New York through Music

New York City has been immortalized in song hundreds of times. Some celebrate the wonder of the city, while others expose its underbelly. New York City, the city formerly known as New Amsterdam, and later to be made iconic by popular culture as the city that ne!er sleeps". #ike other iconic cities, there are many New Yorks, and not all of them exist outside of the imagination. And sometimes, the New York of the mind re!eals itself in little glimpses. $t"s these that popular songwriters seek to capture. %here are hundreds of songs about New York, all with different takes on what it means to li!e there, and what urban life is all about too. $f anything, this shows that regardless of points of !iew about New York, it can"t be denied that it is more than &ust a place to li!e. New York City has captured our imaginations.

Empire State of Mind

'ay(), *++, http-..www.youtube.com.watch/!0+1&s2o,l3$4

Yeah $5m out that 6rooklyn. Now $5m down in %ribeca. 7ight next to 8eNiro 6ut $5ll be hood fore!er $5m the new Sinatra And since $ made it here $ can make it anywhere 9Yeah they lo!e me e!erywhere: $ used to cop in ;arlem All of my 8ominicanos 9;ey yo: 7ight there off of 6roadway 6rought me back to that <c8onalds %ook it to my stash spot =3+ State Street Catch me in the kitchen like Simmons whipping >astry Cruising down 4th street ?ff(white #exus 8ri!ing so slow 9but 6@, it5s from %exasAA: <e $5m out that 6edStuy B

;ome of that boy 6iggie now $ li!e on 6illboard and $ brought my boys with me Say what up to %a(ta Still sipping <ai %ais Sitting courtside @nicks and Nets gi!e me high(= NCCga, $ be Spiked out $ could trip a referee ...tell by my attitude that $5m <?S% 8DE$N$%D#Y E7?<... New YorkAAAA Concrete &ungle where dreams are made of, %here5s nothing you can"t do, Now you5re in New YorkAAA %hese streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, #et5s hear it for New York, New York, New York $ made you hot nigga, Catch me at the 2 with ?F at a Yankee game, shit $ made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can, you should know $ bleed 6lue, but $ ain5t a crip tho, but $ got a gang of niggas walking with my cliGue though, welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rocks, Afrika bambaataa shit, home of the hip hop, yellow cab, gypsy cab, dollar cab, holla back, for foreigners it ain5t fitted act like they forgot how to act, 4 million stories out there and they5re naked, city it5s a pity half of y"all won"t make it, me $ gotta plug a special and $ got it made, $f 'eezy5s payin #e6ron, $"m paying 8wayne Hade, I dice cee(lo I card marley, #abor 8ay parade, rest in peace 6ob <arley, Statue of #iberty, long li!e the Horld %rade, long li!e the king yo, $"m from the Dmpire State that"sJ $n New YorkAAAA Concrete &ungle where dreams are made of, %here5s nothing you can"t do, Now you5re in New YorkAAA %hese streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, #et5s hear it for New York, New York, New York *

Helcome to the bright light.. #ights is blinding, girls need blinders so they can step out of bounds Guick, the side lines is blind with casualties, who sip the lite casually, then gradually become worse, don"t bite the apple D!e, caught up in the in crowd, now you5re in(style, and in the winter gets cold en !ogue with your skin out, the city of sin is a pity on a whim. good girls gone bad, the city5s filled with them, <ommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out, e!erybody ride her, &ust like a bus route, ;ail <ary to the city your a Kirgin, and 'esus can"t sa!e you life starts when the church ends, came here for school, graduated to the high life, ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight, <8<A got you feeling like a champion, the city ne!er sleeps better slip you a Ambien New YorkAAAA Concrete &ungle where dreams are made of, %here5s nothing you can"t do, Now you5re in New YorkAAA %hese streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, #et5s hear it for New York, New York, New York ?ne hand in the air for the big city, Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty, no place in the Horld that can compare, >ut your lighters in the air, e!erybody say yeaaahh come on, come, yeah, New YorkAAAA Concrete &ungle where dreams are made of, %here5s nothing you can"t do, Now you5re in New YorkAAA %hese streets will make you feel brand new, the lights will inspire you, #et5s hear it for New York, New York, New York

New York
>aloma Eaith *++, http-..www.youtube.com.watch/!0>)ELC86&B1+ %he days were long and the nights so cold %he pages turn and the tale unfolds ;e left me for another lady She stood so tall and she ne!er slept %he was not one moment he could regret ;e left me for another lady ;e took my hand one day and told me ;e was lea!ing <e disbelie!ing And $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ ;ad to let him go And it was New York, New York And she took his heart away oh my And it was New York, New York She had poisoned his sweet mind <mmm %he wol!es they howled for my lost soul $ fell down a deep black hole ;e left me for another lady M

She poured the drinks and she poured the power 8iamond girl who could talk for hours ;e left me for another lady Now $ am on my own ;e told me he was lea!ing And $ was pleading And $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ ;ad to let him go And it was New York, New York And she took his heart away oh my And it was New York, New York She had poisoned his sweet mind %he greatest times $ don5t want to hear it Your new laughter lines $ don5t want to hear it %he new found friends she introduced you to $ don5t wanna know them $ &ust want to be with you >lease do5t make me go to New York New York And she took your heart away oh my And it was New York, New York She poisoned your sweet mind And it was New York, New York And she took your heart away oh my And it was New York, New York She poisoned your sweet mind She poisoned your sweet mind

Shattered
7olling Stones, B,L4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKAUQVu9v8U

Shattered, shattered #o!e and hope and sex and dreams Are still sur!i!ing on the street #ook at me, $5m in tattersA $5m a shattered Shattered Eriends are so alarming <y lo!er5s ne!er charming #ife5s &ust a cocktail party on the street 6ig Apple >eople dressed in plastic bags 8irecting traffic Some kind of fashion Shattered #aughter, &oy, and loneliness and sex and sex and sex and sex #ook at me, $5m in tatters $5m a shattered Shattered All this chitter(chatter, chitter(chatter, chitter(chatter 5bout schmatte, schmatte, schmatte (( $ can5t gi!e it away on Lth A!enue %his town5s been wearing tatters 9shattered, shattered: Hork and work for lo!e and sex Ain5t you hungry for success, success, success, success 8oes it matter/ 9Shattered: 8oes it matter/ $5m shattered. Shattered 3

Ahhh, look at me, $5m a shattered $5m a shattered #ook at me( $5m a shattered, yeah >ride and &oy and greed and sex %hat5s what makes our town the best >ride and &oy and dirty dreams and still sur!i!ing on the street And look at me, $5m in tatters, yeah $5!e been battered, what does it matter 8oes it matter, uh(huh 8oes it matter, uh(huh, $5m a shattered 8on5t you know the crime rate is going up, up, up, up, up %o li!e in this town you must be tough, tough, tough, tough, toughA You got rats on the west side 6ed bugs uptown Hhat a mess this town5s in tatters $5!e been shattered <y brain5s been battered, splattered all o!er <anhattan 1h(huh, this town5s full of money grabbers Fo ahead, bite the 6ig Apple, don5t mind the maggots, huh Shadoobie, my brain5s been battered <y friends they come around they Elatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter, flatter >ile it up, pile it high on the platter

Englishman in New York

Sting, B,4L http-..www.youtube.com.watch/!0d*Lg%r>>AykNob0a!*nm

$ don5t drink coffee $ take tea my dear $ like my toast done on one side And you can hear it in my accent when $ talk $5m an Dnglishman in New York See me walking down Eifth A!enue A walking cane here at my side $ take it e!erywhere $ walk $5m an Dnglishman in New York $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York $f, O<anners maketh manO as someone said %hen he5s the hero of the day $t takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile 6e yourself no matter what they say $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York <odesty, propriety can lead to notoriety You could end up as the only one Fentleness, sobriety are rare in this society At night a candle5s brighter than the sun %akes more than combat gear to make a man %akes more than a license for a gun Confront your enemies, a!oid them when you can A gentleman will walk but ne!er run

$f, O<anners maketh manO as someone said %hen he5s the hero of the day $t takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile 6e yourself no matter what they say $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York $5m an alien $5m a legal alien $5m an Dnglishman in New York

Dirty Boulevard
#ou 7eed, B,4,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA4-4ifhi !

>edro li!es out of the Hilshire ;otel he looks out a window without glass %he walls are made of cardboard, newspapers on his feet his father beats him 5cause he5s too tired to beg ;e5s got , brothers and sisters they5re brought up on their knees it5s hard to run when a coat hanger beats you on the thighs >edro dreams of being older and killing the old man but that5s a slim chance he5s going to the boule!ard ;e5s going to end up, on the dirty boule!ard he5s going out, to the dirty boule!ard ;e5s going down, to the dirty boule!ard %his room cost *,+++ dollars a month you can belie!e it man it5s true somewhere a landlord5s laughing till he wets his pants No one here dreams of being a doctor or a lawyer or anything they dream of dealing on the dirty boule!ard Fi!e me your hungry, your tired your poor $5ll piss on 5em that5s what the Statue of 6igotry says Your poor huddled masses, let5s club 5em to death and get it o!er with and &ust dump 5em on the boule!ard Fet to end up, on the dirty boule!ard going out, to the dirty boule!ard ;e5s going down, on the dirty boule!ard B+

going out ?utside it5s a bright night there5s an opera at #incoln Center mo!ie stars arri!e by limousine %he klieg lights shoot up o!er the skyline of <anhattan but the lights are out on the <ean Streets A small kid stands by the #incoln %unnel he5s selling plastic roses for a buck %he traffic5s backed up to I,th street the %K whores are calling the cops out for a suck And back at the Hilshire, >edro sits there dreaming he5s found a book on magic in a garbage can ;e looks at the pictures and stares at the cracked ceiling OAt the count of IO he says, O$ hope $ can disappearO And fly fly away, from this dirty boule!ard $ want to fly, from dirty boule!ard $ want to fly, from dirty boule!ard $ want to fly(fly(fly(fly, from dirty boule!ard $ want to fly away $ want to fly Ely, fly away $ want to fly Ely(fly away 9Ely a(: fly(fly(fly 9(way, ooohhh...: Ely(fly away 9$ want to fly(fly away: fly away 9$ want to fly, wow(woh, no, fly away:

BB

New York City Boy

>et Shop 6oys, B,,, http-..www.youtube.com.watch/!0cpk4ym4iGH1Nob0a!*em Hhen you5re a boy Some days are tough #ying on your bad >laying punk rock and stuff ;ome is a boot camp You gotta escape Hanna go and wander $n the ticker(tape You feel the deal is real You5re a New York City boy So young, so run $nto New York City New York City boy You5ll ne!er ha!e a bored day 5Cause you5re a New York City 6oy Hhere Se!enth A!enue meets 6roadway %he street is amazing %he hoochies unreal Check out all the hardware At the latest deal B*

;ear a song %hat5s the bomb $f you don5t get the mix $t5s got eighty(six You feel the deal is real You5re in New York City New York City boy You5ll ne!er ha!e a bored day 5Cause you5re a New York City 6oy Hhere Se!enth A!enue meets 6roadway New York city boy %his is your reward day 5Cause you5re a New York City 6oy Hhere Se!enth A!enue meets 6roadway %hen as the e!ening falls You can return its calls You feel the deal is real You5re a New York City boy So young, so run $nto New York City New York City boy You5ll ne!er ha!e a bored day 5Cause you5re a New York City 6oy Hhere Se!enth A!enue meets 6roadway

BI

I love New York

<adonna, *++= http-..www.youtube.com.watch/!0u4PMpH6Qt'D

$ don5t like cities 6ut $ like new york ?ther places make me feel like a dork #os Angeles is for people who sleep >aris and #ondon 6aby you can keep RChorusS?ther cities always make me mad ?ther places always make me sad No other city e!er made me glad except New York$ lo!e New York R2IS $f you don5t like my attitude %hen you can E off 'ust go to %exas $sn5t that where they golf New York is not for little pussies who scream BM

$f you can5t stand the heat %hen get off my street RrepeatSRChorusS $ lo!e New York RrepeatSFet off my street RrepeatS

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