Songs About Cities: 16 Great Songs About NEW YORK
Noo Yoik. Start spreadin’ the news. What a magical place New York is! All great cities of the world carry with them a certain mythology, but NYC has more than most. Everybody has their own indelible images of the city, mostly linked to movies, TV and music. It just seems like such an evocative place, and whether you get your idea of New York from Sex and the City or Taxi Driver, you’re still plugging into an authentic source of what New York means.
(Photo: Abigail and Achal Javed)
When I looked into the songs written about London, I found that there were thousands to choose from, and today’s hardly a more simple task! New York feeds whole scenes of music that don’t directly reference the city, but are absolutely products of it: the CBGB scene that provided a space for The Ramones, Blondie, The Cramps and The Talking Heads make them all as ‘New York’ as Lou Reed, whether they originally hailed from the city or not.
Talking about Lou Reed, the ‘NYC Man’ himself could fill this blog with songs relating to New York, so please take his single entry today as a stand-in for his entire career!
Rock music, punk and New Wave are all significant, but so is rap and so is the post-millennial New York scene that birthed such acts as The Strokes and Interpol. They’ll be rubbing shoulders today with elder statesmen like Frank Sinatra and Art Garfunkel as I gather a token selection of the greatest songs ever written about New York.
The New York Songs at a Glance
A Heart in New York - Art Garfunkel
(Theme From) New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl
Welcome to New York - Taylor Swift
New York City Cops - The Strokes
An Open Letter to NYC - Beastie Boys
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z ft. Alicia Keys
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Englishman in New York - Sting
Autumn in New York - Billie Holiday
New York, New York - Ryan Adams
Central Park East - Mercury Rev
A Heart in New York - Art Garfunkel
Should this be under Simon & Garfunkel instead of just Art? It was written by folk duo Gallagher & Lyle from Largs, but Garfunkel covered it in his 1981 solo album Scissors Cut. Also, he and Paul Simon played it at their famous concert in Central Park.
It’s actually quite an interesting thing, to have a song written about New York by two guys from Scotland, and then have that song appeal to a native New Yorker whose take on that city is central (sorry) to his own musical identity and career. It must have really resonated accurately with him! The references to Central Park, the skyline and all of the rest are both simple and powerfully evocative, and a great way to begin this article!
(Theme From) New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
The quintessential New York song, even if you first heard it being sang by melting puppets at the end of Gremlins 2: The New Batch like I did. Would ol’ Blue Eyes object?
Who knows, but that one line that says “I’m going to be a part of it: New York, New York” sums up everything so well. New York is an experience that people want to feel in their souls: it’s far more than a geographical location. It’s an energy; a pulse of life lived with passion. Everyone wants to be a part of it, and nobody wants to miss out.
The beginning of this song is about as famous as it gets, but how many people even know this tune after the first minute? Give it your full attention now:
New York Minute - Don Henley
As I mentioned, New York (like London) has an energy that attracts people from far and wide. This energy means that life in NYC can be overwhelming for those unaccustomed to the pace and intensity, but for those who can ride it, it’s the invigorating spark of life that they’ve been looking for.
Ex-Eagle Don Henley sings about it here in New York Minute, because New Yorkers can just fit more into every minute than your typical city dweller. Anything can happen in a New York minute!
Dirty Blvd - Lou Reed
As I mentioned in the introduction, I could’ve quite happily stuck to Lou Reed’s portfolio of music to populate this entire New York music blog. The Brooklyn native talked the talk, but also walked the walk in a career that saw very little in the way of compromise.
Dirty Boulevard is from the appropriately-named New York album, and like all of the best Lou Reed songs, is pretty damn simple in musical terms. Lyrically, though, it’s a hard hitting vignette about the poor underclass, living in fleapit hotels, dealing with violence and being looked down upon from those ‘above’. Lou doesn’t mince his words at all, and the effect is powerful, startling and urgent. Just like New York itself.
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues with Kirsty MacColl
Best Christmas song ever? It’s certainly a contender! This snow, slush and booze-soaked heartbreaker is a classic for the ages, and brings in elements of folk music. This is significant due to the numbers of Scottish and Irish immigrants who settled around New York and Boston back in the 19th century, indelibly changing the culture of the area.
Fairytale of New York is a classic ‘she left me, give me another whiskey’ tune that is universal in its resonance. Who hasn’t put all their dreams on someone who couldn’t deliver?
Welcome to New York - Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift seems to have caught on to two of the biggest recurring themes in New York songs: heartbreak and a new start. These themes are included in this uplifting anthem about finding your people in a city full of possibilities. It’s vague enough to apply to any number of situations, but the central refrain of ‘Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you’, is surely something that’s felt by every visitor to the city.
New York City Cops - The Strokes
I do wonder what Julian Casablancas was thinking when he wrote the lyric ‘New York City cops, they ain’t too smart’? This banger from The Strokes’ debut record Is This It is one of their most famous cuts, partly because of the cracking chorus and partly for the sheer vibe of the recording. It sounds drunk, jovial, snotty and full of the band’s signature tension-and-release style of writing.
Interesting trivia: Americans reading this will wonder why I said this was on the band’s debut record. Over here in the UK (and in many other places), it was, but it was actually removed from the US CD release due to the 9/11 attacks. So some fans will consider this tune as a separate thing from the debut album completely, even though it's a part of it!
An Open Letter to NYC - Beastie Boys
Obviously, the events of September 11th, 2001 changed New York - and the USA - forever. Hip hop pioneers the Beastie Boys tackled this on their 2004 album To the 5 Boroughs, which focused on the community aspect of the city they all called home. Their inclusive point of view, and emphasis on the importance of multiculturalism, is an important message for New York and all cities of the world.
On this song, the Beasties rhymed about taking the subway, riding the number 10 bus, going to lunch on Montague Street and shopping for trainers. All everyday stuff that becomes sacred in the wake of tragedy. Importantly, they thank the city themselves for giving them all a home. As a lesson in healing through art, it’s pretty huge.
Empire State of Mind - Jay Z ft. Alicia Keys
This tune is all about the glorious chorus, sung by NYC songwriter Alicia Keys. The song was submitted a number of times to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label before he took it, kept the parts he liked, and changed the rest.
New York is often nicknamed ‘The Empire State’ for a couple of reasons. The vast wealth (Wall Street is here, of course) and cultural significance make it something of an empire. Also, George Washington himself referred to New York state as “the Seat of the Empire” back in 1785. Whilst Jay-Z and Alicia Keys may not have been directly referencing such lofty statements, there’s no mistaking the ‘empire state’ attitude carries across to loads of art and music from New York. This tune is a great, positive example.
Across 110th Street - Bobby Womack
Everybody knows this classic soul number from Bobby Womack, but how many people know that it’s from a movie? I certainly didn’t, but it’s a Harlem-set noir based on the novel of the same name. So far, so New York!
The tune’s about getting out of the ghetto, and references pimps, junkies and tricks so it’s actually a pretty dark song, despite the sunny-sounding chorus. Great lyric: ‘Harlem is the capital of every ghetto town’.
Trivia: previous to his solo career, Bobby Womack was actually guitarist in Sam Cooke’s backing band!
Englishman in New York - Sting
You can tell a lot about someone purely by their opinion on Sting. I’ll fairly ambivalent myself, but he certainly doesn’t make it easy. Take the lyrics to this fish-out-of-water ditty form his second solo album:
“I like my toast done on one side”. Who does that? One-sided toast? What even is that? “And you can hear it in my accent when I talk”. I don’t hear a Geordie accent when Newcastle native Sting talks, do you?
I’m actually being a bit unfairly simplistic here, for effect. The song isn’t actually about Sting at all, but famous British model and raconteur Quentin Crisp. Whoever it’s about, that idea of being a perennial outsider in the big city is one often written about. Perhaps that’s because New York has always famously welcoming of outsiders? This tune certainly aims to celebrate the status rather than lament it.
On Broadway - The Drifters
“They say the neon lights are bright on Broadway, they say there’s always magic in the air”. You can’t read those words without singing them, can you? It’s so rooted into the fabric of music, and it’s such a delicious melody. At this point, it’s almost a tangible part of the city itself.
On Broadway was written back in 1962 by songwriters partners Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann. They worked out of the Brill Building, a famous sort of songwriting ‘factory’ (for want of a better term) which sat on Broadway itself, in Manhattan.
A number of artists have recorded this sublime tune - a song about a newcomer finding hope and possibilities in the city - including George Benson and even Gary Numan, but I’ve decided to go with the original Drifters version, since they were native New Yorkers themselves.
Fun trivia! The guitar solo on this track? Played by none other than super-producer/murderer Phil Spector! No, you can’t hear his craziness in his guitar playing. Calm down!
Autumn in New York - Billie Holiday
“Glittering crowds and shimmering clouds, in canyons of steel, They're making me feel I'm home”
Autumn in New York is one of those classic jazz standards, written way back in 1934. Although not written specifically for it, the Broadway musical ‘Thumbs Up!’ used the song, and has since been covered by a wide range of artists.
Frank Sinatra’s had a go, Charlie Parker, Chet Baker, Diana Krall, Ella Fittzgerald and Louis Armstrong have all given excellent versions, but I’d like to highlight Billie Holiday’s masterful rendition. Nobody else makes the lyric about New York being ‘often mingled with pain’ sound as real, or as graceful.
New York, New York - Ryan Adams
It’s not just foreigners who feel the overwhelming enchantment of New York when they arrive. Americans from other parts of the country are just as susceptible to its charms. North Carolina native Ryan Adams toured the city frequently with his band Whiskeytown, and eventually moved there.
As with all of the best New York songs, there are specific references to streets and places such as the Second Avenue subway station. The closing solo is performed on a saxophone, which seems like the perfect instrument for the city, for some reason. Do you feel that way?
Central Park East - Mercury Rev
As enchanting and otherworldly as Mercury Rev often sound, they are a New York band through and through. From early days in Buffalo to recording albums in the Catskill mountains, the band’s mythology is indelibly linked to the Empire State.
(Pic: Abigail and Achal Javed)
Of all of their NYC referencing songs (and there are a few), I chose this one for its specifics. It’s not just Central Park here: it’s Central Park East, which borders the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That’s the area with designer shops and upmarket housing, and the lyrics speak about loneliness and being lost. As well as talking to one of the horses who pull wealthy people in carriages through Central Park, the song’s protagonist remarks on all of the senses that are sparked during their trippy journey: “I'm listening to the sound of champagne glasses spilling out, Daydreams on the ground. Lifeboats, on the lawn, Couples on their blankets floating, riding out a storm.” It’s a surreal and yet very ‘true’ take on this famous NYC location.
NYC - Interpol
My final choice is one that seems to really evoke that late night sunset feel of a city descending into darkness and night. Much of that is to do with that wonderful orchestral/aeroplane-sounding guitar part in the second half, but the feeling is there from the beginning, with tired vocals uttering lyrics that move from the poetic to the disarmingly raw.
The title is revealed by the chorus to stand for “New York cares” and it’s very mysterious: is vocalist Paul Banks referring to the everyday cares of New Yorkers? Or is it a comment on the city itself, either genuinely looking out for him or sarcastically not caring at all? From such simplicity, there’s a lot of depth here, and the noir-ish vibe of the song (and the band) fits New York like a well-tailored suit.
“I Want to Be a Part of It”
What’s interesting about putting together a blog like this isn't so much the diversity of experience and opinion about New York as much as it is the collective love for the place. Even grumpy old Lou Reed can’t hide his affection for the city, despite what his lyrics might have you believe. It’s in there, between the cracks in the sidewalk!
I’ve said it before, but cities are energy, and the energy of New York seems, above all else, to be a positive, empowering one. Nobody thinks it isn’t a dangerous place, or an unfair one, but people seem more prepared to meet the city on its own terms and appreciate it.
That in itself is an intensely inspiring thing.
And so the cycle continues!
