By Dr. Tim Seelig–
The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly grey
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
Most people have never heard the opening of one of the most famous, iconic songs in the world. Whether they knew the verse, they certainly know the refrain. Millions of people have left their hearts right here on our streets as they have departed from dreamy vacations. They actually left their hearts and a good bit of cash that fueled our economy for decades. I am one of them. For many years, I visited gay mecca as often as possible, and every single time, grieved as I packed my bags and headed home. OK, the grief was exacerbated by the fact that on the other end of that flight was the brown, flat plains of Texas. No shade. Literally.
Now, many of those leaving are using moving vans instead of matching luggage. Literally tens of thousands of residents have left their hearts littering the quaint neighborhoods, hair-raising hills, and enchanting fingers of fog drifting down past Sutro Tower. They left because San Francisco’s “golden sun” could no longer shine for them. Even the sun’s rent went up. Oh, and the little cable cars stopped running! They found that the cost of living in other locations was just too appealing to refuse.
The number of hearts left behind in the streets exploded during the pandemic. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, “The number of households leaving in 2019 and 2020 leaped by more than 77% or roughly 35,000 more households than previous years.” The number jumped from 45,263 in 2019 to 80,371 in 2020. The majority relocated to other Bay Area counties. The destinations outside the Bay Area that were most popular were Austin, Denver, and Portland. There will be more on those three destinations later in this article.
There is some good news in the Chronicle article. “The pattern suggests that San Francisco rent prices could continue to fall as rental and home prices rise in the suburbs. Even if the city’s apartment occupancy goes up, San Francisco could be less dense, as more people can afford to live alone or with one roommate rather than doubling or tripling up.”
Now back to the song that started this all off, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” People all over the world know this iconic song. Most can sing some of it. Many shouldn’t. They probably only know the first seven words of the refrain anyway. What could go wrong?
I hadn’t been here a hot minute before deciding to get a brand-new arrangement of the song by our Composer In Residence, James Eakin. We began to sing it and are still doing so 11 years later. It’s just part of who we are as people and as a chorus.
The music was written by George Cory, with lyrics by Douglass Cross. It found its way to Tony Bennett through Ralph Sharon, Bennett’s longtime accompanist. Sharon brought the music along when he and Bennett were on their way to performances at San Francisco’s Fairmont Hotel.
In December 1961, in the famous “Venetian Room” at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, Tony Bennett first sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
I would never have imagined that a chorus of mine would perform a song beloved by generations—for the man synonymous with it—and the city. In my years here, we’ve had not one, but two amazing opportunities to perform for Tony Bennett and even sing his iconic song.
The first was on Valentine’s Day 2012. The chorus gathered at City Hall with a thousand friends and fans crammed in the space to honor the Mr. Bennett on the golden anniversary of his signature song. It was filled with artists and musicians who performed. At the end of the ceremony, I was especially thrilled to lead the entire crowd in singing the song. It was out of this world as the voices bounced all over that enormous acoustical bathroom.
The second was on August 19, 2016. In honor of his 90th birthday, a statue of Mr. Bennett was unveiled outside the Fairmont Hotel in honor of his 90th birthday. The chorus was once again invited to sing the iconic song for Mr. Bennett. On June 2, 2018, the 18-time Grammy winner helped celebrate the unveiling of Tony Bennett Way, located in front of the Fairmont Hotel, with a death-defying stunt—repelling down the façade of the hotel before performing his signature song.
Finally, at noon on Saturday, April 25, 2020, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders for people across the U.S., San Franciscan residents sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in unison from their residences and other places of sheltering as a tribute to the spirit of the city and its fight to keep the virus in check. Tony Bennett led the sing-along.
At 95, he just released a new duet album with Lady Gaga! No one represents the heart of San Francisco more than Tony Bennett.
But there’s more! One of my very favorite things in San Francisco is discovering beautiful, unique hearts around the city. I absolutely love them. In 2004, the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation inaugurated a fundraiser with 130 large heart sculptures. They were created by artists and placed around the city for the public to enjoy before being auctioned to benefit the foundation.
Each year, a limited series of hearts are created and auctioned. As many as 30+ new painted hearts are added to the streets of San Francisco each year. They have their debut at Union Square and then find a home around the city. The total is now more than 350 and they have raised more than $27 million since 2004. The hearts are a beautiful reminder of how our hearts live here—and they have done a world of good for patients at SF General.
Earlier, I mentioned there would be more about the three top destinations for those moving outside the Bay Area. As I look toward retirement in a year, all three were possibilities. My best friend moved mid-pandemic to Denver. Of course, most of you know I came from Texas. I voted down both Denver and Texas: Denver for no specific reason, and Texas because, well, Texas. That left Portland. That’s it. That’s the place. In August 2022, you’ll find Bobby Jo and me drinking a glass of Oregon wine by the Columbia River!
But we have an entire 11 months to do it all. With a deadline ahead, we’ll do all those things you put off when you live here thinking, “Oh, I have no time for that.” I do have time: now! Of all the things I have left to do it is to conduct my 10th season with the chorus, finishing off 35 years of “waving my arms at the gays.”
We have our usual holiday extravaganzas planned with eight concerts—finishing with our final three on Christmas Eve at the Castro Theatre. In the spring there will be an incredible world premiere titled Songs of the Phoenix being curated by Broadway Composer Andrew Lippa. It is being composed even as we speak by an incredibly diverse group of lyricists and composers. The talent is amazing and includes two icons: Stephen Schwartz and Stephen Sondheim! Finally, I get to have my big swan (trust me, it’s a big ass swan) song at Davies Symphony Center on July 12, 2022. I’ll need to sit down and take a breath.
Will I leave my heart in San Francisco? Absolutely. No question about it. I will leave my heart and so much more, including the people I love, the chorus that is my logical family, and a delightful 11-year-old granddaughter, Clara Sky.
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
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me
And, I know it will!
Dr. Tim Seelig is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus.
Published on August 26, 2021
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