The song of the day for Tuesday, August 3, 2021, is “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”
About Today
The Year of Tony Bennett would like to wish Tony Bennett a very happy 95th birthday. This blog and our sister site, The Interactive Tony Bennett Discography, were created out of love for you and your gifts to us as a singer, artist, philanthropist, and humanitarian. Thank you for giving all of your fans so many wonderful recordings and memories.
On this birthday, what other song could we feature than “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” On a side note, the composer of this song, George Cory was also born on August 3.
About This Song
“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written by George Cory and Douglass Cross in 1953.
This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters were constantly giving Ralph Sharon copies of their songs. Cross and Cory had done that and Sharon had stuck the song in a drawer and forgotten all about it. In 1961, he and Bennett were heading out on tour, which included a stop in San Francisco at The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel on Nob Hill. Sharon came across the music and thought it might be a nice local number for the San Francisco audience. After a performance in Hot Springs, Arkansas, they found a piano and started to work on the song a bit. An early fan was the bartender, who said that he’d buy the first copy if they ever decided to record it. Of course, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was a huge hit at the performance, and in January 1962, Bennett recorded it and released it on a 45 RPM record on the B-side to “Once Upon a Time.” But gradually, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” started getting all the airplay and it became a major hit for Bennett, winning him his first Grammy Award. It is his signature song and is beloved by all of his fans.
About This Version
Tony Bennett recorded “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” on January 23, 1962. It was first released as a single; later that year it would be the anchor of the album I Left My Heart In San Francisco. Marty Manning wrote the arrangement.
“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as the album I Left My Heart In San Francisco is available on Apple Music.
On July 30, 1963, Tony Bennett appeared on Episode 5 of The Judy Garland Show and sang today’s song.
Please feel free to leave a comment