The song of the day for Saturday, May 4, 2024, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
About Today
We’re remembering Douglass Cross, who wrote the lyrics to “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” was born 104 years ago on May 4, 1920.
About This Song
“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written in 1953 by Douglass Cross and George Cory.
This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song. It actually became that quite by accident. As Bennett’s musical director, songwriters constantly gave 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 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 this version of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 2006 with Bill Charlap on piano for Duets: An American Classic. Jorge Calandrelli wrote the arrangement.
“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available on Apple Music.
Tony Bennett won the Record of the Year Grammy Award in 1962 for his initial recording of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
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