San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)

"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)"
Side A of US vinyl single
Single by Scott McKenzie
from the album The Voice of Scott McKenzie
B-side"What's the Difference"
ReleasedMay 13, 1967 (1967-05-13)
RecordedApril 1967
Genre
Length2:58
Label
Songwriter(s)John Phillips[3]
Producer(s)
Scott McKenzie singles chronology
"No, No, No, No, No"
(1966) 		"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)"
(1967) 		"Look in Your Eyes"
(1967)

"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" is an American pop song,[1] written by John Phillips, and sung by Scott McKenzie.[4] It was produced and released in May 1967 by Phillips and Lou Adler, who used it to promote their Monterey International Pop Music Festival held in June of that year.[5]

John Phillips played guitar on the recording and session musician Gary L. Coleman played orchestra bells and chimes. Bass guitar was supplied by session musician Joe Osborn. Hal Blaine played drums. The song reached the fourth position on the US charts and the number one spot on the UK charts. In Ireland, it was number one for one week, in New Zealand the song spent five weeks at number one, and in Germany it was six weeks at number one.

McKenzie's version has been called "the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, including the Hippie, Anti-Vietnam War and Flower power movements." The song has also been widely regarded as a defining song of the Summer of Love along with the Beatles' "All You Need Is Love".

  1. ^ a b "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) - Scott McKenzie | Song Info | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. ^ Lanza, Joesph (November 10, 2020). "A Wail of Illusion". Easy-Listening Acid Trip - An Elevator Ride Through '60s Psychedelic Pop. Port Townsend: Feral House. p. 101.
  3. ^ a b Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 110. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  4. ^ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 42 – The Acid Test: Psychedelics and a sub-culture emerge in San Francisco. [Part 2]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  5. ^ Davis, Clive (February 19, 2013). "8: Monterey Pop". The Soundtrack of My Life. New York City: Simon & Schuster. pp. 62–64. ISBN 9781476714790.