August 3 is a very special day for those of us at The Year Of Tony Bennett. Not only is it Tony Bennett’s birthday, but it is also the birthday of George Cory, who with Douglass Cross, wrote the song that Tony Bennett completely and totally owns: “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
Because it’s Saturday, we hope that you may have a little extra viewing and listening time because I cannot pick my favorite version of this song, so I picked two.
The first is the original version … the single … that was recorded on January 23, 1962. In researching this recording for The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography, I have identified (so far) nearly 60 albums, singles and compilations that this recording appears on.
The second version is also from 1962: August 28, 1962 and released this year on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962. I really love this live version.
And now a couple of video snippets.
The first is from the Judy Garland television show from July 30, 1963:
And finally, this snippet from the Ed Sullivan Show, filmed in 1964. It’s beyond tragic that only part of the song is included in this video, but that part we do see is so lovely:
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