THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

868-Tony Bennett- I Left My Heart in San Francisco.

1962-Number 25 single.

Best Bit-At 0.43. The very last of the ‘Classic Crooners.’

Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, on August 3rd, 1926, in New York City, New York, United States, it was the legendary English comedian Bob Hope (1903-2003) who suggested the stage name Tony Bennett. Prior to Bennett’s music career taking off, he had been drafted in to the United States Army in November 1944, during the later stages of ‘ World War II,’ where he was assigned as a replacement infantryman to the ‘255th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division,’ a unit filling in for the heavy losses suffered in the ‘Battle of the Bulge.’ He moved across France and later into Germany, and then in March 1945 he joined the front line, in what he would later describe as a ‘Front-row seat in hell.’

Bennett had his greatest commercial success in the 1940’s, 1950′, and the early 1960’s, but as ‘Rock’ music became the dominant force, Bennett found that the hits were beginning to dry up. By the late 1970’s he was at an all time low, and had become dependant on drugs. The turnaround came after a near fatal cocaine overdose in 1979, after which his sons Danny, and Dae stepped in, with Danny taking over as his manager, and supervising his financial affairs, which would see a big upturn in Bennett’s life and career. Tony Bennett who has been married three times, entered into a long-term romantic relationship with Susan Crow in the late 1980’s. Crow, who was born in 1966 is 40 years younger than Bennett, and grew up in a family of devoted fans of the singer. Bennett had once posed for a photograph with Crow’s mother, Marion, while she was pregnant with her. As a teenager, Crow had been the head of the singer’s ‘Bay Area’ fan club. In 2016 Bennett was diagnosed with ‘Alzheimer’s disease,’ but because of the nature of it’s slow progression he was able to continue recording and performing live up until 2021. In a glowing tribute to Tony Bennett, in 1965 Frank Sinatra (1915-1998) (see also best songs 877-567-469-120 and 73) had this to say,’For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.’

The extensive discography of Tony Bennett includes 61 studio Albums released between 1952-2015, and eight collaborative Albums released between 2001-2021, there are also 33 official compilation Albums, and 11 live Albums available. Tony Bennett has also issued 83 singles between 1951-2021, of which 32 have made the Billboard Hot 100 charts top 40, with three of those tracks reaching Number 1, with ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’ peaking at Number 19. In the UK, he has charted within the top 40 on nine occasions, with ‘Stranger in Paradise’ topping the chart in 1953.

‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ was written in 1953 by Douglass Cross, (1920-1975) (lyrics) and George Cory (1920-1978) (music.) The song was originally written for the American actress, and operatic contralto singer Claramae Turner, (1920-2013) who would often use the song as her encore, but she never got around to recording it in a studio. The song eventually came to the attention of the Jazz Pianist, and musical arranger Ralph Sharon, (1923-2015) who had worked with Tony Bennett since 1958. At the time Sharon and Bennett were on tour, and Bennett first introduced the song when performing at the ‘San Francisco Fairmont Hotel, in December 1961. ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ which has since become the ‘signature tune’ of Tony Bennett was adopted by the City and County of San Francisco on May 15th, 1984, as one of it’s two official anthems, the other being the ‘Theme from San Francisco,’ from the 1936 film ‘San Francisco.’

‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ was the last song Tony Bennett ever sang in concert. He used it to close the show with Lady Gaga (see also best songs 363) at the ‘Radio City Music Hall,’ in New York, on August 5th, 2021.

‘My love waits there in San Francisco, above the blue and windy sea. When I come home to you, San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me.’