8tracks: new york, new york
Inspired by the recent victory achieved by the New York Knicks in their first NBA Championship win in 53 years, I have picked eight songs that capture the beauty of New York City, a city that continues to inspire people from all over, but particularly its residents. I have also tried to include a range of songs that capture New York's spirit (although there's one that's more for fun).
"Empire State of Mind," Alicia Keys, Jay Z
these streets will make you feel brand new / big lights will inspire you
This collaboration between Jay Z and Alicia Keys has become one of the quintessential New York songs of the 21st century. The title makes reference to New York's state nickname, the Empire State, but also alludes to Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" and Nas's "NY State of Mind." The rapped verses takes you through the city's neighbourhoods, iconic residents - Robert De Niro, Frank Sinatra - cultures, and iconography. All the while including lyrics that allude to the grand, almost fantastical nature of a city of dreamers, all hoping to make their mark on the world from a small corner of it.
"New York State of Mind," Billy Joel
I know what I'm needing / and I don't want to waste more time / I'm in a New York state of mind
This song from 1976 has become one of Billy Joel's signature songs, and as the first verse goes, it was actually inspired by his return to New York from Los Angeles on a Greyhound bus. It's about returning to a feeling of home after being away and realising just how much you missed it. Joel wrote it after returning to New York from living in Los Angeles for three years, trying to boost his career there. It has been considered something of a love song to the Big Apple,
"Copcacabana (At the Copa)," Barry Manilow
the hottest spot north of Havana / at the Copa, Copacabana / music and passion were always the fasion / at the Copa
While the song had originally been conceived while Barry Manilow and songwriter Bruce Sussman were staying at the Copacabana Hotel in Rio de Janeiro (which also has the Copacabana barrio), the setting of the song was the Copacabana nightclub in New York. The nightclub had been in operation on-and-off since 1940, and at the time Manilow released his song in 1978, it had been operating as a discotheque since 1976 and was still in its original location on East 60th Street.
The song follows the story of showgirl Lola who works at the nightclub, and the two men who vie for her affection and fight each other; bartender Tony and mobster Rico. It became an international hit and won Manilow his only Grammy.
"I Run NY," The Lonely Island, Billie Joe Armstrong
New York, big city of dreams / and you know that I run this town / king of the streets, dressed in concrete / skyscrapers on my crown / so if you want this Big Apple / come try to take a bite / cause I run this motherfucking city / and I won't give it up without a fight!
This pick isn't like the rest which have featured on lists of the best New York songs, but it is a personal favourite of mine, and my favourite Lonely Island song (with "Jack Sparrow" a close second). It's a satrical take on what it takes to run the city of New York, from the perspective of the Mayor of New York. Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong features on the choruses, while the Lonely Island's Andy Samberg leads the vocals on the verses. The whole song parodies the many songs that position the narrator as an untouchable figure in control of an entire city by getting into the administrative and everyday duties that come with running a city like New York.
It starts out fairly ordinary, detailing the crowded and trashed streets and the exhausting nature of the work, before getting progressively more outlandish in the Mayor's duties. By the third (and final) verse, the Mayor is battling "gigantic fire-breathing mutuant rats," referencing the long-standing urban legends about the rats and creatures that supposedly lurk in New York's sewers. Not so much a love letter to the city like Joel's song, but it leans into the comedic musical style of the Lonely Island.
"My My Metrocard," Le Tigre
oh fuck! Giuliani! / he's such! a fucking jerk / shut down! all the strip bars / workfare! does not work
Art and electronic punk band Le Tigre was formed by Kathleen Hanna when she was living in New York City in the late 1990s, along with Johanna Fateman and Sadie Benning. Their debut self-titled album released in 1999 spans the pop rock and lo-fi new wave genres and is inspired by the band's political beliefs, as seen in this song. "My My Metrocard" is inspired by the New York of the 90s, using a call-and-response style to criticise then-Mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani. The second verse calls him out explicitly and opposes his crackdown of "quality of life" crimes.
It's also a go-go poppy song about escapism and exploration of the city, as the title Metrocard is the payment method for the New York City subway and transit buses.
"No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn," Beastie Boys
while you're at the job workin' nine-to-five / the Beastie Boys at the Garden cold kickin' it live
Brooklyn natives Beastie Boys - Mike D, Adam Yauch & Ad-Rock - call out their hometown in this classic cut from their 1986 album Licenced to Ill. In a parody of glam and metal rockers from the time, the song's narrative highlights the band's experiences on tour. The song features fast-paced bars throughout the verses as the Boys speak to a hard-partying lifestyle on the road, with the end goal to get back home to Brooklyn - with the title making up the shout-along chorus throughout. It is a song that speaks to the spirit of the City That Never Sleeps unlike many others.
"Seventeen," Sharon Van Etten
downtown hotspot halfway up the street / I used to be free, I used to be seventeen
While this song doesn't make much direct reference to the Big Apple, it is inspired by Sharon Van Etten's experiences of living in the city and how it changed during her time there. It evokes the feeling of seeing a landscape change around you, especially at a time in your own life while you're going through changes and growing up - the world can feel entirely open to you at age seventeen. She's looking back on her life and how it has changed, and how people find their place in the world. The lyrics paint a picture of a by-gone New York which was the origin of up-and-coming rock musicians like Van Etten, while the music video sees her return to her old haunts throughout the city.
"Theme From New York, New York," Frank Sinatra
if I can make it there / I'll make it anywhere
It may seem like a New York musical cliche now, but no list of New York songs would be complete without Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." It's so iconic that people probably think it's older than it actually is, but it comes at a later stage in Sinatra's career, having been recorded in 1979 and released in 1980. It first appeared in Martin Scorsese's 1977 musical film of the same name as sung by Liza Minelli (and she starred in the film opposite frequent Scorsese collaborator Robert De Niro).
While Sinatra grew up in Hoboken, New Jersey, this city lies right in view of the stunning Manhattan skyline, and Sinatra has come to be associated with the Big Apple. Much like the later "Empire State of Mind," this song captures the image of the eternal dreamer looking to make their way in the big city. While common nicknames of New York include the Big Apple, the Capital of the World, the Centre of the Universe, and the City That Never Sleeps, it could also be called "the City of Dreams" as most often people move there to make their dreams come true.
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