Scott McKenzie, singer of flower power pop, dies aged 73

[jannyk]

Source: BBC

Scott McKenzie, who sang the 1960s hit San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair), has died aged 73.

Over the course of his career, he dedicated every American performance of the track to Vietnam veterans, and in 2002 sang at the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

"Even at the end of the decade, when so many of us had lost hope, when the summer of love had turned into a winter of despair, our music helped keep us alive and carry us forward into a world we had hoped to change.

"And so it still does."





Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19312310

---

RIP Scott McKenzie

Now I have an earworm

[Tansy_Gold]

1. Aw, damn

Just damn.

[flamingdem]

2. This touched me and made me go to San Francisco..

but when I finally made it the hippies were mostly gone and the down and out were in their place in the Haight. Missed it.

RIP Scott

[LongTomH]

5. When I opened this on YouTube, it was preceeded by a RW advert against Claire McCaskill!!!

OK, I'll admit Claire is a mixed bag at best; but, I'm going to support her in this election cycle, mostly for the enemies she's made!

[flamingdem]

9. That's kind of funny! Timing .. nt

[LongTomH]

16. Damndest thing is......I seem to be followed by these RW adverts all over!

Facebook, YouTube, everywhere. I know these days, websites share info on clients to help target ads; but, are the people behind these scum-sucking GOP ads really dumb enough to think they're going to gain any traction by targeting someone who spends most of their time on progressive sites? Or, just as likely, are the ad agencies just happy to take anyone's money, and to hell with whether it does any good for their clients or not?

Either way, I think they're a bunch of fumbduckers!

[flamingdem]

17. They're on a mission to convert you! nt

[Art_from_Ark]

21. It might be a good idea to clean out your browser cookies

Something in your cookie folder is probably attracting those ads like flies to dog shit.

[CountAllVotes]

13. As an oldie native

I remember it all only too well.

My parents took us on a car tour of The Haight at its peak (late 1960s).

It was something to be seen alright.

I love my City by the bay!

RIP Scott!!

[SheilaT]

3. Some years back my husband and I vacationed in San Francisco.

Towards the end of the trip we were returning to the city, and just as we got on the Golden Gate Bridge, that song came on the radio. It lasted just about exactly until we got to the other side. It was magical.

[CountAllVotes]

4. A few days before Scott's death he wrote ...

His last Facebook message included a poem written just days before his death.

The Final Ride
© Scott McKenzie (17 August 2012)

But, OH! How I wish I was a true cowboy,
with a great Appaloosa waiting to gallop away,
me sitting on his back, deep into my desert,
far beyond my precious Joshua Tree,
where dreams are made, beautiful dreams,
but this time I need to travel deep into the unknown.
And will I ever come back?
Right now I say no, never.
Oh well, a dream's a dream's a dream's a dream.

Oh, but my mighty Appalooosa's eyes keep firing up,
and his nostrils keep flaring as he transcends the stink and pettiness beneath him,
half riding, half flying toward place still unscarred by any unnatural activity.

ONWARD AND UPWARD! FULL SPEED AHEAD,
MY BEAUTIFUL, MAJESTIC APPALOOSA!
CARRY US ALL TO THE REGIONS WHERE WE CAN DREAM,
WITH NO FEAR AT ALL,
UNINTERRUPTED AND FOREVER FREE FROM FEAR.

[flamingdem]

6. Thanks. An inspired artist has departed for

regions where we can dream forever free from fear. Lovely

[nolabear]

7. Wow. Shivers and tears all at the same time.

I hope I face the Great Mystery with such a beautiful metaphor to bear me along.

[Blue Owl]

8. Listen... (shhh!) to what the flower people say...

Listen... (shhh!) it's getting truer every day...

RIP Scott McKenzie...

[Tom Ripley]

10. What an incredible voice

[Lifelong Protester]

11. Aw, man, I loved his tune!

My sister and I learned to sing and play it, especially for my uncle from San Francisco. My uncle loved it!

RIP, Scott. Your song lives on.

[graham4anything]

12. Rest in peace, Scott.

My favorite song of 1967. One I continued to listen to on disk,youtube, etc. at least 3 times a week.
A song of peace and hope and love.

Rest in peace Scott.

[DonRedwood]

14. Thanks Scott for one of the all-time best pop songs of all time

IMHO

[edhopper]

15. The Summer of Love

changes a generation, and changed a country.
This was it's theme song.

[alp227]

18. How did i from the generation of iPods, Bush, and dance pop discover his song about SF?

This hip hop song "San Francisco Anthem":

I also discovered Steve Miller Band when another bay area rap song sampled "Abacadabra".

That was during my junior year of high school. Eventually I started listening to 60s/70s music like the Doors, Jimi, the Who, the Kinks, Jefferson Airplane, and the flowers in your hair song.

RIP to a local legend and icon of the 60s. I wonder how true that saying "if you remember the 60s you weren't really there" is.

[Faygo Kid]

19. What a voice. My fave was "Like An Old Time Movie"

[MADem]

20. Jesus, he was seventy three already? Time flies.

It's going by at light speed, lately....

[Art_from_Ark]

22. I'm listening to "San Francisco" right now

It is both uplifting and haunting at the same time. A truly remarkable song that every aficionado of '60s music should have in their collection.

RIP, Scott McKenzie