The song of the day for Sunday, March 25, 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. 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.

Author Bill Christine released a biography of the songwriters in October, 2017 titled They Left Their Hearts in San Francisco: The Lives of Songwriters George Cory and Douglass Cross. This book available at Amazon as well as other fine booksellers.

About This Version

The single of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” was recorded in January, 1962 and released in early February. By June, 1962 the tune was a huge hit and enjoyed wide popularity. I love the somewhat self-effacing introduction Bennett provides about this song at his concert at Carnegie Hall.