“Nights on Broadway” and “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees
“Up on the Roof” by James Taylor
“You Belong to the City” by Glenn Frye
“I Am the City” by ABBA. Yes, really–it’s on the ABBA Gold Volume 2 CD (the one with the white cover).
I think this qualifies - If it doesn’t, oh well - it still makes my top fifty songs of all-time list:
The Mark-Almond Band* - The City (Grass And Concrete/Taxi To Brooklyn/ Speak Easy It’s A Whiskey Scene) - 1971 - From their Self-entiled Blue Thumb Records debut & The Rhino ‘Best-Of’ compilation.
They also re-recorded and retitled it ‘New York State Of Mind / Return To The City’ in 1977 on their album ‘Other People’s Rooms’ (also on the Rhino compilation).
*=Not the more famous Marc Almond of Soft Cell fame. The Jon Mark / Johnny Almond colaboration after the former sat in on John Mayall’s ‘Turning Point’ album.
Before poo-pooing it as an obscure song that no one has ever heard, I recommend at least checking it out. It’s almost 11 minutes long - with several tempo and chord changes. It’s sometimes light, somtimes jazzy, sometimes heavy. Be forwarned, on the B&N site & AMG, the links are mislabelled (if you click the link for the song entitled The City, you’ll hear a song called Tramp & The Young Girl and vice versa).
Roberta Plant stole mine.
How 'bout No Sleep 'til Brooklyn-- Beastie Boys
“Marcie” & “Night in the City” - Joni Mitchell
“Detachable Penis” - King Missile
“Balloon Man” - Robin Hitchcock
“Foolish Love” - Rufus Wainwright
“China” - Tori Amos
“Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Comin’ To The Canyon)” - Mama’s & Papa’s
“the Jeffersons” theme song
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (sort of) - Deep Blue Something
“New York Tendaberry” by Laura Nyro (a quintessential song and album). There’s also “Mercy On Broadway” from the same album
And two borough-specific ones: “Brooklyn Roads” by Neil Diamond, and “North Bronx French Marie” by Stew, which has the wonderful chorus of look what the New York summer’s done/you’re in a punk rock tshirt, melting in the sun…