# new york songs. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 21, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919 "2002-08-21T14:09:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/1 "2002-08-21T14:09:09Z")
what the title says. people like to write songs about new york. especially recently. so what are your favourites? let us produce a comprehensive list of songs about the big apple. i will start with: **The Strokes** - New York City Cops **The Cruel Sea** - Cocaine (Knife, fork, bottle and a cork, that’s the way you spell New York) **Craig Armstrong and Evan Dando** - Wake Up In New York **Ryan Adams** - New York **They Might Be Giants** - New York City **The Get Up Kids** - Washington Square Park **U2** - Angel Of Harlem **U2** - New York **Rhubarb** - New York **The Beastie Boys** - No Sleep To Brooklyn **Leonard Cohen** - First We Take Manhattan **Death Cab For Cutie** - Coney Island **Black Eyed Peas** - Cali to NY **Lo-tel** - Hudson, NY and, i’m sure, a whole lot more… ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/2 "2002-08-21T14:31:27Z")
**Billy Joel** - New York State Of Mind **Don Henley** - In A New York Minute **Frank Sinatra** - New York, NY **Petulia Clark** - Downtown ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Bee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Larry\_Bee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Bee)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/3 "2002-08-21T15:34:53Z")
Lou Reed wrote a whole album about New York. A damn good one it is too. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/4 "2002-08-21T15:36:39Z")
Billy Joel: Miami 2017 (Seen the lights go out on Broadway…) Kiss: Back in a New York Grove Ramones: Rockaway Beach ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/5 "2002-08-21T16:04:54Z")
New York, What’s the Matter with You? If a Table at Rector’s Could Talk Broadway Melody Broadway Rose Sidewalks of New York Give My Regards to Broadway And check [this book](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0823083497/qid=1029945467/sr=1-8/ref=sr_1_8/104-6957421-1942339) out for many, many more New York songs. ---
**Author:** ![Skerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Skerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skerri)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/6 "2002-08-21T16:09:07Z")
**Jump, Little Children** - Cathedrals (well, it’s about the cathedrals there, obviously, but it’s a gorgeous song.) I love that **Ryan Adams** song. In fact, I’m listening to it now. ---
**Author:** ![Judith\_Prietht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b19c9b/32.png) [@Judith\_Prietht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judith_Prietht)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/7 "2002-08-21T16:11:36Z")
As always, **The Pogues’** Fairytale of New York. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/8 "2002-08-21T17:17:28Z")
**42nd Street Lullabye of Broadway New York, New York** (“it’s a wonderful town/The Bronx is up and the Battery’s Down”) **New York, New York** ("Start spreading the news . . . ") **The Boy from New York City Take Me Back to Manhattan** ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/9 "2002-08-21T22:36:02Z")
**New York, New York** - Nina Hagen ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/10 "2002-08-21T22:42:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gex gex \* > **They Might Be Giants** - New York City That was a cover, actually. It was originally by a Vancouver trio called Cub. Great song, though; both versions. To me, the ultimate New York City music is Gershwin’s **Rhapsody in Blue** , especially when combined with the Hirshfeldian animation in _Fantasia 2000_. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/11 "2002-08-21T23:06:42Z")
**The Statue of Liberty** – XTC ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2002, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/12 "2002-08-21T23:25:24Z")
**Mason Jennings** –New York City (an original by him) ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/13 "2002-08-22T05:25:12Z")
**New York, New York, New York** - Steve Martin ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/14 "2002-08-22T05:44:51Z")
Since none of these are actualy on the album mentioned above: “Walk on the Wild Side” “Coney Island Baby” “New York Telephone Conversation” And can I include “Ditachable Penis”, because he found his dick on a blanket on 2nd Ave? That song always says “New York” to me… ---
**Author:** ![MeanJoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanjoe/32/5693_2.png) [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/15 "2002-08-22T06:01:03Z")
**Black 47** “Brooklyn Girls” “Rockin’ The Bronx” Too many others I can’t remember at 2:00 a.m. with a belly of Guinness on! MeanJoe ---
**Author:** ![A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/46a35a/32.png) [@A\_wizard\_song\_for\_thee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A_wizard_song_for_thee)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/16 "2002-08-22T06:46:11Z")
Okay, some Lou Reed songs (Some were on _New York_, some weren’t), and I’m sure this isn’t even the exhaustive list of his NY songs, they’re just the ones I can think of at the moment… Oh, and be warned that some of these are songs recorded by and sometimes credited to The Velvet Underground: “I’m Waiting for the Man” “Sister Ray” “After Hours” The original version of “New Age” “Rock & Roll” “Train 'Round the Bend” is almost about NYC, but I don’t think it’s specifically mentioned. “Perfect Day” “Walk on the Wild Side” “New York Telephone Conversation” “N.Y. Stars” “Coney Island Baby” “Romeo had Juliette” “Halloween Parade (AIDS)” “Dirty Blvd.” “Endless Cycle” “Sick of You” “NYC Man” And, uh, that’s all I can think of for now… ---
**Author:** ![G.Nome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c89c15/32.png) [@G.Nome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/G.Nome)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/17 "2002-08-22T07:27:49Z")
**Bruce Springsteen** - New York City Serenade from The Wild, The Innocent and the E Street Shuffle. Once, in a thread devoted to listing personal top ten songs, I included NY City Serenade, when in fact, I meant Incident on 57th Street. That song is set in New York (as far as I can tell) so maybe it’s right for this thread too. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/18 "2002-08-22T07:44:54Z")
**Billy Joel** Miami 2017 **Art Garfunkel (with Paul Simon at the Live in Central Park Concert)** Heart in New York **Queen** New York, New York ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/19 "2002-08-22T07:46:09Z")
Oh, and of course, **Lou Reed** Dirty Boulevard ---
**Author:** ![Intaglio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/71e660/32.png) [@Intaglio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intaglio)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-york-songs/124919/20 "2002-08-22T16:39:01Z")
Sting - Englishman in New York