I Wanna Be Around - Tony Bennett - MP3 instrumental karaoke

Tony Bennett's "I Wanna Be Around" is a classic ballad that gracefully waltzes through themes of heartbreak and poetic justice. Released on November 16, 1962, and clocking in at just over two minutes, the song became an iconic tune for Tony Bennett as well as on the charts, peaking at number 14 on the pop charts and number 5 on the easy listening charts in 1963. The song was born from an intriguing collaboration between Johnny Mercer and Sadie Vimmerstedt, a housewife, grandmother, and beautician from Youngstown, Ohio. Inspired by Frank Sinatra's tumultuous love life, Vimmerstedt penned the opening line, "I wanna be around to pick up the pieces when somebody breaks your heart," and mailed it to Johnny Mercer. Remarkably, her letter navigated its way through the postal system – addressed only to "Johnny Mercer, Songwriter, New York, NY" – and eventually reached Mercer, thanks to ASCAP. Johnny Mercer was so taken by the idea that he not only wrote the song but also shared a third of the royalties with Vimmerstedt. Musically, the song sits comfortably in the jazz and traditional pop genre. It's elegantly orchestrated, and Tony Bennett's voice adds layers of emotion to the lyrics, transforming a sentiment of schadenfreude into an almost bittersweet cautionary tale. Produced by Ernest Altschuler in New York City, the song captures the quintessential sound of early 1960s pop-jazz.