The song of the day for Saturday, December 5, 2015 is “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”
About This Song
“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written in 1953 by two homesick songwriters from San Francisco: 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 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 this first version of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962. It was arranged by Marty Manning.
“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as the album of the same name, is available from iTunes.
About Today
Our video is Tony Bennett singing today’s song on the Judy Garland television show, followed by a nice duet.
Tony Bennett & Judy Garland – I Left My Heart In San Francisco
My book, “They Left Their Hearts in San Francisco: The Lives of Songwriters George Cory and Douglass Cross,” will be published by McFarland toward the end of the year. Thank you.
Congratulations. If you want to send me an excerpt, I’ll be happy to write a post about your book.