# A musical map of New York City **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 8, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316 "2014-01-08T21:32:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flying\_Saucer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9dc877/32.png) [@Flying\_Saucer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flying_Saucer)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/1 "2014-01-08T21:32:04Z")
I was thinking about songs that mention actual NYC addresses or intersections, thinking it would be interesting to create a sort of musical map of the city, that you could stand in front of real places named in songs. Unfortunately, my knowledge of music isn’t that vast. Here’s what I’ve got so far: **Stranded at Broadway and Bleecker** - “Myraid Harbour” by the New Pornographers **Where 7th Avenue meets Broadway** (Times Square) - “New York City Boy” by the Pet Shop Boys **Underneath the big clock at the corner of 5th Avenue and 22nd Street** - “Four of Two” by They Might Be Giants **Used to take the subway up to Houston and 3rd** - “New York, New York” by Ryan Adams **Lexington and 52nd Street** - “Lexington and 52nd Street” from the TV show _Smash_ **560 State Street** - “Empire State of Mind” by Jay-Z I’m sure I’m missing a hundred others. Any ideas? I’m looking for intersections and addresses, not just NYC places like “I recall Central Park in fall.” ---
**Author:** ![DChord568](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/2 "2014-01-08T21:41:12Z")
53rd and 3rd – Ramones (song from their debut album) The Boxer – Simon and Garfunkel (“just a come-on from the whores on Seventh Avenue”) Bleeker and MacDougal – Fred Neil (title song of his 1965 album) ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/3 "2014-01-08T21:48:49Z")
Hanging out on Second Avenue eating chicken vindaloo-- The Ramones, Looking for Something To Do Love was just a passing word when he dropped you off at East 83rd-- Oddyssey, Native New Yorker ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/4 "2014-01-08T21:49:06Z")
“Cause I want to be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz” - _All Falls Down_, Kanye West ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/5 "2014-01-08T21:58:34Z")
Feeling Groovy **The 59th Street Bridge Song** (the Queensboro bridge) Simon and Garfunkel ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/6 "2014-01-08T22:05:47Z")
> [@Flying\_Saucer](#): > > I’m sure I’m missing a hundred others. Any ideas? I’m looking for intersections and addresses, not just NYC places like “I recall Central Park in fall.” The lyrics to “42nd Street” mention Times Square, which should count as an intersection. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/7 "2014-01-08T22:15:07Z")
**Up to lexington, 125** “Waiting for the Man”-- Velvet Underground. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/8 "2014-01-08T22:15:23Z")
Lexington and 125th - Waiting for My Man by the Velvet Underground Argh! \ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/9 "2014-01-08T22:16:56Z")
[Lou Reed] Up to Lexington, and 1 - 2 - 5 Feel sick and dirty, more dead than alive - I’m - I’m waiting for my man [/Lou Reed] ETA: ARGH!! Ninja’d by TWO prior posts - bravo, guys! how about **53rd and 3rd** by Dee Dee Ramone - where the rent boys used to hang out…crap, **DChord** beat me to that one, too! ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/10 "2014-01-08T22:23:29Z")
From George & Ira Gershwin’s _Manhattan_: (Assuming we’re including all the boroughs) The Bronx Staten Island The (Bronx) Zoo Delancy Street Mott Street Coney Island Central Park Greenwich (Village or Street) Bowling Green Brighton Jamaica Bay Canarsie Fifth Avenue Flatbush Inspiration Point ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/11 "2014-01-08T22:27:50Z")
“Big Man on [Mulberry Street](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ML3Xp1rK-8)” - Billy Joel. ---
**Author:** ![Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Brynhildr\_Budladottir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynhildr_Budladottir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/12 "2014-01-08T22:45:41Z")
No mention of (and I know this may be controversial/someone will probably not like this song) Billy Joel’s “New York State Of Mind”? ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/13 "2014-01-08T22:48:08Z")
“I was walking up Sixth Avenue when balloon man blew up in my face There were loads of them on Bryant Park so I didn’t feel out of place” - Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians - “Balloon Man” “Then as I walked down Second Avenue toward St. Mark’s Place Where all those people sell used books and other junk on the street” - King Missile - “Detachable Penis” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/14 "2014-01-08T22:53:51Z")
“Down on Sullivan Street across from the Medical Center” - Billy Joel in “Moving Out” ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/15 "2014-01-08T22:56:51Z")
In the song “Streets of New York” by the Irish folk group the Wolfe Tones… “We came in the Shore Parkway to the flatlands of Brooklyn To me Uncle’s apartment on East 53rd.” And later… “So I went up to Nellie’s beside Fordham Road.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/16 "2014-01-08T23:02:22Z")
Ah - here’s one not mentioned yet: **Positively Fourth Street** by Bob Dylan. Slamming a woman he thinks is a Greenwich Village folkie phony… ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/17 "2014-01-08T23:11:38Z")
The Two Ronnies, [Broadway Malady](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD8xn-yWdcw): > [@](#): > > Want some razzmatazz? > Want some liquor and jazz? > Step down to [Fifth and Madison](https://maps.google.com/maps?q=fifth+ave+and+madison+ave,+nyc&hl=en&sll=40.817184,-73.934457&sspn=0.009857,0.015707&hnear=5th+Ave+%26+Madison+Ave,+New+York,+10037&t=m&z=16), New York! ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/18 "2014-01-08T23:17:12Z")
An oldie but a goodie: **Greg Kihn - Madison Avenue** : [Madison Avenue - Greg Kihn - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqb4TjQL1uU) I’m a Madison Avenue Man - I can make your fantasies a part of my plan I’m a Madison Avenue Man - let me touch your money with my Madison hands… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/19 "2014-01-08T23:25:33Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > From George & Ira Gershwin’s _Manhattan_: > > (Assuming we’re including all the boroughs) > > The Bronx > Staten Island > The (Bronx) Zoo > Delancy Street > Mott Street > Coney Island > Central Park > Greenwich (Village or Street) > Bowling Green > Brighton > Jamaica Bay > Canarsie > Fifth Avenue > Flatbush > Inspiration Point That’s Rodgers and Hart, not the Gershwins, but it’s a great example. There’s a whole song about the jazz clubs on 52nd Street. It’s an old standard, nothing to do with Billy Joel, but unfortunately I can’t find it through Google because of other musical items that also were named after 52nd St. I have a recording of it by Elaine Stritch. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316/20 "2014-01-08T23:26:18Z")
Sonic Youth has an album called Murray Street. I don’t know where you’d even begin to catalog all the places the Beastie Boys rapped about. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-musical-map-of-new-york-city/678316.md?page=2)