'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' by Scott McKenzie: The making of the flower power anthem

22 September 2025, 10:48

The anthem of the counterculture.

From The Beatles' 'Revolution' to Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On' to Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come', the 1960s were packed with timeless protest sounds and counterculture classics.

But one song that has a fair shout for being the anthem of the Summer of Love is Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)'.

• The story of the Mamas and The Papas
• The 25 best songs of 1967
• Listen to the Gold Radio 60s Live Playlist on Global Player, the official Gold app

Sure, it doesn't have any of the edge of Bob Dylan's 'Masters of War' or Sly and the Family Stone's back catalogue, but as the ultimate distillation of flower power, it still stands tall.

But do you know which 1960s icon wrote the song, or which iconic festival the song was originally used to promote?

Read on for all the fast facts you need about Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)'.

Who wrote 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)'?

Scott Mckenzie - San Francisco (Official HD Video)

While it was Scott McKenzie who sung 'San Francisco', the song was actually written by another star of the '60s - none other than The Mamas & the Papas leader Papa John Phillips.

He apparently blitzed it in just 20 minutes, and it's claimed that he wrote it for a very specific reason.

Phillips and record producer Lou Adler were helping to organise the Monterey International Pop Festival – one of the ultimate moments of the 1960s – and apparently the local authorities weren't best pleased about the idea of thousands of unwashed hippies rocking up to their city.

So he decided to write an anthem that focused on the softer side of the countercultural revolution.

So 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' isn't about anarchy and revolution, but instead promises "gentle people with flowers in their hair" and that "summertime will be a love-in there".

As well as writing the song, Phillips played guitars and sitar on the track. The sound was rounded out by Wrecking Crew session gods Joe Osborn on bass and Hal Blaine on drums, with Gary L Coleman finishing things off with some orchestral sounds.

What does 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' actually mean?

Papa John Phillips Live at QVC - San Francisco - August 25, 1994

"San Francisco in the middle sixties was a very special time and place to be a part of," said Hunter S Thompson in one of the most achingly beautiful bits of writing about that whole period.

"Maybe it meant something. Maybe not, in the long run . . . but no explanation, no mix of words or music or memories can touch that sense of knowing that you were there and alive in that corner of time and the world. Whatever it meant."

It was a full year off the heavier side of things coming to the fore with the summer of '68. The Beatles were still together and Altamont was over 18 months off.

Fast forward 30 odd years and John Phillips explained it all QVC of all places.

"I think I'll do a song that was written for the Monterey Pop Festival," he said before a quick rendition of the track.

"The town of Monterey, 26,000 people, were absolutely terrified by this rush of youth coming across the country

"So I tried to write a song that would make people who were coming to Monterey understand that it was supposed to be would peace, love and not war.

"It was the beginning of the flower power movement and all that kind of thing... I fell asleep in the studio and Scott recorded it."

When was 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' released and where did it get in the charts?

'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)' was released as a single on May 13, 1967 – weeks ahead of the start of the Summer of Love.

It went all the way to number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It did even better in the UK, where it went all the way to number one by the middle of August, enjoying 14 weeks in the top 20 and 17 in the top 100.

It went silver in the UK with over 200,000 copies sold, and has apparently shifted 7 MILLION copies worldwide.

Who has covered 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)'?

Petula Clark - San Francisco

While it's hard for anyone to get near to the absolute perfection of Scott McKenzie's original version of 'San Franscisco' there are plenty of interesting covers out there that are still worth your time.

So over the years the likes of The Shadows, Petula Clark, Andy Williams, and Robyn Hitchcock have given it a go.

New Order-SAN FRANCISCO(BE SURE TO WEAR FLOWERS IN YOUR HAIR)-Bill Graham Civic Aud-SF-July 11, 2014

And best of all?

New Order, who never, ever, ever used to do encores back in the day, playing the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco in 2014, popping back for a second encore for a surprisingly solid cover.

Not a cover, but it's worth a quick mention of Sandi Thom's and anachronistic 'I Wish I Was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in My Hair)', which surely was inspired by Scott McKenzie's hit.