“Come Back from San Francisco” is a desperate lament from The Magnetic Fields, an art form composer Stephin Merritt frequents.

Shirley Simms sings this track to a man from the point of view of another man. His lover has left New York City for gay mecca San Francisco, and he struggles to realize that his need for his partner isn’t mutual.

Illustration by Mat Pringle

The track is built around a folk-rock electric guitar line, with a tone and timbre that could have been plucked from a Lovin' Spoonful or Mamas and the Papas track.