McKenzie grew up in North Carolina and Virginia, where he became friends with the son of one of his mother's friends, John Phillips. In the mid 1950s, he sang briefly with Tim Rose in a high school group called The Singing Strings, and later, with Phillips, Mike Boran and Bill Cleary, he helped form a doo wop band, The Abstracts. In New York, The Abstracts became The Smoothies and recorded two singles with Decca Records, produced by Milt Gabler.
In 1961 Phillips and McKenzie met Dick Weissman and formed The Journeymen, which recorded three albums for Capitol Records. After the Journeymen disbanded in 1964, the members discussed forming a group called The Mamas & the Papas. McKenzie wanted to perform on his own, so Phillips formed the group with Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, his second wife. The group soon moved to California. Two years later, McKenzie followed from New York and signed with Lou Adler's Ode Records. Phillips wrote and produced "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" for McKenzie, which was released in 1967. Phillips played guitar on the recording and Michelle Phillips played bells. It became a top-five smash in the United States and a number one hit in many other countries in the world.
"San Francisco" became a hippie anthem in the United States and was popular around the world. It was played during the Summer of Love in San Francisco. McKenzie followed it with "Like An Old Time Movie", also written and produced by Phillips, which was a minor hit. His first album, The Voice of Scott McKenzie was followed with an album called Stained Glass Morning. He stopped recording about that time in the early-1970s and lived in Joshua Tree, California and Virginia Beach.
In 1986, McKenzie started singing with a new version of The Mamas and the Papas. In 1988 he co-wrote the Beach Boys hit "Kokomo" with Phillips, Mike Love and Terry Melcher; the song featured in the hit Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. In 1998 he retired from the road version of The Mamas and Papas.
McKenzie died on August 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.
San Francisco
Scott McKenzie Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
The lyrics to Scott McKenzie's song "San Francisco" capture the spirit of the 1960s in the United States, particularly the countercultural movement that emerged in San Francisco. The opening lines encourage visitors to San Francisco to wear flowers in their hair, a symbol of the flower power movement that emphasized peace, love, and non-violence. The song suggests that San Francisco is a place where one can encounter like-minded people who share these values.
The second verse of the song emphasizes the summertime atmosphere in San Francisco, where love-ins (gatherings characterized by music, dancing, and a "free love" ethos) were popular. The third verse of the song shifts to a more general perspective, suggesting that the countercultural movement was not limited to San Francisco and that it was a part of a broader generational shift happening throughout the United States.
Overall, the song captures a sense of utopian idealism, imagining a world in which people are free to express themselves, love one another, and reject the values of the mainstream culture. The song's message was widely embraced by the youth of the day and became an anthem for the counterculture.
Line by Line Meaning
If you're going to San Francisco
Before you embark upon a journey to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
It's customary to wear flowers in your hair as a symbolic representation of peace and love
If you're going to San Francisco
Before you embark upon a journey to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there
San Francisco is populated by kind-hearted people who are likely to show you love and affection
For those who come to San Francisco
When someone visits San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
The summer season in San Francisco is a time for celebration and a way to show love to everyone
In the streets of San Francisco
Throughout the various streets and neighborhoods in San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair
There are kind people including locals and tourists alike who wear flowers as a symbol of peace and love
All across the nation
In every corner of the United States
Such a strange vibration
There is a unique energy and atmosphere present
People in motion
Individuals are constantly on the move and busy with their lives
There's a whole generation
There is a specific age group of people
With a new explanation
They have different views and beliefs than previous generations
People in motion
Individuals are constantly on the move and busy with their lives
People in motion
Individuals are constantly on the move and busy with their lives
For those who come to San Francisco
When someone visits San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
It's customary to wear flowers in your hair as a symbolic representation of peace and love
If you come to San Francisco
When you visit San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
The summer season in San Francisco is a time for celebration and a way to show love to everyone
If you come to San Francisco
When you visit San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
The summer season in San Francisco is a time for celebration and a way to show love to everyone
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: John Edmund Andrew Phillips
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind