1962 song popularized by Tony Bennett
"
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
" is a
popular
song, best known as the
signature song
of
Tony Bennett
. It was written in late-1953 in
Brooklyn, New York
, with music by
George Cory
(1920?1978) and lyrics by Douglass Cross (1920?1975).
[2]
In 1962, the song was released as a single by Bennett on
Columbia Records
as the
b-side
to "
Once Upon a Time
", which peaked at No. 19 on the U.S.
Billboard
Hot 100
. The song was also included on the album
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
. It reached number seven on the Easy Listening chart.
[3]
The song is one of the official anthems for the city of
San Francisco
. In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the
National Recording Registry
by the
Library of Congress
as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
[4]
Background
[
edit
]
The music was written by
George Cory
, with lyrics by Douglass Cross, about two amateur writers nostalgic for San Francisco after moving to New York.
[5]
It references the
San Francisco cable car system
and the
San Francisco fog
.
Although the song was originally written for
Claramae Turner
, who often used it as an encore, she never got around to recording it. The song found its way to
Tony Bennett
through
Ralph Sharon
, Bennett's longtime
accompanist
and friends with the composers. Sharon brought the music along when he and Bennett were on tour and on their way to
San Francisco
's
Fairmont Hotel
.
[6]
Before Tony Bennett heard it, the song was pitched to
Tennessee Ernie Ford
, whom Claramae Turner suggested Cross take it to. Ford turned the song down.
In December 1961, in the famous Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, Tony Bennett first sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco".
[7]
In the audience that night were San Francisco mayor
George Christopher
and future mayor
Joseph L. Alioto
. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Bennett always sang the song at his appearances at the Venetian Room.
Recording history
[
edit
]
Bennett first recorded the song at the
CBS 30th Street Studio
on January 23, 1962; CBS released it as the
b-side
of "Once Upon A Time"/ The
A-side
received no attention, and DJs began flipping the record over and playing "San Francisco".
[8]
It became a hit on the pop singles chart in
1962
and spent close to a year on various other charts, achieving
gold record
status. It then won the top prize of
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
, as well as for
Best Male Solo Vocal Performance
. In 1994, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
[9]
Legacy
[
edit
]
In 2001 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" was ranked 23rd on an
RIAA
/
NEA
list of the most historically significant
Songs of the 20th Century
.
It was often performed in public by Bennett in concert as well as on special occasions. A statue of Tony Bennett was unveiled outside the
Fairmont Hotel
on 19 August 2016, in honor of his 90th birthday, the hotel performance, and the song's history with San Francisco.
[10]
Two years later, the block of Mason Street was renamed Tony Bennett Way.
[11]
The
Songwriters Hall of Fame
gave Bennett the Towering Performance Award for his vocal rendition of the song.
[12]
Rhythm and blues
singer
Bobby Womack
released a version on
Minit Records
which peaked at No. 48 on the
Billboard
R&B chart
in 1969.
[13]
On May 15, 1984, the song was adopted by the
City and County of San Francisco
as one of its two official anthems, the other being the
title song
from the 1936 film
San Francisco
.
A slower-paced piano only version of the song appears as the intro theme to the Canadian television show
Trailer Park Boys
.
The
San Francisco Giants
play the song after each victory at their home field,
Oracle Park
.
[14]
Bennett has performed the song live at multiple Giants games, including the 1993 home opener at
Candlestick Park
[15]
and before games in the
2002
and
2010 World Series
.
[16]
[17]
At noon (PDT) on Saturday, April 25, 2020, in the midst of the
COVID-19 pandemic
and the
shelter-in-place orders
for people across the United States, San Francisco residents sang "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in unison from their residences and other places of sheltering as a tribute to the spirit of the city and its fight to keep the virus in check. Tony Bennett led the sing-along.
[18]
[19]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
"January 23 1962"
.
The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography
. 2014-09-07
. Retrieved
2021-08-19
.
- ^
"Douglass Cross"
.
Discogs
. Retrieved
21 July
2023
.
- ^
Whitburn, Joel
(1993).
Top Adult Contemporary: 1961?1993
. Record Research. p. 27.
- ^
"National Recording Registry Reaches 500"
.
Library of Congress
. March 21, 2018
. Retrieved
March 21,
2018
.
- ^
"George C. Cory Jr"
.
wikipedia.us.nina.az
. Retrieved
2021-08-19
.
- ^
Schudel, Matt (2015-04-05).
"Ralph Sharon, longtime accompanist to singer Tony Bennett, dies at 91"
.
The Washington Post
.
ISSN
0190-8286
. Retrieved
2021-08-19
.
- ^
"The Fairmont Hotel Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of Tony Bennett's First Performance of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
"
. 2011
. Retrieved
3 January
2015
.
- ^
Gary Mamorstein.
The Label: The Story of Columbia Records
. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007. p. 375.
- ^
"GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com"
.
grammy.com
.
- ^
"Tony Bennett honored for 90th birthday"
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-08-20
. Retrieved
2016-08-20
.
- ^
"San Francisco renames street in honor of singer Tony Bennett"
.
ABC7 San Francisco
.
- ^
"2003 Award and Induction Ceremony Induction Ceremonies"
.
Songwriters Hall of Fame
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-05-14
. Retrieved
2016-09-26
.
- ^
"Bobby Womack Songs ??? Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography ??? Music VF, US & UK hits charts"
.
www.musicvf.com
.
- ^
Keeling, Brock (March 20, 2018).
"Oracle Park: The ultimate guide to San Francisco's ballpark"
.
Curbed
. San Francisco
. Retrieved
October 5,
2020
.
- ^
Peterson, Gary (January 28, 2019).
"From the archives: Giants, saved by Peter Magowan, stage festive 1993 home opener"
.
Contra Costa Times
(published April 13, 1993)
. Retrieved
October 5,
2020
– via
The Mercury News
.
- ^
Vecsey, George (October 23, 2002).
"Sports of The Times; Tony Bennett, Trolleys And a Series By the Bay (Published 2002)"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"Tony Bennett slams home 'God Bless America' at World Series Game 1"
. October 28, 2010.
- ^
"Sing-along of Tony Bennett's 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco'
"
.
www.msn.com
.
- ^
"Tony Bennett Wants You to Sing 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco' on Saturday"
.
KQED
. 22 April 2020.
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