101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening sym… Read Full Bio ↴101 Strings was an umbrella term for a highly successful easy listening symphonic music organization, with a discography exceeding a hundred albums and a creative lifetime of roughly thirty years. Their LPs were individualized by the slogan "The Sound of Magnificence", a puffy cloud logo and sepia-toned photo of the orchestra. According to the photograph, the 101 Strings orchestra was composed of 124 string instruments (all male except for the harpist) and was conducted by Wilhelm Stephan. The orchestra's famous official photograph was taken in the Musikhalle Hamburg. In reality, of course, the recordings also featured a full brass, woodwind and percussion section, and not quite as many strings as are shown in the photograph. In later years (right up to the 80's), the recordings were made by a session orchestra in London, with a line-up including a modern "pop" rhythm section. In the late 1990's, the 101 Strings Orchestra was revived with "The New 101 Strings Orchestra" for a series of modern recordings.

I Left My Heart in San Francisco
101 Strings Orchestra Lyrics

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The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gray
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city by the Bay

I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars

The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care

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

Overall Meaning

The beautiful lyrics of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” by 101 Strings Orchestra leave a deep impression on the listener by expressing the singer's intense love for the city. In the first stanza, the lyrics describe how other famous cities like Paris and Rome have lost their charm over time, but San Francisco remains eternally captivating. The lyrics suggest the singer has experienced loneliness in the bustling city of Manhattan and is heading back to San Francisco, known as a city by the bay.

The second stanza is dedicated to the love of the singer, which waits for him in San Francisco. The high hills and cable cars may take your breath away, but the city's beauty, which is above the blue and windy sea, never fails to mesmerize. The magical morning fogs cannot dampen their love. Whenever the singer returns, the city's golden sun will shine for him alone. Ultimately, the lyrics are about how hope and love can thrive in the heart of the singer while he is in San Francisco. It's an impressive song that captures the essence of the city beautifully.

Line by Line Meaning

The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gray
The once beautiful city of Paris now appears dull and melancholic to me.

The glory that was Rome is of another day
The magnificence and supremacy of Rome are now part of history and not relevant to the present.

I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I have felt extremely isolated and neglected while in Manhattan.

I'm going home to my city by the Bay
I'm returning to San Francisco, the city I consider my true home.

I left my heart in San Francisco
I left my deepest emotions and affections in San Francisco.

High on a hill, it calls to me
From a high vantage point in the city, it's as if San Francisco is calling out to me.

To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
I long to be in a place where the famous cable cars ascend halfway to the sky.

The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care
Even though the morning fog brings a coldness to the air, it has no effect on my feelings towards San Francisco.

My love waits there in San Francisco
The person that I truly love is located in San Francisco and is eagerly anticipating my return.

Above the blue and windy sea
San Francisco is located on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

When I come home to you, San Francisco
Upon my arrival in San Francisco, I feel an immense sense of coming back to my true home.

Your golden sun will shine for me
The bright and radiant sun of San Francisco is a symbol of the warmth and love of the city, which will always be waiting for me.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Douglas Cross, George Cory

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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