The Year of Tony Bennett

An Appreciation of the Art and Music of Tony Bennett

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Saturday, February 13, 2021, 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, George Cory and Douglass Cross.

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 released in little over a week as a single, and was the anchor for the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco. The song was arranged by Marty Manning.

Tony Bennett won the Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and for Best Solo Vocal Performance, male, for this recording.

The San Francisco Giants play “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” after every winning game at home.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

Listen to (I Left My Heart) In San Francisco on Spotify. Tony Bennett · Song · 1962.

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as the album I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is available from Apple Music.

Here’s Tony on the Judy Garland television program, singing today’s song … Judy joins in too!

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Tony Live!: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Saturday, September 5, 2020, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross. 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 performed “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” at his 1994 live performance on MTV Unplugged.

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as MTV Unplugged, is available from Apple Music.

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Tony Live! I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Sunday, March 1, 2020, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart In San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross. They were songwriters from San Francisco and wrote it while homesick. 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.

About This Version

In 1962 when Bennett sang “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” at the White House Sessions concert, the song was relatively new in Bennett’s repertoire. The single was released in February 1962 and by the summer of that year, it had become quite popular, though it was not yet his signature song. It’s a really lovely recording, captured on Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962.

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as Bennett/Brubeck: The White House Sessions, Live 1962, is available from iTunes.

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

The song of the day for Saturday, December 29, 2018, is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross.

This song is, of course, Tony Bennett’s signature song, but 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 version of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962 and features an arrangement by Marty Manning.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as the album of the same name, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Today we have an extended segment from a Tony Bennett appearance on The Judy Garland Show in 1963. A number of songs are featured, including today’s song. This is one of my favorite Tony Bennett videos.

Tony Bennett & Judy Garland – Medley (The Judy Garland Show, 1963).

5th episode of “The Judy Garland Show”, aired on CBS. Filmed on July 30, 1963. – Songs: Night Train/Lullaby Of Broadway (Tony). Carolina In The Morning (Judy). Kansas City (Tony). When The Midnight Choo-Choo Leaves For Alabam (Judy). I Left My Heart In San Francisco (Tony & Judy).

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Song of the Day: I Left My Heart in San Francisco

he song of the day for Monday, June 4, 2018 is “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart Francisco” was written in 1953 by George Cory and Douglass Cross. We’ve told the story of Ralph Sharon pulling this song out of a drawer as they were preparing to travel to the West Coast–they thought it would be a nice song for the “locals” and so it was sung for the first time in 1961 in the Venetian Room at The Fairmont Hotel on and the rest, as they say, is history. Bennett has been singing it every day since.

About This Version

Other than live performances at concerts, Tony Bennett had not recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” since 1961. That changed in 2006 when Bennett and producer Phil Ramone decided to record a new version for the album Duets: An American Classic. Bennett chose pianist Bill Charlap and the result was this lovely recording. So, in honor the ceremony in San Francisco naming a portion of Mason Street as Tony Bennett Way, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

I Left My Heart in San Francisco

I Left My Heart in San Francisco, a song by Tony Bennett on Spotify


“I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” as well as Duets: An American Classic, is available from iTunes.

NPR did a great story about recording this song:

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