San Francisco
Petula Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and song… Read Full Bio ↴Petula Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child performer and has had one of the longest careers of any British entertainer, spanning more than eight decades. Clark's professional career began during the Second World War as a child entertainer on BBC Radio. In 1954 she charted with "The Little Shoemaker", the first of her big UK hits, and within two years she began recording in French. Her international successes have included "Prends mon cœur", "Sailor" (a UK number one), "Romeo", and "Chariot". Hits in German, Italian, and Spanish followed. In late 1964 Clark's success extended to the United States with a four-year run of career-defining, often upbeat singles, many written or co-written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent. These include her signature song "Downtown" (US number one), "I Know a Place", "My Love" (US number one), "A Sign of the Times", "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love", "Who Am I", "Colour My World", "This Is My Song" (by Charlie Chaplin) (a UK number one), "Don't Sleep in the Subway", "The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener" and "Kiss Me Goodbye". Between January 1965 and April 1968 Clark charted with nine US Top 20 hits in the US, where she was sometimes called "the First Lady of the British Invasion".

Clark has sold more than 68 million records. She has also enjoyed success in the musical film Finian's Rainbow and in the stage musicals The Sound of Music, Blood Brothers, Sunset Boulevard, and Mary Poppins.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petula_Clark

Discography
Petula Clark Sings (1956)
A Date with Pet (1956)
You Are My Lucky Star (1957)
À Musicorama (1958)
Petula Clark in Hollywood / Pet Clark (1959)
Prends mon coeur (1959)
Tête à tête avec Petula Clark (1961)
Rendez-vous avec Petula Clark (1962)
In Other Words (1962)
Petula (1962)
Le soleil dans les yeux (1963)
Ceux qui ont un coeur (1964)
Hello Paris (1964)
Petula au Canada (1964)
Downtown (1965)
I Know a Place (1965)
The World's Greatest International Hits (1965)
Petula '65 (1965)
My Love (1966)
I Couldn't Live Without Your Love (1966)
Petula Clark '66 (1966)
Colour My World (1967)
These Are My Songs (1967)
C'est ma chanson (1967)
Petula Italiana (1967)
The Other Man's Grass Is Always Greener (1968)
Petula (1968)
Portrait of Petula (1969)
Just Pet (1969)
Memphis (1970)
Warm and Tender / The Song of My Life (1971)
Comme une prière (1972)
La chanson de Marie-Madeleine (1972)
Now (1972)
Come On Home (1974)
I'm The Woman You Need (1975)
Je reviens (1977)
Destiny (1978)
Where The Heart Is (1998)
Here For You (1998)
Solitude & Sunshine: The Songs of Rod McKuen (2007)
Lost in You (2013)
From Now On (2016)
Living For Today (2017)
Vu d'ici (2018)

San Francisco
Petula Clark Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair

All across the nation
Such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation
With a new explanation
People in motion
People in motion

For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there





If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

Overall Meaning

In Petula Clark’s song San Francisco, she imparts advice to anyone heading to the beautiful city on the West Coast. She urges those traveling to San Francisco to be sure to wear some flowers in their hair. This is indicative of the hippie culture that was prevalent during the 1960s and early 1970s. Clark is suggesting that by wearing flowers in their hair, visitors are showing that they are part of the counterculture movement and support the ideas of love, peace, and equality that defined it.


Clark writes that if you come to San Francisco during the summertime, you will experience a love-in. Love-ins were gatherings that took place during the Summer of Love in 1967, and they were characterized by people coming together to spread love, peace, and positivity. The hippie movement values had a significant impact on pop culture, and San Francisco was one of its epicenters. Clark’s song symbolizes the counterculture anthem, which was so prevalent during this time period.


Clark also sings about how there was a strange vibration throughout the United States and that a whole generation had a new explanation. This refers to the tensions and conflicts of the era, such as the battle for civil rights, opposition to the Vietnam War, and the questioning of traditional societal norms. The strange vibration represents the cultural shifts that were taking place, as young people challenged the status quo. The people in motion are those who are part of the movement, and they are looking to make a change.


Line by Line Meaning

If you're going to San Francisco
If you plan to visit San Francisco


Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
Don't forget to adorn your hair with flowers


If you're going to San Francisco
If you're headed to San Francisco


You're gonna meet some gentle people there
You'll come across kind and amiable folks in the city


For those who come to San Francisco
Those who visit San Francisco


Summertime will be a love-in there
Summer in San Francisco is pulsating with love and harmony


In the streets of San Francisco
In the city's streets


Gentle people with flowers in their hair
People in San Francisco are kind and have adorned their hair with flowers


All across the nation
Everywhere in the country


Such a strange vibration
There's a mysterious energy afoot


People in motion
People are on the go


There's a whole generation
A group of people


With a new explanation
Have a different way of looking at things than before


People in motion
People are still actively moving


People in motion
People are still on the move


For those who come to San Francisco
Those who plan to visit San Francisco


Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
It's important to wear flowers in your hair while there


If you come to San Francisco
If you decide to visit San Francisco


Summertime will be a love-in there
Summer in San Francisco is full of love, peace, and happiness




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN EDMUND ANDREW PHILLIPS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

van chinatown 温哥華 唐人街

lyrics -----
If you are going to San Francisco,
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you are going to San Francisco,
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
For those who come to San Francisco,
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
All across the nation,
Such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation
With a new explanation
People in motion, people in motion
For those who come to San Francisco,
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco,
Summertime will be a love-in there
If you come to San Francisco,
Summertime will be a love-in there
San Francisco
San Francisco
(Fade out)
Songwriters: John Phillips



All comments from YouTube:

colliedays

I was not expecting to be impressed with this version, but I am!! So good to hear this song sung with an English accent, with good diction and pronunciation. Well done Petula Clark!

Darren Plumpton

It is such crystal clear diction and pronunciation and outstanding and unmatchable vocals that makes Petula Clark THE GREATEST FEMALE VOCALIST OF ALL TIME.

Laura Caballero Villanueva

Hermosa Interpretación de PETULA CLARK.

Guillermo Delgado

"San Francisco" , de Scott McKenzie, adquiere una nueva dimensión de brillo y armonía en la hermosa interpretación de Petula Clark, gran cantante inglesa de los años 60.

Darren Plumpton

BRILLIANT HARMONIES and vocals that are in a class of their own is exactly why Petula Clark is the World wide SUPERSTAR that she is and as been throughout her "unmatchable" career.

Luigi Tenco

Indudablemente

Glen McGregor

It came out in an album in '67.  I had and still have the album.  I bought it just before I was sent to Viet Nam in Dec. of '67.  Pet. was a favorite of a lot of us "grunts".  We
all knew the song and it was a kind of connection between us and "back home".  I still can never get enough of it.  Thanks for sharing with all of us.

Mario Eslao

I love most of all Her song,while in London ,I really missed to see PET CLARK ,I arrive late after Her concert in London,that's very sorry missed for that I didn't see Her personally,

Liberty Leslie

My dad came back from Vietnam with all her albums as well as all from The Supremes and Dion Warwick

Luigi Tenco

Gracias por compartir éste hermoso recuerdo

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