2003.79.2

a) The album cover is gold, with blue and white type. The title is written in large white letters, with a blue outline, below which reads "The Official Song of the Golden State." There is a photograph of Manny Harmon (the man who sang the song), and the searl of the State of California. On the reverse is another image of Manny Harmon, the title, and a brief biography of Manny Harmon. b) The 45rpm is black, with a blue label. Side 1 is I Love You California, side 2 is Farewell My Love. The record was given the all the delegates at the 1964 Republican convention in San Francisco [Cow Palace].

California's official state song, "I Love You, California", was written by F.B. Silverwood, a Los Angeles merchant. The words were subsequently put to music by Alfred Frankenstein, a former conductor for the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra. It was the official song of expositions held in San Francisco and San Diego in 1915, and was played aboard the first ship to go through the Panama Canal. In 1951, the State Legislature passed a resolution designating it as California's state song. During the years following, several attempts were made to make other songs such as "California, Here I Come" the official state song. Finally, in 1988, "I Love You, Califomia" became the official state song by law.