Songs About New York
For the month of September I will be picking a city to do a Top 5 Songs of Post for the weekly Friday Five theme. The second installment is a city I still haven’t gotten to visit, but very much want to. I have dreams of staying in the Chelsea Hotel and writing short stories there, of getting lost in Central Park, of taking a train to Upstate, of seeing a show on Broadway, and most of all, seeing my friends that live there. I know that I have a romanticized vision of the city, and that nothing lives up to such dreamy ideals, but I still want to see it, be in it, feel the city for myself. Someday I will find myself in the city that never sleeps.
“The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
“I love New York, even though it isn’t mine, the way something has to be, a tree or a street or a house, something, anyway, that belongs to me because I belong to it.” ~ Truman Capote
“London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it.” ~ Dorothy Parker
Following are my Top 5 songs about the New York. Do you have any?
1. Chelsea Hotel No. 2 :: Leonard Cohen
“And clenching your fist for the ones like us
who are oppressed by the figures of beauty,
you fixed yourself,
you said, ‘well never mind,
we are ugly but we have the music.'”
2. New York :: Stephen Fretwell
“Fuck what they say,
fuck it if they talk,
it really dont matter,
we’re going to New York.”
3. Only Living Boy in New York :: Simon & Garfunkel
“I’ve got nothing to do today but smile.”
4. New York, New York :: Ryan Adams
“And love don’t play any games with me,
anymore like she did before.
The world won’t wait,
so I better shake,
that thing right out there through the door.
Hell, I still love you, New York.”
5. Walk on the Wild Side :: Lou Reed
“She says, ‘hey, babe,
take a walk on the wild side.”
Said, “hey, honey,
take a walk on the wild side.”
lyriquediscorde 
“Lovely New York”-Evan Dando…;)!
“Coney Island” Death Cab For Cutie
uhhh, I really had to think about this for a second because there are SO many and likely tons I’m unaware of. I’ll just stick with those 2.
I love all the photos and art you used for this post, the first one is so beautiful with all the bold gold-yellow.
Would you believe late last night I was thinking about movies set in NYC.
Excellent post, NYC deserves the love letter.
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Lovely NY and Waking up in NY (Evan Dando & Craig Armstrong) were on my long list…as were sooooo many others. I think I need to make a NY playlist.
Thank you for the kind comments. I have a love/longing for NYC and hope to visit someday.
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I honestly clicked into that post knowing that Ryan Adams song would be on there(I mean how could it not be) but that you’d save the ED and probably knew I’d comment about it haha. Definitely make a playlist! I don’t have spotify but I can always find the songs on youtube & itunes and I go from there, it’s one of the best features of your blog.
You’ll get to NY! Have you been to the East Coast before? You’re such a California Girl.
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I have been to Florida twice – once for business (Miami) and once for a long vacation when I was in my 20’s (Key Largo). I lived in Michigan and Chicago, so I’ve been in the Midwest, but never made it to New York…I will get there!!!
Making a playlist now – it will probably be up tomorrow. 🙂
ED got beat out by Simon and Garfunkel because I’ve loved that song since I was a little girl…but it was SO CLOSE (and YES! I knew you’d mention it :))
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you’ve lived a lot of places! you DO have a gypsie’s soul=)
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Yep. I lived in Salt Lake City for a year, too 🙂
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Oh my lord.
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