For those who come to San Francisco/
Summertime will be a love-in there.

San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) is a beautifully sung song by Scott McKenzie and would be his only hit. This was another song from the summer of 1967. “San Francisco” was written by John Phillips, of the Mamas and the Papas, who would have a huge career.

Papa John was a bit of a Utopian, and he saw a lot of hope in California and the hippy movement of the 1960s. He explored this theme in many of his songs, including two others in the top 500. Come to San Francisco, you’ll find love and acceptance and gentle people. Those were his ideals.

The Mamas & Papas are one of the greatest bands of all times, and it is a shame they never recorded this song. It is not clear why Papa John gave this song to McKenzie. McKenzie was not completely a one hit wonder, he did co-write The Beach Boys hit “Kokomo”.

San Francisco Lyrics

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

Songwriters: John Edmund Andrew Phillips

At first so strange to feel so friendly/
To say good morning and really mean it.

The Mamas and Papas’ “Twelve Thirty” explores a theme that was near and dear to Papa John Phillips: the feeling of community, specifically in northern California. We saw him write about that in “San Francisco”, recorded by Scott McKenzie. We’ll see it again later in this list.

At the beginning of the song he writes that he used to live in New York and everything there was dark and dirty. A symbol of his old life was the church steeple outside his window that was neglected…it always read 12:30. (Get it? The clock is broken.) Now, in the canyon of California he is feeling different and is happy with the community around him.

Like all Mamas and Papas songs, Twelve Thirty works because of the amazing harmonies. The four of them: Mama Cass, Michele Phillips, Papas John and Dennis could harmonize with the best bands of all time. If you think they are the best of all time, I wouldn’t argue with you. But they are certainly top 5. (Off the top of my head I’d say them, the Beach boys, CSNY, the Bee Gees, and Simon and Garfunkel are a league above the rest). One aspect of the Mamas & Papas music that is unique is that most of their songs are upbeat. They don’t have any real dark songs. That just wasn’t their style.

Lyrics Twelve Thirty
I used to live in New York City
Everything there was dark and dirty
Outside my window was a steeple
With a clock that always said twelve thirty

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

At first so strange to feel so friendly
To say good morning and really mean it
To feel these changes happening in me
But not to notice till I feel it

Young girls are coming to the canyon
And in the mornings I can see them walking
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Cloudy waters cast no reflection
Images of beauty lie there stagnant
Vibrations bounce in no direction
And lie there shattered into fragments

Young girls are coming to the canyon
(Young girls are in the canyon)
And in the mornings I can see them walking
(In the mornings I can see them walking)
I can no longer keep my blinds drawn
(Can no longer keep my blinds drawn)
And I can’t keep myself from talking

Songwriters: John Edmund Andrew Phillips

There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one/
For living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one.

Try to get past the fact that “Everyday People” is a Toyota commercial. It is seriously hard to do. I am all about artists making money from their music, but this song is such a beautiful celebration of togetherness that it gets lost in commercialism.

Sly tells us that no matter our color, job, fitness-level, beliefs, we all have to live together. Let’s do it happily. This song is happy about inclusion and believes toleration is a virtue. The beginning of the song is interesting because Sly admits that many of his beliefs might be wrong, so it would be silly to be exclusive based up his beliefs.

The Family Stone also make a significant contribution to this song.  Their part of the song seems to resonate more because we haven’t heard their verses in the commercial. It also sounds amazing and has great lyrics. The song uses a lot of instruments and voices and is mixed to sound kind of loose-like it is a live performance or just a bunch of people jamming. It sounds like the kind of party you’d definitely want to attend.

Everyday People Lyrics

Sometimes I’m right and I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the banker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in

I am everyday people, yeah yeah
There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one
For living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one
And different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo

Oh sha sha we got to live together
I am no better and neither are you
We are the same whatever we do
You love me you hate me you know me and then
You can’t figure out the bag I’m in

I am everyday people, yeah yeah

There is a long hair that doesn’t like the short hair
For bein’ such a rich one that will not help the poor one
And different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo

Oh sha sha we got to live together
There is a yellow one that won’t accept the black one
That won’t accept the red one that won’t accept the white one
And different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby dooby doo
I am everyday people

Songwriters: Sylvester Stewart