One of Gothamist's favorite passtimes is trolling Wikipedia for new information about New York, and today we really hit paydirt: Someone is building a complete list of songs that reference our fair city. Take just the first ten-- you know you're living in the right city when you've got both Simon & Garfunkel and 2 Live Crew writing about it:
# "53rd and 3rd" by The RamonesHowever, it's also a little alarming when you find out that Kenny G has penned a song called "Tribeca." Check out some of our other favorite Wikipedia NYC pages: official NYC page, list of NYC lists page, and NYC travel page from WikiTravel.
# "Angel of Harlem" by U2
# "Arthur's Theme" by Christopher Cross
# "Avenue A" by Daniel Cartier
# "Avenue B" by Iggy Pop
# "Back to the Bronx" by 2 Live Crew
# "Black History Month" by Death From Above 1979 (inspired by a ride through the New York subway)
# "Bleecker Street" by Simon and Garfunkel
# "Boogie Down Bronx" by JVC Force
# "The Boxer" by Simon and Garfunkel
And what NYC songs do you think should be added to the list?




"South Bronx" by Boogie Down Productions
"Respiration" by Mos Def & Talib Kweli
and like twelve million others
New York, New York - Frank Sinatra
while the kenny g number is sure to induce some head-scratching, what about the like-named suv by subaru. if 'tribeca' wasn't enough, they had to add 'b9' onto it? does that evoke something subway-like or is it supposed to??
pj harvey / thom yorke - this mess we're in
m. doughty - thank you, lord, for sending me the f-train
j-live - brooklyn public / the sidewalks / etc.
"Bedstuy Parade" and "Brooklyn" (etc etc) by Mos Def
"Queens" by Pharoahe Monch
"Waiting for the Man" by Velvet Underground
"Midsummer New York" by Yoko Ono
"NYC" by Interpol, and "Tiptoe" and "Cradle and All" by Ani DiFranco
better pj harvey= "you said something." begins- "On a rooftop in Brooklyn/ at one in the morning/ watching the lights flash/ in Manhattan..."
Velvet Underground's "Coney Island Steeplechase."
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips' "Park Slope."
My My Metrocard - Le Tigre
The Brooklynites - Soul Coughing
138th Street- The Walkmen
Spring Street - Dar Williams
Sullivan Street - Counting Crows
Sixth Avenue Heartache- The Wallflowers
On Broadway - the Drifters
Easter Parade - Fred Astaire & Judy Garland
Positively Fourth Street - Bob Dylan
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters - Elton John
New York - U2
10th Avenue Freeze Out - Bruce Springsteen
Manhattan Avenue - Nellie McKay
Rhapsody in Blue - George Gershwin
new york city serenade – bruce springsteen
new york - the sex pistols
new york - lou reed
new york city – tmgb
the boy from new york city - manhattan transfer
the only living boy in new york – simon & garfunkel
My Apartment - Ben Kweller
Back in N.Y.C. - Jeff Buckley version
And another PJ Harvey: Good Fortune. Actually, the whole album "Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea" is appropriate.
hehe, listening to "Incident on 57th Street" by le Boss right now
Harlem River Drive by Bobbi Humphrey
"F Train" by Babe the Blue Ox
also i think "Let's Get Rid of New York" by The Randoms should be included on that list, even if it's a little negative. Yo La Tengo does a nice (if elongated) cover of it: http://www.sba.muohio.edu/plattgj/Audio/LetsGetRidofNY.mp3
FEAR of course - " i dont care about you, fuck you......." something like that, its a great song. all about manhattan..." he died we stood there looking at em...aint he cute!" thats another line. Its about philly too so maybe its not only manhattan. i wish there was more punk rock kareoke.
How About You? - Bobby Darin
Rolling Stones "Waiting on a Friend"
Song is real NYC and the video backs the fact, jack...
Ton of Soul Coughing and Mike Doughty songs that have to do with NYC.. to add to those above:
- "I'm Living on Baby Food," Soul Coughing (Well, Long Island.. close enough?)
- "Is Chicago, Is Not Chicago," Soul Coughing
- "True Dreams of Wichita," Soul Coughing
- "Sunken-Eyed Girl," Mike Doughty
- "Down on the River by the Sugar Plant," Mike Doughty
- "I Hear the Bells," Mike Doughty
Also, that old standard, "Lullaby of Broadway" - I can't believe it's not on that list already.
New York City Boy by Petshop boys. (You're a New York City boy, where 7th Avenue meets Broadway). C'mon all you fellow CNPers know you sing it when you walk through that front door!
Springtime in New York - Jonathan Richman
New York, New York by Ryan Adams
Autumn in New York
Quicksand- East 3rd St.
Pish, you are all ignoring the greatest NYC song ever: "Ground Zero Brooklyn" by Carnivore.
"the only living boy in new york" is the best. most of these are on the list, but some are not... a few to mention here:
- Englishman in New York : Sting
- Leaving New York : R.E.M.
- My City of Ruins : Bruce Springsteen
- Chelsea Morning : Joni Mitchell
- Silver Manhattan : Jesse Malin
- Chelsea : Counting Crows
- 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) : Simon & Garfunkel
- A Heart in New York : Art Garfunkel
- Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More : Steely Dan
- Sunday in New York : Bobby Darrin
- I Happen to Like New York : Catrina Valente
- Manhattan Serenade : Catrina Valente
- Good Old New York : Jelly Roll Morton
- Manhattan : Bobby Short
- Autumn in New York : Charlie Parker, or Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong ...(there are many more versions, of course, but these are two of my faves)
Also, did no one mention
- New York State of Mind by Billy Joel here?
Anybody yet mention....
The Strokes - NYC Cops
Some Action - Some Action ("New York's dead, let's make some action!") Great f-----' song.
John Miles - Manhattan Skyline (http://www.mmguide.musicmatch.com/album/album.cgi?ALBUMID=1084868)
New York, New York-- The Dogg Pound feat. Snoop Dogg
New York, New York-- The Dogg Pound feat. Snoop Dogg
Token Back to Brooklyn -TMBG
Marching Bands of Manhattan -Death Cab
They forget Simon & Garfunkel's "At the Zoo," which is all about the Central Park Zoo. ("It's a light and tumble journey / From the East Side to the park / Just a fine and fancy ramble to the zoo / But you can take a crosstown bus / If it's raining or it's cold. . . .")
MC Shan's answer to BDP's South Bronx... The Bridge...
Gotta love wikipedia
BDP's answer to MC Shan's answer to "South Bronx:"
"The Bridge Is Over"
Madball's "New York City" is the ultimate NYC song that sums up the experience of the city better than any other (assuming you're a hardcore tough guy thug).
Re: Bruce's "My City of Ruins"
The song was actually written before 9/11 and was originally a lament about the decline of Asbury Park, NJ. Of course, it's now a major part of "The Rising", the definitive post-9/11 album.
Mark McAdam "The Bowery Song" (there are days I look straight up the Bowery)
Lloyd Cole "What Do You Know About Love" (it's raining on Bleecker Street!)
- Harlem Blues - Cynda Williams
- Ben E king - Spanish Harlem
- Jennifer Warnes - Big Noise, New York (I walk from the river to West Broadway/Every stranger spoke your name/Every sign read 'yesterday')
- Harry Nilsson - I Guess the Lord must be in New York City
100 Guns - Boogie Down Productions
"I got a hundred guns two hundred clips
goin to New York, New York"
Here are a couple:
""New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" by Fear (haters), "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues (great song), "Alien Love Song" by Kenny Young and the Eggplants (poignant in retrospect).
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One more for the list! "Jamaican In New York" by Shinehead. A cover version of Sting's "Englishman In New York". One for all reggae music fans!