If we’re to name one rendition of Duke’s songcraft as definitive, it is, or should be, hers; Holiday’s voice gives the myriad conflicts and contradictions in the lyrics her stamp and a clearly drawn set of distinctions between the good of New York versus the bad. (Yeah, yeah) / (New York, New York, New York, New York) / … Baby I'm from New York Concrete jungle where dreams are made of There's nothing you can't do Now you're in New York These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you Hear it for New York, New York, New York One hand in the air for the big city Street lights, big dreams, all lookin' pretty No place in the world that can compare The single was released in February 1988 as the third single from the album, but only reached #51 on the UK Singles Chart. The Velvet Underground: “I’m Waiting For The Man”, 12. Your New York experience won’t be quite complete until you’ve gone up to The Bronx and heard Sinatra’s voice carrying through the air after a Yankee game. The "Englishman" in question is the famous eccentric Quentin Crisp. Though the Beastie Boys were just beginning to take their show on the road circa 1986, this hit made it clear they’d never leave Brooklyn behind. It’s her way of telling the story driving “Autumn in New York” through her own lens, not Duke’s or anyone else’s for that matter. We’re with you Leonard, let’s do this. The New York Giants use "New York Groove" at home games after scoring a touchdown as well as Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI. The instrumental hook (DAH-DAH dah-dah-dah) is just as iconic as any of the song’s most memorable lines, and the ambience of the Sinatra recording hearkens back to classic 1940s and ’50s-era records where vocalists took center stage accompanied by an orchestra. —Zane Warman, That’s the right attitude to have. The song stresses personal responsibility in the line, "It's up to you, New York, New York," as it's a place where you can't expect a handout but have an opportunity to succeed no matter who you are. From getting high fives from the New York Knicks and (then) New Jersey Nets to taking an Ambien to stay awake in The City That Never Sleeps, Jay-Z’s wide-eyed appreciation for the heartbeat of America brings an intense passion into your heart. The New York Mets play "New York Groove" immediately following a victory at Citi Field. Stephen King uses the song as the title to a chapter in Wolves of the Calla, book V of his dark fantasy The Dark Tower series, where the characters Jake Chambers and Eddie Dean briefly return to New York City by means of magical muffinballs, and the characters also allude to the song in free indirect speech. This song is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film "New York, New York" (1977). At the peak of her powers, Minelli was able to match Sinatra’s booming presence pound for pound, so it’s not just Sinatra’s larger-than-life quality that cemented his version in history. —Lizzie Manno, Few bands evoke The City That Never Sleeps quite like the Beastie Boys, whose standout Licensed to Ill track is a rightful fixture on lists like this one. Then he moved to the Bowery, this tough neighbourhood in New York, when he was 71. Ace Frehley performed the song live at the beginning of the 2018 NHL Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers at Citi Field in New York City. In 1990, a remix by Dutch producer Ben Liebrand was released as a single and hit #15. It was written without a commission or for a specific show, but was offered by Duke to producer Murray Anderson for his Broadway musical Thumbs Up! As one of the worst coronavirus hotspots in the U.S., New Yorkers have been forced to show up by hunkering down, isolating in tiny apartments, town homes and studio flats and avoiding the sacred public spaces that normally serve as ad hoc living rooms, kitchens, gathering spaces and homes away from home when actual home is a 900-square-foot closet shared with two other people. —Ellen Johnson, You might recognize Harry, the 1969 self-titled effort from one of soft-rock’s greatest rascals, Harry Nilsson, as the inspiration for much of the music in the 1998 film You’ve Got Mail. The film Golden Exits (2017) begins with a character singing the song. With expertly twangy guitar work, plenty of humming and harmonica and the mellow, humble attitude of all the James Taylor-types who made this era of soft-rock so freakin’ endearing, Jim Croce chronicles the ups and downs of love and loss in the life of a classic, 30-something road dog. But thanks to a welcome turn of events that involves it being heard by the right person at the right time at a barbecue, Jay-Z decided to give it a shot, bringing on Alicia Keys to sing the original hook. Frehley originally "scoffed" at the idea of the remake, but co-producer Eddie Kramer persisted. Stevie Wonder – “Living for the City” The hardest-edged hit this fa-la-la-ing superstar ever dared, “Living for the... 2. Whitepages people search is … The lyrics paint a picture of a bygone New York City, one where up-and-coming rock musicians like Van Etten ran wild. It’s there in Harry Nilsson’s urban hymn “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City” as the banjo cracks on. For others, it’s akin to an orchestra. Song … It’s a beautiful moment where you can see the love in Murphy’s eyes, almost as if once LCD is done, he’ll be kicked out of the city he has embraced and criticized. The first was from the movie musical "On The Town" where he sang a completely different song ("New York, New York, a wonderful town, The Bronx is up and the Battery's down...") with … This article lists songs about New York City, which are either set there or named after a location or feature of the city.It is not intended to include songs where New York … He expresses his frustration in this song: "Here I am, the only living boy in New York." In honor of this strong, beautiful city, we rounded up 25 of the best songs ever written about New York. Yeah, its old paintings are probably more famous than your town’s old paintings, but it also doesn’t have your favorite bar or BBQ joint. —Saby Reyes-Kulkarni, Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’s thundering, wholesome and proud ode to New York City was originally created by a couple of other artists, PAngela Hunte and Janet “Jnay” Sewell-Ulepic during a trip to London where they both felt homesick. Find all 50 songs in Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Soundtrack, with scene descriptions. How can we not finish with this, most iconic of New York song? —Scott Russell, As the last song performed during its last show at Madison Square Garden (before returning to the spotlight in 2017), to the surprise of no one, LCD Soundsystem busted out “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” the perfect way to conclude such a perfect night. Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by … It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. Boogie Down Productions: “South Bronx”, 17. Godley & Creme released a song called "An Englishman In New York" in 1979. His phrasing on this tune is particularly pristine: try not to choke up when he pleads (and recedes), “I need you, I don’t need you.” But the truly great and iconic feature of this song is that, for all the emotion and memory that he applies to its performance and composition, he ends on a profoundly ruthless statement that hangs, dangerously, in the air: “I don’t think of you that often.” —Nate Logsdon, It will be difficult to convey to future generations just how well Interpol epitomized dapper-dressed early-aughts cool. The lyrics for "Zoom" were written by Gustavo Cerati. No matter where you’re from, you’ll feel like you live in Manhattan when you listen to it. It remains one of the best-known songs about New York City. —Steven Edelstone, “New York City Cops” is one of modern rock’s most mythical songs. Official State Song of New York. However, as someone who moved to New Jersey as a teen, I have a soft spot for this song. Double props to this song for being as anti-cellphone as it is indifferent towards New York. and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery, Hold Me, Touch Me (Think of Me When We're Apart), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=New_York_Groove&oldid=1005426484, Articles needing additional references from March 2015, All articles needing additional references, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from January 2018, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz work identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, It was played at the end of the 10th episode of season 4 of the TV show, The Ace Frehley recording was played in the 12th episode of season 3 of the TV show, It was the opening theme for the first two seasons of the American cable television reality series, It was played in the 8th episode of season 5 of the HBO TV show, This page was last edited on 7 February 2021, at 16:22. The New York Boulders use this song as their victory song as well. I got a pocketful of dreams aby I'm from New York! Also featured is Lennon's paean to his adopted home, "New York City," with allusions to doping clerics and transsexual rockers as well as the highly quotable line, "What a bad-ass city!" "The Only Living Boy in New York" is a song written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon and Garfunkel. "New York Groove" is a song written by English singer/songwriter Russ Ballard, which was a hit for two different artists: the band Hello in 1975, and Ace Frehley in 1978. —Scott Russell, This song is one of those minor miracles that populate so much of Cohen’s catalog. Theme From New York, New York . With its brooding refrains and skewed imagery (only Paul Banks could make a line like “The subway is a porno” sound deep), “NYC” functions as Turn on the Bright Lights’ de facto title track, and perhaps a larger signifier of the era. to 1st and 8th Aves, Annie Clark bemoans the loss of a lover—presumably her ex, Cara Delevingne—and her friends, who like many in the arts community this decade, packed up their belongings and moved to Los Angeles. While this is not the better-known Nilsson Schmilsson, Harry is a charming snapshot of one of the 20th century’s greatest singer/songwriter’s on the cusp of fame. Let “NYC” serve as Exhibit A. The song was re-released in a new remix featuring rapper Ghostface Killah. We hope they inspire a little of that NYC strength and spirit in you. This is a slow, deliberate piece that’s made comfortable through mellowness, but it’s made immortal through Holiday’s melancholy. which opened on December 27, 1934 (and closed in May 1935) and was performed by J. Harold Murray. In a deleted scene, Star-Lord and Drax argue about the song. These streets will make you feel brand new Big lights will inspire you Hear it for New York, New York, New Yooork! Hearing Berman’s lyrical poetry is nothing new, but there’s something so special about this particular description of New York. And in these days, darkness falls early And people rush home to the ones they love You'd better take a fool's advice than take care of your own One day they're here, next day they're gone “Autumn in New York” is a jazz standard composed by Vernon Duke in 1934 for the Broadway musical Thumbs Up! He’s been promised one thing, been sold a bill of lies, but still he’s accepted what he has been given. The song has exactly the same chords as 'If You Love Somebody Set Them Free' If you find a good chord structure you should use it at least once or twice. Having gone from slinging crack in Brooklyn’s Marcy projects to hobnobbing... "N.Y. State of Mind," Nas. It was released on the 13 September 2009. Theme from New York, New York" (or "New York, New York") is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film New York, New York (1977), composed by John Kander, with lyrics by Fred Ebb. Streets of New York Lyrics: Nasty (yeah, yeah) / (New York, New York, New York, New York) / Ayo, black, it's time again! Three sailors, 24 hours, one city—Leonard Bernstein’s first Broadway musical, On The Town (1954), kicks off with this rousing clarion call as a group of Navy boys hit New York on shore leave for one memorable day. “Downtown harks back / halfway up the street,” she sings. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York Soundtrack Music - Complete Song List | Tunefind Yes, his vocal positively oozes exuberance—listening to signature lines like “I want to wake up in a city that doesn’t sleep,” it’s hard to imagine that Sinatra wasn’t being sincere about the subject, especially having grown up across the Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., right in view of Manhattan’s fabled skyline. In a New York minute, everything can change In a New York minute, you can get out of the rain In a New York minute, everything can change In a New York minute. Titled as a tribute to Motörhead’s 1981 live album No Sleep Till Hammersmith and featuring an ear-splitting guitar solo from Slayer’s Kerry King, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” stays true to (while affectionately goofing on) the rock ‘n’ roll in which the Beasties were rooted, reveling in the traveling drug and sex circus that is the classic rock tour. —Ross Bonaime, © 2021 Paste Media Group. State of Mind” and ceases to relent. All Rights Reserved, 24. New York designated "I Love New York" by Steve Karmen as the official state song in 2009 ("I Love NY" was also adopted as the official state slogan in 2009). "Englishman in New York" is a song by Sting, from his 1987 album …Nothing Like the Sun. It’s a place. Listen to trailer music, OST, original score, and the full list of popular songs in the film. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. Because the bus is, apparently, too slow, and it involves loud disco. Concrete jungle where dreams are made of There's nothing you can't do, now you're in New York! “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” is Murphy’s anthem for the city that has let him down, but still it’s “the one pool where I’d happily drown.” She’s in anguish. Imagine living that every minute of your life. —Ellen Johnson, This 1987 track, courtesy of the legendary group Boogie Down Productions, pays homage to the birthplace of hip-hop. —Nate Logsdon, Rumor has it that Michael Bloomberg himself commissioned this song, but it might as well have been sung by Disneyland animatronics. In the year following my move, I was forcefully optimistic and tried very hard to paper over my fears about making new friends with empty reassurances. Frehley once told Rolling Stone magazine that his unique take on the song was inspired by his experience with hookers in New York City's Times Square in the 1970s. This was the first song Ashman wrote for Disney and his only Disney song not … It has the feel of something written in secret, quickly and quietly. (and the U.S. vinyl version) recorded in Sydney, Australia in 1980, which would also make it one of the few live recordings released by the group to feature longtime drummer Eric Carr. They sent it in to Roc Nation for Jay-Z to record to it, but it received some less-than-positive reviews, leaving them to think that it would never become anything. 3. —Candace McDuffie, Joni Mitchell sang of “butterscotch” sunshine and a fleeting “rainbow” on “Chelsea Morning,” a song from her 1969 classic Clouds. This song is the theme song from the Martin Scorsese film "New York, New York" (1977). For those who roll their eyes at the fact he’s sold out Madison Square Garden more than 40 times, it’s worth watching to see the man in his prime, through those loyal fans’ eyes. It was released as a single and the song made it to No. Best Songs About New York "Fairytale of New York," The Pogues Featuring Kristy MacColl. —Jane Song, Getting your first Metrocard is an exhilarating rite of passage, and it’s even better when you finally get to ride alone. "Take the 'A' Train," Duke Ellington (1941) For fans of: Transit, uptown. The song describes the often disorienting, yet liberating journey into New York City’s bustling subway system. Livin’ down in New York town So all you newsy people, spread the news around You c’n listen to m’ story, listen to m’ song You c’n step on my name, you c’n try ’n’ get me beat When I leave New York, I’ll be standin’ on my feet And it’s hard times in the city Livin’ down in New York town Nothing Like the Sun, released in October 1987. The original version by Hello is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Liberty Rock Radio, as well as being one of four songs to play during the end credits after the games theme played. It was written for and performed in the film by Liza Minnelli. This song probably won’t help you appreciate New York, but it will have you longing to walk back down your own version of Croce’s “hot dusty Macon road” and set up shop with a “hard lovin’ Georgia girl.” I can’t get enough of Croce’s unapologetically southern outlooks on everything. Godley & Creme released a song called "An Englishman In New York" in 1979. He’s intricate and articulate throughout the record, delivering some of hip hop’s classic lines. As the lead single from their debut album Criminal Minded, released that same year, “South Bronx” is notorious for its role in “The Bridge Wars” that pitted BDP against Queens rapper MC Shan after he released “The Bridge.” The song memorably samples James Brown’s “Get Up Offa That Thing” and undeniably launched KRS-One’s groundbreaking career not only as a skilled rapper but an exemplary lyricist. Alicia Keys: “Empire State of Mind”, 2. A sample of the song's main riff and rhythm (1975 Hello version) was used by the Argentine rock band Soda Stereo for their song "Zoom" from the album Sueño Stereo in 1995. The movie starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan features the cozy “Puppy Song” as well as “I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City,” which will whisk you away to a simpler, busier time in the city’s life (“Marchin’ Down Broadway” and the song “City Life” are also helpful in that regard, though the latter might make you feel thankful that you don’t live in NYC). Recorded in 2009, Jay-Z’s huge single quickly … Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by Manu Katché and the percussion by Mino Cinélu.. “Snow is falling in Manhattan / In a slow diagonal fashion / On the Sabbath, as it happens,” he sings. The New York Mets play "New York Groove" immediately following a victory at Citi Field. Immediately on its delivery, Sinatra’s “New York, New York” (officially titled “Theme from New York, New York”) sounded like a distant echo from the past, as if its spirit were as old as the migration impulse that has fueled the city’s story from its very inception. Or imagine having to operate in the miserable New York music scene, which the Gotobeds mock at the start of “New York’s Alright.” New York’s okay, but you can also do cool stuff in whatever town you’re in—and that town needs it more. And to be fair to The Strokes, given recent events, the barbaric department is pretty clearly not worth defending, and in the controversial chorus, Julian Casablancas is only regurgitating lines from “Nina,” some character who “just can’t stop saying” the phrase “New York City cops, but they ain’t too smart.” A classic New York City band influenced by other classic New York City bands, singing about a specifically New York City institution is about as NYC as it gets. —Andy Crump, Forget best Velvet Underground songs—this one’s arguably one of the best songs, period. New York is easily the most romanticized American city in movies, music and TV. There were a bunch to sift through, and we undoubtedly left off a few of your favorites, but these are the NYC songs that mean the most to our staff and writers. As long as NYC stands, people will write songs about it. LCD Soundsystem: “New York, I Love You, but You’re Bringing Me Down”. New York, “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z with Alicia Keys (2009) Of all the world's glitzy capitals, New York is … Compare and contrast that with Tony Bennett’s rendition at the 2002 Newport Jazz Festival. “It did become the soundtrack to that particular time,” Matador founder Chris Lombardi said of the song in 2012. Sting said about the song in the liner notes for "...Nothing Like the Sun" album, "I wrote "Englishman in New York for a friend of mine who moved from London to New York in his early seventies to a small rented apartment in the Bowery at a time in his life when most people have settled down forever."