Cheek to Cheek is a collaborative album by American singers Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga. It was released on September 19, 2014, through Interscope Records and Columbia Records. Bennett and Gaga first met in 2011 at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City. After the two later recorded a rendition of "The Lady Is a Tramp", they began discussing plans for working on a jazz project. Cheek to Cheek consists of jazz standards by popular jazz composers, such as George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, and Irving Berlin. The album was inspired by Bennett and Gaga's desire to introduce the songs to a younger generation, since they believed that the tracks had universal appeal.
By January 2013, the album was confirmed by both artists and recording started after Gaga recovered from hip surgery. The album was recorded in New York City, where Bennett and Gaga were accompanied by a live band and jazz musicians associated with both artists. Gaga deviated from her previous pop albums, wanting instead to create a jazz record. The release date of the album was delayed multiple times, and the final date was announced by Bennett and Gaga on The Today Show. Full track list and cover art for the album were released shortly thereafter, including the track lists for many alternate editions. The artists promoted Cheek to Cheek through multiple performances in and around New York, a "behind the scenes" program detailing the recording of the album on Home Shopping Network (HSN), and a televised concert titled Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live!, which aired on PBS in October 2014. The album was preceded by the release of two singles; "Anything Goes" and "I Can't Give You Anything but Love". They both reached number one on Billboard 's Jazz Digital Songs Chart.
Cheek to Cheek received generally positive reviews upon release, with critics praising Gaga's vocals. At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, the album won a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Cheek to Cheek debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 131,000 copies sold in its first week according to Nielsen SoundScan, and has since sold 622,000 copies in the US. The album became Gaga's third consecutive number-one album in the US; she became the first female artist in the 2010 decade to have three number-one albums. Bennett also extended his record as the oldest person to achieve a number-one album on the chart. The album also reached the top ten in Greece, the United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and Australia.
Track listings[]
- Anything Goes
- Cheek to Cheek
- Don't Wait To Long (Tony Bennett solo)
- I Can't Give You Anything But Love
- Nature Boy
- Goody Goody
- Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye (Lady Gaga solo)
- Firefly
- I Won't Dance
- They All Laugh
- Lush Life (Lady Gaga solo)
- Sophisticated Lady (Tony Bennett solo)
- Let's Face the Music and Dance
- But Beautiful
- It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
- Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) [Live from Jazz At Lincoln Center] [Bonus Track] **iTunes only