Everybody knows "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," made famous by Tony Bennett. For me, though, that's a little schmaltzy, as is the hippie classic (and namesake of this blog) "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" (actually, that's a LOT schmaltzy). No, for me the song that makes my heart ache for the hilly peninsula is John Lee Hooker's riff on "I Left My Heart . . ." called "Frisco Blues." In the lazy blues rhythm, piping background singers, melancholy horns, and John Lee's world-worn voice, I get a vision of the city on the hill, misty, foggy, cool in the evening, romantic in the sunshine, a place that gives you blues when you're not there. When I think of the city, this song echoes in my head.
Share my SF melancholy (which will last until October) by listening to John Lee with me -- you can download the file for free here. (If you like the song, and how could you not?, you can buy the album from Amazon; there's also version on iTunes, but it's different from the one I love, so I can't vouch for it!)
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