She was the first American singer to record at Abbey Road Studios in England. Her fan base even included Asia and the Philippines. She had 7 top hits, including "Why Don't You Believe in Me?", "Your Cheating Heart," "Almost Always," and "Have You Heard?"
She married composer Tony Acquaviva in 1956. In 1964, she dropped out of the public eye to take care of him and did so until 1986, when Mr. Acquaviva passed away. She began to tour again in the 1990's. She was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
I Left My Heart in San Francisco
Joni James Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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.
Your golden sun will shine for me!
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!
In Joni James's song "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," the lyrics describe the emotional attachment the singer has to the city of San Francisco, specifically to a lover waiting for her there. The imagery used in the lyrics is vivid, and captures the unique features of the city such as the hills, cable cars, and the morning fog. The line "high on a hill it calls to me" implies that the city is almost like a siren's call to the singer, and she can't resist returning to it. The metaphorical language in "climb halfway to the stars" implies that the city is viewed as a place of possibility and opportunity.
Line by Line Meaning
I left my heart in San Francisco.
I left my love, my emotions, my everything that makes me human, in San Francisco
High on a hill it calls to me
From a high hill in SF, I can hear the city calling me back to it
To be where little cable cars
To be in the city where the iconic cable cars run
Climb halfway to the stars!
Where they climb halfway up the sky - high on the narrow, ascending streets
The morning fog may chill the air,
The morning fog in San Francisco may make it chilly
I don't care!
But I don't care about the chilly air because of my love for the city
My love waits there in San Francisco,
My beloved waits for me in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea.
San Francisco sits on the blue and windy coast by the sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco,
When I return to San Francisco, which I consider my true home
Your golden sun will shine for me!
The bright, golden sun in SF will shine down for me to embrace and take in all that the city has to offer
Writer(s): Gary James Kemp
Contributed by Caroline M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Don Curtis
Great video. I never knew she recorded this. What a great voice she has.
Romi M. Panlilio
@Fegen Beautiful rendition! Thank you for sharing.
jtls8
This is a wonderful upload!!!!
Westtoledoguy
very nice sweet and flowing thx for sharing
felixbautista
Never realized she had a version of this song about the place that has become a parcel of me. Thank you so much for uploading it.. made me real happy and proud!
CeeCeeable
@Fegen Great to hear this from Joni...which i consider one of Tony Bennett's signature songs.
joe a smythe
NC.....