Why Tony Bennett didn’t like being associated with ‘Goodfellas’
It’s one of the most iconic opening scenes in movie history: in the ominous glow of night, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci stop their car due to something in the trunk banging. Whatever, or whoever, is in the trunk gets a few stabs from Pesci before De Niro unloads a few rounds to finish the job. As he goes to close the trunk, Liotta dryly observes that “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster” before the blaring tones of the Tony Bennett classic ‘Rags to Riches’ begins to play.
Of course, that’s the opening two minutes of Goodfellas, Martin Scorsese’s iconic 1990 mob movie. The sequence has been burned into the brains of millions of cinephiles over the last 30 years. Along with Saul Bass’ memorable opening titles, Bennett’s soulful tones and classic voice helped set the stage for all the glamour, refinement, and eventual tragedy that Scorsese would lay on his audience across the next two hours.
Bennett seemed like the perfect man to ring in Goodfellas. As a beloved member of the old-school brand of jazz that would have been preferred by the seasoned Italian mobsters featured in the movie, Bennett was an obvious get. Along with Scorsese utilising Cream’s ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ or Derek and the Dominos’ ‘Layla’ to masterful effect, ‘Rags to Riches’ is one of the most essential musical cues in the film.
But Bennett himself wasn’t too keen on being associated with the movie. While sitting down with Vulture in 2015 to discuss his long and varied career, Bennett was asked how he felt about being a part of one of the most acclaimed films of all time. As it turns out, Bennett wasn’t exactly keen on Goodfellas, thanks to the actions of most of the main characters.
“I didn’t like it. I know how great the actors and the story were, but it’s not accurate because every nationality has an underworld,” Bennett observed. “It’s not just the Italians. The British, the Germans, the Irish — there’s an underworld throughout the whole universe. They’re doing evil things. The absurdity of that strong prejudice that came out of that movie”.
For an Italian from Queens, perhaps the content and caricatures featured in Goodfellas hit too close to home for Bennett. Maybe it was simply the sheer amount of violence and cursing that put the already-elderly Bennett off of the film. Whether he likes it or not, though, a whole generation of film buffs know ‘Rags to Riches’ better than any other Tony Bennett song.
Check out the opening scene of Goodfellas featuring ‘Rags to Riches’ down below.
