'If you're going to San Francisco' singer Scott McKenzie passes: 'The voice that inspired a generation' (video)

A message from my Facebook feed just now brings poignant golden memories rushing in: "Goodbye, you inspired a generation....Scott McKenzie (born Philip Wallach Blondheim, January 10, 1939 – August 18, 2012) was an American singer. He is best known for his 1967 hit single and generational anthem, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)".[1]

The song that inspired a generation, 'San Francisco' was written by John Philips of The Mamas and the Papas, but it was Scott McKenzie's pure, clear voice that made the song an instant hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

Wikkileaks tells us that:

'It was released on 13 May 1967 in the United States and was an instant hit, reaching number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also a number one in the UK and several other countries, selling over seven million copies globally.[8]'

But what of Scott McKenzie's story after that?

The singer who had grown up a childhood friend of John Philips of The Mamas and the Papas, went on to record another hit song, according to Wikkileaks:

.."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"

MxKenzie stopped recording in the early 1970s and lived in Joshua Tree, California, and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

In 1986, he started singing with a new version of The Mamas and the Papas. With Terry Melcher, Mike Love and John Phillips, he co-wrote "Kokomo" (1988), a number 1 single for the Beach Boys.

By 1998, he had retired from the road version of The Mamas and Papas, and resided in Los Angeles, California, until his death.[9][10]He appeared at the Los Angeles tribute concert for John Phillips in 2001, amongst other 1960s contemporary acts.[11]

He had suffered from Guillain–Barré syndrome since 2010.[12]

McKenzie died on August 18, 2012 in Los Angeles, CA.[10]""

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_McKenzie

How I loved the lyrics to the iconic song, one which still gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.... What is it about Scott McKenzie's voice that sends chills down my spine? Is it that it reminds me of wonderful days gone by...of the sixties and my childhood days, bringing back the images of golden sunshine and playing on the Driveway amongst the tulips lining the Canal in Ottawa? I remember so well how it made me want to go to the beautiful city in the song,,,to wear flowers in my hair...to dance with the gentle people and feel the 'strange vibrations'.

Here are those haunting lyrics:

'San Francisco - Wear flowers in your Hair'

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

http://youtu.be/OdvCqUguIh8

I wasn't the only one following the call to San Francisco...the song sold 7 million copies worldwide and has been credited with bringing thousands of young people to the Bay area in the late 60's.

"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" is a song, written by John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, and sung by Scott McKenzie.[1] It was written and released in 1967 to promote the Monterey Pop Festival.

The lyrics of the song tell the listeners, "If you're going to San Francisco, be sure to wear some flowers in your hair". Due to the difference between the lyrics and the actual title, the title is often quoted as "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)". "San Francisco," released on 13 May 1967, was an instant hit. By the week ending July 1, 1967, it reached the number four spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where it remained for four consecutive weeks [2]. Meanwhile, the song rose to number one in the United Kingdom and most of Europe. The single is purported to have sold over 7 million copies worldwide.[3] The song is credited with bringing thousands of young people to San Francisco, California during the late 1960s.

In Central Europe, young people adopted "San Francisco" as an anthem for freedom, and it was widely played during Czechoslovakia's 1968 Prague Spring uprising.

The song has been featured in several films, including Frantic, The Rock, and Forrest Gump. It was also played occasionally by Led Zeppelin as part of the improvised section in the middle of "Dazed and Confused". U2's Bono also led the audience in singing this song during their PopMart performances in the San Francisco Bay Area on 18 and 19 June 1997.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_(Be_Sure_to_Wear_Flowers_in_Your_Hair)

The voice of the man who brought in the beginning of The Golden Age will live forever in our hearts, as will the beautiful sentiment his most famous song represented. The call for a different world, for a world without war, without hunger, without fear, is now, a generation later, louder than ever. Images of protesters around the globe, many wearing flowers in their hair as they stand face to face against militarized police, remind us that the words of the song are as relevant and as powerful now as they were then.