Last Night When We Were Young is a 1935 popular song about nostalgia and young love - a jazz and pop standard written by Harold Arlen (music) and Yip Harburg (lyrics). The original recording was by Lawrence Tibbett with orchestra, made in 1935 and prepared for the film Metropolitan but not used in the movie. Over the years it has been recorded by many artists, including Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra on In the Wee Small Hours (1955) and September of My Years (1965), Carmen McRae, Peggy Lee, Art Farmer, Sarah Vaughan, Vic Damone, and Tony Bennett on the albums To My Wonderful One (1960) and Perfectly Frank (1992). Alec Wilder called it a remarkable and beautiful song that goes beyond the boundaries of popular music, and Harburg noted that the title’s juxtaposition opens a world of philosophy. Tony Bennett performed it emotionally in his final concerts in 2021.
