I'm putting together a cd of songs about NYC, can you give me some pretty good songs to add to the list I have?

the Artist, the album, the year, if you have any quotes about the song from the artist would be cool too. Especially if anyone has a quote from Prince about his song.

Here is what I have so far in no particular order yet.

.

1.) New York State of Mind -Billy Joel (1976)

I'm just taking a Greyhound on the Hudson River Line

2.) I Love New York (White Label Extended Mix) -Madonna (2005)

New York is not for little pussies who scream

"But let's face it, with New York, it's like putting your finger in a socket." -Madonna on recording I Love New York

3.) Walking In New York - Brenda Russell (2000)

You don't skip a beat when you're hittin' the street

4.) All the Critics Love U in New York -Prince and the noituloveR (1982)

They won't say that u're naive if U play what U believe - in New York

5.) Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down -Alicia Keyes (2009)

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of

"The music is really strong, and the drums are really aggressive, but my voice is vulnerable and delicate".

6.) Native New Yorker -Odyssey(1977)

When you still believed love could really be like a Broadway show

7.) On Broadway - George Benson (1978)

They say there's always magic in the air

songs I'm considering depending on whose rendition

Harlem Nocturne (...Duke Ellington)

Autumn in New York (...Frank Sinatra)

It spells the thrill of first-nighting

Down in the Depths on the 90th Floor (...Helen Carr)

Human Nature (Michael Jackson)

...if this town is just an apple then let me take a bite

any cool images of NYC?

First thing that came to mind.....

-

-

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"We were born and raised in New York City,

Fell in love, in Central Park

-

I really love New York City,

Still No. 1 in my heart"

[Edited 8/6/14 12:31pm]

Nina HAgen- New York, New York (1983)

Not sure if these fit the vibe of the songs you currently have selected, but what comes to mind for me are :

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd

Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry

PJ Harvey - Good Fortune (really all the songs on that album are about or inspired by NY)

Jill Jones - 77 Bleeker Street

Leonard Cohen (or Meshel Ndegeocello's version) - Chelsea Hotel

[Edited 8/6/14 12:38pm]

http://prince.org/msg/8/404134

I've thought about making a NYC mix too, but could never decide on a definitive list I liked. I was torn between big hits like "New York State of Mind" and more underground stuff like Nina Hagen's "New York New York".

Anyway, here are some I like that have not been mentioned yet:

"Manhattan" - Ella Fitzgerald (Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Songbook, 1956)


"New York Groove" - Ace Frehley (Ace Frehley, 1978)

"8 Million Stories" - Kurtis Blow (Ego Trip, 1984)

"Walking Down Madison" - Kirsty MacColl (Electric Landlady, 1991)

"My My Metrocard" - Le Tigre (Le Tigre, 1999)

"New York" - Richard Ashcroft (Alone With Everybody, 1999)


"Manhattan" - Cat Power (Sun, 2013)

[Edited 8/6/14 15:22pm]

Cinny said:

http://prince.org/msg/8/404134

There are some good ones in this thread too: http://prince.org/msg/8/311170

The Apple Stretching - Grace Jones (1982)

lezama said:

Daryl Hall ~ NYCNY {recorded in 1977, released 1980}
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 ~ New York New York {1983}
Ben E. King ~ Spanish Harlem {1960}
Bill Withers ~ Harlem {1971}

Bobbi Humphrey ~ Harlem River Drive {1973}

Steely Dan ~ Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More {1975}

James Brown ~ Down And Out In New York City {1973}
Don Henley ~ New York Minute {1989}
DNA & Suzanne Vega ~ Tom's Diner {1990}
The Manhattan Transfer ~ Boy From New York City {1981}

Mel Torme ~ Autumn In New York {1963}
Horace Silver ~ New York Lament {1976}
Digable Planets with Lester Bowie & Wah Wah Watson ~ Flyin' High In The Brooklyn Sky {1994}
Digable Planets ~ Pacifics {1993}
Beastie Boys ~ An Open Letter To NYC {2004}

Tom Browne ~ Funkin' For Jamaica (N.Y.) {1980}

Harlem River Drive ~ Harlem River Drive (Theme) {1971}
Bobby Darin ~ Sunday In New York {1964}

Cameo ~ New York {1979}

Dick Jensen ~ New York City's A Lonely Town {1973}
The Trammps ~ The Night The Lights Went Out {1977}
Genesis ~ Back in N.Y.C {1974}
Bobby Womack ~ Across 110th Street {1972}
Roy Ayers Ubiquity ~ We Live In Brooklyn Baby {1971}
Buck Owens And His Buckaroos ‎~ I Wouldn't Live In New York City {1970}

New York City Band ~ New York City Band {1979}

lezama said:

Not sure if these fit the vibe of the songs you currently have selected, but what comes to mind for me are :

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd

Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry

PJ Harvey - Good Fortune (really all the songs on that album are about or inspired by NY)

Jill Jones - 77 Bleeker Street

Leonard Cohen (or Meshel Ndegeocello's version) - Chelsea Hotel

There is so much out there, that at this point, I'm open to everything

thanks for your input, I'm going to check these out

sexton said:

I've thought about making a NYC mix too, but could never decide on a definitive list I liked. I was torn between big hits like "New York State of Mind" and more underground stuff like Nina Hagen's "New York New York".

Thanks for sharing those links, definately open to everything

I have been toying with different ideas

I think doing about 4-5 different ones with different levels of NYC like one being the romance of NYC or the ideal of NYC, another being more about particular buroughs, another about events etc

RaspBerryGirlFriend said:

lezama said:

Not sure if these fit the vibe of the songs you currently have selected, but what comes to mind for me are :

Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd

Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry

PJ Harvey - Good Fortune (really all the songs on that album are about or inspired by NY)

Jill Jones - 77 Bleeker Street

Leonard Cohen (or Meshel Ndegeocello's version) - Chelsea Hotel

[Edited 8/6/14 12:38pm]

Love your first choice, Lou's brilliant New York album fits in very well with the theme of the thread, for obvious reasons However unlike some of the other did mentioned above, the material of New York isn't a grand evocation of the greatness of the city, but rather a series of character vignettes of some of the individuals who make up the underclass of the city, my favorite being the rather romantic opener "Romeo Had Juliette". Your namechecking of Chelsea Hotel also reminded me of Joni's Chelsea Morning as a candidate, it's a bit more lightweight than her later stuff, but it's still a nice folk pop song.

I like the ideal of a narrower focus on 'character vignettes/individuals who make up the unclass of the city' on a city

Try this one!

MickyDolenz said:

Daryl Hall ~ NYCNY {recorded in 1977, released 1980}
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 ~ New York New York {1983}
Ben E. King ~ Spanish Harlem {1960}
Bill Withers ~ Harlem {1971}

Bobbi Humphrey ~ Harlem River Drive {1973}

Steely Dan ~ Daddy Don't Live In That New York City No More {1975}

James Brown ~ Down And Out In New York City {1973}
Don Henley ~ New York Minute {1989}
DNA & Suzanne Vega ~ Tom's Diner {1990}
The Manhattan Transfer ~ Boy From New York City {1981}

Mel Torme ~ Autumn In New York {1963}
Horace Silver ~ New York Lament {1976}
Digable Planets with Lester Bowie & Wah Wah Watson ~ Flyin' High In The Brooklyn Sky {1994}
Digable Planets ~ Pacifics {1993}
Beastie Boys ~ An Open Letter To NYC {2004}

Tom Browne ~ Funkin' For Jamaica (N.Y.) {1980}

Harlem River Drive ~ Harlem River Drive (Theme) {1971}
Bobby Darin ~ Sunday In New York {1964}

Cameo ~ New York {1979}

Dick Jensen ~ New York City's A Lonely Town {1973}
The Trammps ~ The Night The Lights Went Out {1977}
Genesis ~ Back in N.Y.C {1974}
Bobby Womack ~ Across 110th Street {1972}
Roy Ayers Ubiquity ~ We Live In Brooklyn Baby {1971}
Buck Owens And His Buckaroos ‎~ I Wouldn't Live In New York City {1970}

New York City Band ~ New York City Band {1979}

wow that's a list to listen thru thanks

Many I knew of but needed a memory jog

and others I've never heard of

This is a nice intimate NYC vibe.

I heard this back in 1999 in the City that summer getting ready to go out to a club Kiss Klub Klassics

CynicKill said:

omg lol talk about ride back in time, thanks

I always felt Donald Fagen's I.G.Y. had some weird futuristic big city vibe to it.

RAMONES! Rockaway Beach, 53rd and 3rd, I Just Wanna Have Something To Do

MORNINGWOOD - New York Girls

VELVET UNDERGROUND - Waiting For The Man

OK, don't laugh, but I still love this one. Huey's vocals sound good on this too.

Lovely lil' synth solo...

bobzilla77 said:

MORNINGWOOD - New York Girls

I really liked Morningwood when they were around. That song is great. I never got into Chantal Claret solo though.

New York City Cops by The Strokes

Thanks everyone for what you've shared, I'm enjoying searching and listening

Man Parrish - Boggie Down (Bronx)

3rd Bass - Brooklyn Queens

Rick James - New York Town