Charles Chaplin, John Turner, Geoff ParsonsBarbra Streisand4:41
3."Put On a Happy Face"Charles Strouse, Lee AdamsJames Taylor3:15
4."The Very Thought of You"Ray NoblePaul McCartney4:01
5."The Shadow of Your Smile"Johnny Mandel, Paul Francis WebsterJuanes4:34
6."Rags to Riches"Richard Adler, Jerry RossElton John2:40
7."The Good Life"Sacha Distel, Jack ReardonBilly Joel3:20
8."Cold, Cold Heart"Hank WilliamsTim McGraw3:17
9."If I Ruled the World"Leslie Bricusse, Cyril OrnadelCeline Dion2:56
10."The Best Is Yet to Come"Cy Coleman, Carolyn LeighDiana Krall3:39
11."For Once in My Life"Ron Miller, Orlando MurdenStevie Wonder3:24
12."Are You Havin' Any Fun?"Sammy Fain, Jack YellenElvis Costello2:45
13."Because of You"Arthur Hammerstein, Dudley Wilkinsonk.d. lang4:04
14."Just in Time"Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Jule StyneMichael Bublé2:17
15."The Boulevard of Broken Dreams"Dubin, WarrenSting3:23
16."I Wanna Be Around"Johnny Mercer, Sadie VimmerstedtBono3:01
17."Sing, You Sinners"Sam Coslow, W. Franke HarlingJohn Legend2:18
18."I Left My Heart in San Francisco"George Cory, Douglass Cross 3:55
19."How Do You Keep the Music Playing?"Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Michel LegrandGeorge Michael5:23
Total length:65:56
Target bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Duet partnerLength
20."I've Got the World on a String"Harold Arlen, Ted KoehlerDiana Krall 
21."Steppin' Out With My Baby"Irving BerlinMichael Bublé 
22."I Left My Heart in San Francisco"Georgy Cory, Douglass CrossJudy Garland 
23."The Lady Is a Tramp"Lorenz Hart, Richard RodgersFrank Sinatra 
Australian bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Duet partnerLength
20."Steppin' Out With My Baby"Irving BerlinDelta Goodrem 
Singapore bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Duet partnerLength
20."If I Ruled the World"Leslie Bricusse, Cyril OrnadelLeehom Wang 

Personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[19] Gold 35,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[20] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[21] Gold 7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[24] 2× Platinum 1,500,000[23]
Summaries
Worldwide — 3,000,000[25]

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Duets: An American Classic at AllMusic
  2. ^ Rolling Stone
  3. ^ Tony Bennett.com
  4. ^ Caulfield, Keith (September 28, 2011). "Tony Bennett, 85, Achieves First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  5. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  7. ^ "Tony Bennett Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  9. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Tony Bennett". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  10. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  11. ^ "Charts.nz – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Tony Bennett – Duets – An American Classic". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  13. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  15. ^ "Tony Bennett Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "2006 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  17. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  18. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  19. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  20. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets". Music Canada. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  21. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2006 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  22. ^ "British album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  23. ^ Rosen, Craig (February 11, 2012). "Keeping Score". Billboard. p. 27.
  24. ^ "American album certifications – Tony Bennett – Duets". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  25. ^ Graff, Gary (September 12, 2011). "Q&A: Tony Bennett Talks 'Duets II'". Billboard. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
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