Stars of the 60s – Scott McKenzie

Scott McKenzie – The Voice of a Summer

Summer 1967: Caftans flutter in the wind, bells jingle, colorful beads adorn arms and necks, flowers are stuck in gun barrels. "Love-ins," LSD, and a new language of utopia dominate the streets – and the man who embodied all of this like no other was Scott McKenzie. His voice carried the message of unconditional love to the world, packaged in a single song: "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)."

This anthem became the sonic calling card of the "Summer of Love" and the soundtrack of a generation. Amidst psychedelic self-discovery, political upheaval, and musical transgressions, McKenzie's gentle voice called on people to visit San Francisco—and thus become part of the peaceful counterculture. Hundreds of thousands answered this call.

BRAVO 46/1967 summed up the sentiment: "He's a hippie. A person who doesn't force anyone to do anything and doesn't want to be forced to do anything himself. A person who responds to rudeness with flowers and to flowers with a song."

The song was written by John Phillips (The Mamas & The Papas), who had known McKenzie since their folk days together in The Journeymen . He wrote "San Francisco" especially for him – and it became a worldwide hit. The song debuted on the BRAVO Musicbox charts on August 21, 1967, and stayed in the charts for 27 weeks, including seven weeks at number one.

But as fleeting as the summer, Scott McKenzie's fame was also short-lived. Two subsequent singles flopped, and his name never appeared in BRAVO's reader charts again.

Nevertheless, he remains an icon of the flower power movement—a musical witness to an idealistic era. Scott McKenzie died in 2012 at the age of 73 from the effects of a neurological illness. His song, however, lives on—as an eternal summer dream of love, peace, and freedom.