Guitar Learning Journey: Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco" instrumental acoustic guitar cover

Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco" instrumental acoustic guitar cover

"San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear [Some] Flowers in Your Hair)" is a psychedelic pop song, written by John Phillips, and sung by Scott McKenzie.

The song was produced and released in May 1967 by Phillips and Lou Adler, who used it to promote their Monterey International Pop Music Festival held in June of that year.

John Phillips played guitar on the recording and session musician Gary L. Coleman played orchestra bells and chimes. The bass guitar of the song was supplied by session musician Joe Osborn. Hal Blaine played drums.

The song became one of the best-selling singles of the 1960s in the world, reaching the fourth position on the US charts and the number one spot on the UK charts. In Ireland, the song was number one for one week, in New Zealand the song spent five weeks at number one, and in Germany it was six weeks at number one.

McKenzie's version of the song has been called "the unofficial anthem of the counterculture movement of the 1960s, including the Hippie, Anti-Vietnam War and Flower power movements."