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 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

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

“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.

Judy Garland - Tony Bennett - I Left My Heart In San Francisco

July 30, 1963: Videotaping of "Episode Five" of "The Judy Garland Show" at CBS Television City, Stage 43, Hollywood. Judy"s guests for this episode were Tony Bennett and Dick Shawn.

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

The song of the day for Thursday, August 3, 2017 is “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

About This Song

“I Left My Heart in San Francisco” 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 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 as single soon afterwards. This recording served as the basis for the album on the same name, also released in 1962. This recording earned Mr. Bennett the first of his many well-deserved Grammy Awards.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

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


“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as the album I Left My Heart In San Francisco, is available from iTunes.

About Today

Well, we have a couple of birthday greetings today. The Year of Tony Bennett is honored to wish Tony Bennett a very happy 91st birthday. As one of your many fans, we love you and wish you the very best.

Last year, my beloved San Francisco Giants wished Tony a happy 90th birthday:

But we have another birthday to celebrate as well. We remember George Cory, the composer of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” on the anniversary of his birth on August 3, 1920.

I mentioned during lunch at the office today that Thursday the 3rd was Tony Bennett’s 91st birthday. My friends all smiled and asked me if I planned to take the day off. Alas, I can’t take the day off, but I think you can guess who I’ll be listening to on my iPod all day.

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

On Tony Bennett’s 90th birthday, the song of the day for August 3, 2016 is “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.”

About This Song

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. Douglass Cross and George 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

Today, we honor Tony Bennet with the first, and truly wonderful, recording of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” recorded on January 23, 1962. It was soon released as a single and was the foundation for the album I Left My Heart In San Francisco. The arrangement is by Marty Manning.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

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


“I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” as well as the album I Left My Heart In San Francisco, is available from iTunes.

About Today

I find highly appropriate to note that August 3 not only Tony Bennett’s birthday, but also that of composer of “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”: George Cory, who was born in San Francisco on August 3, 1920. He and his partner (romantic and professional) Douglass Cross were a pair of homesick, struggling songwriters living in New York when they wrote this song in 1953.

So today, we wish Tony Bennett a very happy birthday and remember George Cory on the 96th anniversary of his birth.

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Happy Birthday to George Cory

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.

(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco

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

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.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962

Listen to I Left My Heart In San Francisco - Live at the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C. - August 1962 on Spotify. Song · Tony Bennett · 2013

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: