Time For A New 'New York Anthem'?

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: "Time For A New 'New York Anthem'?"

Podcast: All Of It (WNYC)
Host: Koosha Navadar (filling in for Alison Stewart)
Air Date: August 23, 2024

---

Overview

In this vibrant and energetic episode, guest host Koosha Navadar and producer Simon Close dig into the perennial question: What song truly deserves to be called the New York anthem? Prompted by the Democratic National Convention’s use of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ "Empire State of Mind" (yet again) for New York’s roll call, the show explores why just a handful of songs seem to dominate as symbols of the city and state—and why it might be time to update the shortlist.

Listeners and colleagues weigh in with their favorite, sometimes surprising, alternatives—spanning hip hop, salsa, disco, punk, jazz, and more, drawing a musical map of both city and upstate, all while celebrating NYC's boundless creativity and quirky spirit.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. DNC Playlist Kick-off and "The Usual Suspects"

• [01:02] The conversation starts with a reflection on the DNC state roll call, specifically how New York yet again got “Empire State of Mind”—and the desire for more variety in how New York is sonically represented.
• [02:41] Simon lists the “usual suspects”:
  • Empire State of Mind (Jay-Z & Alicia Keys)
  • New York State of Mind (Billy Joel)
  • New York, New York (Frank Sinatra)
• Koosha: "So we put a call out to some of our colleagues and listeners to come up with suggestions for alternative New York anthems." (02:48)

---

2. Hip Hop Representations of NYC

• [04:30] Hip hop’s deep resonance with NYC is immediately tapped, with borough-specific shoutouts:

  • Brooklyn: Beastie Boys “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” Mos Def “Brooklyn,” Shabazz the Disciple “Red Hook Day”
  • Queens: Pharoahe Monch “Queens,” Tom Browne “Funkin’ for Jamaica”
  • South Bronx: Boogie Down Productions

• Nas – “New York State of Mind” is featured as a transcendent NYC hip hop anthem.

  • Notable quote:

    “Sleep is the cousin of death, which makes sense for the city that never sleeps.” – Simon, quoting Andrea Duncan-Mao (05:12)

  • [06:01] Clip played

• Cam’ron, Jay-Z & Juelz Santana – “Welcome to New York City”

  • Noted as a "post-9/11" anthem reflecting early 2000s NYC attitude and resilience. (06:31)

• More recent voices:

  • Princess Nokia’s “ABCs of New York” (09:56)
    • “[This] just is a great... perfect anthem to the city.” – Simon (09:28)
  • Pop Smoke’s “Dior”, unofficial modern NYC anthem (09:13)

---

3. Songs from (and about) New York Musicals

• Listener texts highlight the importance of musical theater:
  • “Try New York City” (Annie) and “New York, New York” from On The Town (08:15)
  • Don Henley’s “New York Minute” gets a nod.

---

4. Disco, Salsa & Genre-Bending Classics

• “Native New Yorker” by Odyssey (Disco)

  • [11:39] “You grew up riding the subways...”
  • “Everyone in this studio is dancing right now.” – Koosha (12:26)

• Salsa: “Un Verano en Nueva York” by El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico

  • [13:02] “If you want to have fun... all you got to do is live in the summer in New York City.” – Simon
  • Sheldon: “70s is the rise of hip hop and salsa.” (12:40)
  • Simon personalizes the song’s Hudson Valley reference: “This song mentions Bear Mountain, La Montana del Oso.” (13:17)

---

5. Listener Call-Ins & Crowd Favorites

• [16:18] Peter from Queens:
  • Suggests “New York Groove” (Ace Frehley/Kiss):

    “When you’ve missed New York, you’ve been away, you come back... There’s nothing like it.”

• Howard, Forest Hills: “New York City” (John Lennon), “Take The A Train” (Billy Strayhorn/Duke Ellington)
• Natalie, California: Vampire Weekend songs (esp. “Mary Boone” and “M79”) as 80s NYC snapshots.

---

6. The ‘New York, New York’ Franchise: Alternatives to Sinatra

• Grandmaster Flash - “New York, New York” (19:15)
• Nina Hagen - “New York, New York” (19:53)
• Duke Ellington – “New York, New York” (20:39)
• Debbie Harry & Moby – “New York, New York” (21:14)
• Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly – “New York, New York” from On The Town (21:54)
  • Koosha: “Congratulations on assembling that beautiful bouquet of New York, New York,” to Simon (22:12)

---

7. Rock, Punk, & Indie NYC

• Artist shoutouts: Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, New York Dolls, Talking Heads, Lou Reed
• Hyperlocal songs:
  • Lou Reed’s “Egg Cream” (shoutout to Brooklyn egg creams)
  • Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner”
• Le Tigre – “My My Metrocard” chosen for punk spirit and timely NYC references, prompted by a listener (23:56).
  • Simon: “It speaks to, unfortunately now, kind of a certain time and place in New York City history.” (23:56)

---

8. Less-Sung Corners: French, Jazz, Upstate, and Bossa Nova

• French: “Je voudrais voir New York” by Daniel Lavoie (Caller Dwight from Canada) (24:52)
• Jazz:
  • “Manhattan” by Blossom Dearie (Caller Kit, 26:01)
  • “Autumn in New York” by Billie Holiday (Listener text)
  • “Washington Square” by Marilyn May (Listener text)
• Upstate Anthems:
  • “My Old School” by Steely Dan (27:24)
  • “The Erie Canal” (Pete Seeger)
  • “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” (Harold Arlen, Buffalo native); “Maybe the most popular song to come out in New York State, if you think about it.” – Koosha (28:20)
  • Fun fact: L. Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz author) inspired by Peekskill, NY (Simon, 28:37)
• Alternative/Indie:
  • They Might Be Giants, “New York City” (29:18)
  • LCD Soundsystem, “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”—lauded for its bittersweet, complex relationship with the city (31:13)
    • Caller Luna: “If you’re a sad teen in the city, you hear that song and you’re just like, New York is letting me down. But I love you.” (31:10)
  • The Pogues, “Fairytale of New York”: a seasonal (holiday) anthem (32:21)

---

9. Memorable Quotes & Observations

• “I have heard the words New York sung so many times this morning that they have ceased to mean anything to me.” – Simon Close (02:58)
• “Culture is a great export of New York City. We're happy to share it.” – Koosha (04:18)
• “If North Dakota wants Alicia Keys, they can have that song. That's great. We got a lot of options, as I think we're about to hear today.” – Simon (03:57)
• “Maybe we gotta do this segment again to hear some more recommendations. Suffice to say, there's a lot of great music coming out of New York State.” – Koosha (34:58)

---

Notable List of “Alternative New York Anthems” Suggested

Hip Hop:

• Nas – “New York State of Mind” [06:01]
• Cam’ron, Jay-Z & Juelz Santana – “Welcome to New York City” [07:14]
• Fat Joe & Ja Rule – “New York”
• Princess Nokia – “ABCs of New York” [09:56]
• Pop Smoke – “Dior”

Disco/Soul/Salsa:

• Odyssey – “Native New Yorker” [11:39]
• El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico – “Un Verano en Nueva York” [13:17]

Rock/Punk/Indie:

• Ace Frehley/Kiss – “New York Groove” [17:02]
• John Lennon – “New York City”
• Le Tigre – “My My Metrocard” [24:20]
• Lou Reed – “Egg Cream,” “Walk on the Wild Side”

Alternative/Eclectic:

• The Moldy Peaches – “NYC’s Like a Graveyard”
• Vampire Weekend – “Mary Boone,” “M79”
• They Might Be Giants – “New York City” [29:53]
• LCD Soundsystem – “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” [31:34]

Classic Standards & Jazz:

• “Try New York City” (Annie)
• “New York, New York” (On The Town) [21:54]
• “Take The A Train” (Ellington/Strayhorn)
• “Autumn in New York” (Billie Holiday)
• “Manhattan” (Blossom Dearie/Ella Fitzgerald)

Upstate and Beyond:

• Steely Dan – “My Old School” [27:24]
• Pete Seeger – “The Erie Canal”
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Harold Arlen)

International/Newer Additions:

• Daniel Lavoie – “Je voudrais voir New York”
• John Roseborough – “I Took the L” (2024, bossa nova)
• Marilyn May – “Washington Square”

Seasonal:

• The Pogues – “Fairytale of New York” [32:44]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:02] – Discussion of DNC and “Empire State of Mind”
• [04:30] – Hip Hop alternatives introduced
• [06:01] – Nas “New York State of Mind” played
• [07:14] – “Welcome to New York City” played
• [09:56] – Princess Nokia “ABCs of New York” clip
• [11:39] – Odyssey “Native New Yorker” clip
• [13:17] – El Gran Combo “Un Verano en Nueva York” clip
• [17:02] – Ace Frehley “New York Groove” clip
• [19:15-21:54] – The “New York, New York” medley
• [24:20] – Le Tigre “My My Metrocard” clip
• [27:24] – Steely Dan “My Old School” clip
• [29:53] – They Might Be Giants “New York City” clip
• [31:34] – LCD Soundsystem “New York, I Love You...” clip
• [32:44] – Pogues “Fairytale of New York” clip

---

Tone & Style

The episode is eclectic, playful, and full of affectionate New York pride—with an undercurrent of wry humor and musical nerdiness, driven by the rapport between Koosha and Simon and enthusiastic listener participation. The mood is community-driven and democratic: New York’s story is told best not by a single song, but by its many anthems across genres, languages, and boroughs.

---

Memorable Moment

• Listener Luna, on LCD Soundsystem:

  “If you’re like a sad teen in the city, you hear that song and you’re just like, New York is letting me down. But I love you.” (31:10)

---

Conclusion

The episode concludes with the realization that New York, in all its diversity, can't and shouldn't be captured by just three or four songs. The “anthems” are as vibrant and plural as the city and state themselves—spanning disco to punk, uptown to upstate, English to Spanish and beyond.

“I love them all,” reads a final listener text—a sentiment clearly shared by the hosts.
“Maybe we gotta do this segment again.” – Koosha (34:58)

---

Transcript

[Koosha Navadar]

Hey, Fidelity. How can I remember to invest every month?

[Fidelity App Representative]

With the Fidelity app, you can choose a schedule and set up recurring investments in stocks and ETFs.

[Juliana Fonda]

Huh.

[Simon Close]

That sounds easier than I thought.

[Fidelity App Representative]

You got this?

[Simon Close]

Yeah, I do.

[Koosha Navadar]

Now, where did I put my keys?

[Fidelity App Representative]

You will find them where you left them.

[Koosha Navadar]

Investing involves risk, including risk of loss. Fidelity Brokerage Services, llc. Member nyse, sipc.

[McDonald's Customer]

I' ma put you on, nephew.

[Simon Close]

All right, unk.

[Juliana Fonda]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[McDonald's Customer]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.

[Simon Close]

Listener supported WNYC Studios.

[Koosha Navadar]

This is all of it. I'm Koosha Navadar filling in for Alison Stewart today. The DNC wrapped last night with Vice President Kamala Harris accepting the Democratic Party's nomination. But earlier this week, the real mystery, the real question keeping everyone on their seat at this week's convention was not who would be nominated or even who would be speaking. No, it was what song was each state going to pick as their roll call anthem? With DJ Cassidy at the helm, each state was introduced with a special song that in most cases nodded to that state's identity or featured a resident of that state. Sweet home Alabama. For Alabama, some Tom Petty. For Florida, a viral surprise appearance from Lil John for his native Georgia. And for New York.

[Juliana Fonda]

New York, how do you cast your vote?

[Koosha Navadar]

That's right. For not the first time and probably not the last. New York's music cue was Empire State of Mind by Brooklyn's Jay Z and Manhattan's Alicia Keys. And it got us here at all of it thinking New York is a city and a state. So it's full of so much talent. Why is it that there seem to be only three songs used to represent it? That one, this one.

[Juliana Fonda]

I'm in a New York state of mind.

[Koosha Navadar]

Or of course, this one.

[Simon Close]

Start spreading the news. I'm leaving today.

[Koosha Navadar]

So we put a call out to some of our colleagues and listeners to come up with suggestions for alternative New York anthems. And here now to present them is all of it producer Simon Close. Simon, hey.

[Simon Close]

Hey, Kusha. I have heard the words New York sung so many times this morning that they have ceased to mean anything to me.

[Koosha Navadar]

There is a word for that. I don't know what it is. It slips my mind. But you've probably been listening to a lot of clips, listeners, whether you weighed in online or not, we want to hear from you. What's your favorite New York anthem? When you think of New York, the city or the state, which artists or songs come to mind? Call in to tell us at 212-433-WNYC. That's 212433, 9692. If you had to give a pitch for the anthem of New York, what would be that song for you? And is it not one of the usual suspects? 212-433-9692 okay, so Simon, before we get into the song clips, thank you for listening to so much music that he used the term New York.

[Simon Close]

My pleasure.

[Koosha Navadar]

Kusha, did you have any thoughts on the DNC's choice of song or want to say anything before we start playing the other anthems?

[Simon Close]

One thing that I thought was kind of funny was that I'm pretty sure that two alphabetical places down from New York in the DNC roll call was North Dakota, who also went with an Alicia Keys song, Girl on Fire. And I say Empire State of Mind has had a great run. If North Dakota wants Alicia Keys, they can have that song. That's great. We got a lot of options, as I think we're about to hear today.

[Koosha Navadar]

That's funny. Culture is a great export of New York City. We're happy to share it. All right. All right, so you broke some of these songs and suggestions into catego. What's the category? We've got queued up now.

[Simon Close]

So taking some inspiration from New York State of Mind or Empire State of Mind, I think we'll start with some hip hop songs because there are just so many hip hop songs that speak to New York identity and shout out specific locations so you can get really narrow with hip hop. And I'm just going to list some songs and artists that we One suggestion we got from Eileen Delahunty who works in wqxr. Beastie Boys, no Sleep Till Brooklyn. So you got like so many Brooklyn tracks. Amber Bruce, who also works here, Digable Planets Flying high in the Brooklyn Sky. There's another Jay Z song, Brooklyn's Finest, with Biggie Mos Def's Brooklyn. Personal favorite of mine is Shabazz the Disciple Red Hook Day. It's a great track. You can go Queens. Farrell Monch is a song called Queens. Tom Brown is more funk. But this is a very like hip hop ish song. Funkin for Jamaica in Queens is a great track. South Bronx, you got Boogie Down Productions and but I think to start off with, we're going to go with another State of Mind song and this is from Nas, and it was recommended by both AOI senior producer Andrea Duncan Mao and Eileen Delahunty, who I just mentioned. This comes from Illmatic, which is Nas's first album. I'm going to just read some stuff that Andrea said for why she picked it. It's produced by the incomparable DJ Premier, considered one of the best hip hop albums of all time. Illmatic has the classic line, sleep is the cousin of death, which makes sense for the city that never sleeps. It's been reported that Nas recorded the song in one take. So this is New York State of Mind from Nas.

[Juliana Fonda]

Inhale deep like the words of my breath I never sleep Cause sleep is the cousin of death I lay puzzle as I backtrack to earlier times Nothing's equivalent to the New York state of mind.

[Koosha Navadar]

All right, that was New York State of Mind from. From Nas. Who else is on your list? Simon.

[Simon Close]

Andrea also shouted out Fat Joe and Ja Rule. New York. And another one from Andrea. Welcome to NYC from Camron. Another Jay Z track, Jules Santana is also on it. Andrea picked this one. It was produced by Just Blaze. It's an underrated track with a rare pairing of Jay Z and Camron. Jay's, of course, representing Brooklyn, Cam representing Harlem. The two would go on to feud for years before appearing on stage together in 2019. And what I like about this track also is that this is a post 911 track, and that's really important. You know, it comes through in the lyrics as you're about to hear. So I think it speaks to not just place but also a sense of time and, like, where the city was at in the early 2000s. So this is welcome to New York City from Cameron, JZ and Jules Santana.

[Juliana Fonda]

I go off the head when I'm rambling on the mic and I go off the fence when I'm scrambling that night and it was off the set I bought Hammers to the fight. But we from New York city, right, Cam, Oklahoma. 911 A place of the lost towers we still bangin we never lost power Tell em. Welcome to New York City. Welcome to New York City with BK Springer in Harlem's Own Gangster now that's danger. There's nothing left to say But.

[Koosha Navadar]

I totally hear what you mean about it being of a time and place and mentality almost. It really comes through. We got some texts here that I want to read, listeners. We're here with producer Simon Close. We're talking about what anthems speak to New York for you. Not the usual suspects, necessarily, but what songs speak to Maybe the entire state or a specific borough of New York City. If you had to pick an anthem for New York City, a song, piece of music, what would you pick? Give us a call. Send us a text.

[Simon Close]

Text.

[Koosha Navadar]

We're at 212-433-9692. That's 212-433-WNYC. So, Simon, we're getting some texts here. It seems like musicals seem to be on people's minds. We have alternative musical anthems for this town. Try New York City. It is a showstopping musical number in the iconic musical Annie. 2,377 performances over six years. The audiences ate it up. It said, Try NYC. Just gotta correct myself there. We've got another text that says, holy smokes, New York, New York. From town is iconic. The Bronx is up and the Battery's down. And it predates the others by 40 years. We've got another text here. It says, OMG. Please mention Don Henley's New York Minute from his End of the Innocence album. So got a lot of pieces coming in. Let's go into classic hip hop. So you broke down some of these songs into. Oh, no, sorry. We already looked at contemporary hip hop post 2000s hip hop. Give us the breakdown there.

[Simon Close]

Sure. Yeah, I thought it would make sense because a lot of the stuff we're gonna talk about is not just classic hip hop, but lots of classic rock and stuff. So I wanted to throw in a little bit of more contemporary stuff. Malik on our team threw out Pop Smokes Dior, which became, I think, sort of unofficially a kind of like, New York anthem in the last few years when pop smoke passed away. But I want to play a clip from Princess Nokia, another New York local. This is her song ABCs of New York. And it just is a great. I mean, you'll hear why this is a perfect anthem to the city.

[Princess Nokia]

A is for the apple, take a bite and spit it out B is for bodega eating on your mama couch Blow bazooka with a Puerto Rican chula says she working in the city and she getting moolah C is for the crib, the cats, the call you catch CBGB's baby, sneak a blondie through the back Dance for the downtown kids that's hitting licks Skater boys in the park trying to some white chicks ears for the east side rough ride Ride or die Motorbikes from every style flying down to FDR breaking dutches in the cold G is for the ghetto girl and.

[Simon Close]

I just want to shout out producer Jordan who suggested that track.

[Koosha Navadar]

So let's go to some burrow specific shout outs because we had mentioned a bunch from different folks thinking about hip hop, but are there any others that you want to play before we go on from the hip hop portion?

[Simon Close]

I think those ones that I mentioned, I didn't pull any other clips because I ran out of time. But all those Mos Def, the Beastie Boys, Jay Z, the ones that I mentioned before, I think we covered pretty well.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wonderful. Okay, so let's go on to disco. We've got some good hip hop options, but what else do you have? Do you have any disco suggestions?

[Simon Close]

Sure, great question.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh great. You lit up like a Christmas tree light. You are a fellow disco lover.

[Simon Close]

I do. I do have a disco pic. And I see this is also coming in through the text. I think this is going to delight a lot of people. This is native New Yorker, which was first recorded by Frankie Valli, who is actually from Newark and not New York. But it was covered, I think a few years later by Odyssey, who were a New York City trio. This song came out in 1978ish, I think, and it was a number, number three hit on the charts for Odyssey. This is native New Yorker.

[Juliana Fonda]

You grew up riding the subways running with people up in Harlem, down on Broad. You're no tramp but you're no lady talking that street. You're the heart and soul of New York City in love. Love is just a passing word. It's the thought you had in a taxi cab that night lift when he dropped you off at East 83rd. You're a native New Yorker.

[Koosha Navadar]

Everyone in this studio is dancing right now. Both in this studio.

[Simon Close]

Undeniable, that song.

[Koosha Navadar]

We've got a caller, which I think is perfectly timed here. Sheila in Washington Heights. Hey, Sheila, welcome to the show. What would your suggestion be?

[Caller]

Thank you. I was about to say Odyssey, of course, but the 70s is the rise of hip hop and salsa. And Umberano, no Mayor by El Gran Combo is a super giant anthem that you hear it all the time without realizing it, I'm quite sure. But yeah, Umberano no Mayor. Summer in New York.

[Simon Close]

Sheila, did I plant you as a caller for this segment? Cause we have that next song queued up right now.

[Koosha Navadar]

Simon, I'm just watching out for you. And Sheila had such a great idea. So go ahead, tee us off with what Sheila's saying. And Sheila, thank you so much for calling.

[Simon Close]

That is a great shout out, Sheila. And I love that, especially because again, a lot of the songs that we're going to hear in this segment are in English. So any listeners who know more non English language songs about New York, I'd love to hear them. Also, any songs that aren't just New York City focus, but upstate too, I challenge you to call in because we got a lot of city stuff. But that song in particular, Un Verano and Nueva, is from El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico, a Puerto Rican band. And it opens with a line that translates to if you want to have fun with charm in New York City or if you want to have fun in charm, all you got to do is live in the summer in New York City. I also love this song because I grew up in Hudson Valley and this song mentions Bear Mountain, La Montana del Oso. So this is Umberano and Nueva York from El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico.

[Koosha Navadar]

That was El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico. On Verano and Nueva York, we are talking about anthems that describe New York City for you. We're here with producer Simon Close. Some texts. A new song about New York is the 1952 hit Autumn in New York by Billie Holiday. We've got hello. Ever since I first heard it, New York City's like a graveyard by the Moldy Peaches comes to my mind ever every single time anyone says nyc. It's like a both pro and anti New York City song with the yelly, out of tune, grimy male and female duet vocals. It has more flavor than most songs. Listeners, we're taking your suggestions. You can text us at 212-433-9692. We're going to take a quick break. When we come back, we're going to hear more of your suggestions and dive a little bit more into rock and roll and maybe upstate. Stay with us. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Kusha Navadar and I am lucky to be sitting across the desk from our producer on the show, Simon Close and has gone out into the world of music and brought back many songs that are not the usual suspects that could serve as wonderful anthems for the song of New York, either New York City or New York State and its surrounding area. Listeners, we're also taking your ideas. What songs you think remind you of an anthem for New York? Give us a call. Send us a text. We're at 212-433-9692. Let's hear from some folks now. We've got Peter in Queens. Hey Peter, what would that song be for you?

[Caller]

New York Groove by a Kiss.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wonderful. What do you like about it?

[Caller]

I just love the 70s feel. I grew up in the 70s and just got back in the New York Groove. Like, when you've missed New York, you've been away, you come back to New York. There's nothing like it, you know?

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah.

[Caller]

How much you love it when you've been away.

[Simon Close]

Yeah. Great. Great pick, Pete. I think we have that queued up. Juliana, that's D14. I'll talk a little bit, but while you're finding it. So, yeah, that's from Ace Fraley. I think that's how you pronounce his last name. Fraley, who is indeed from kiss. Bronx Born. And this song actually was originally by the British band hello, but Ace Frehley covered it. It's got a New Yorkier vibe. This version is from Kisses. Ace Frehley. This is New York Groove.

[Juliana Fonda]

Here I am ending the city with a fistful of dollars and baby, you better believe I'm back Back in the New York room I'm back Back in the New York groove I'm back Back in the New York groove Back.

[Koosha Navadar]

All right. Back in the New York groove. I love that. Thanks so much, Peter, for that suggestion. Let's go to Howard in Forest Hills. Hey, Howard, what would the New York anthem be for you?

[Caller]

Hi, I have two. One is a New York City by John Lennon, and other is Take the A Train, written by Billy Strahan for the Duke Ellington Band.

[Koosha Navadar]

So some jazz in there as well. Thank you so much. Great shout out for a jazz classic there. Thanks, Howard. Let's go to Natalie, who's calling from California. Natalie, what would that song be for you? The New York anthem.

[Caller]

All right, well, you guys already mentioned some great ones. I was grooving to all the disco and salsa, but I want to do a quick shout out to Vampire Weekend. They have a new album called Only God Was Above Us, and It's loaded with 80s imagery from Steven Segal. It's really awesome. But Mary Boone is kind of this ode and anthem to old school 80s New York. They name drop Mary Boone, the famed art dealer, and on their OG album, they have a song titled M79. And that was always the backdrop for me when I lived on the Upper east side about a decade ago.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much, Natalie, for that. Vampire Weekend. I'm a fan of Vampire Weekend.

[Simon Close]

I mean, come on, look at me.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah, so that's wonderful, Natalie. Thanks so much. And hi from across the country of California. Okay, so we've got another category that I'd love to get into, Simon, which I thought was Pretty interesting, the New York, New York category. It's pretty specific. Can you explain this?

[Simon Close]

Sure. This is a corner that I'm calling alternatives to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York that are also called New York, New York. So we're going to. This is going to be kind of a lightning round. Juliana. We're gonna start out with 1983 track from Grandmaster Flash, of course, Bronx natives. And this is called New York, New.

[Juliana Fonda]

York, New York, New York. Big city of dreams. But everything in New York ain't always what it seems? You might feel fooled if you took them out of town? But I'm down by lawn? I know my way around too much, too many people too much, too much.

[Simon Close]

So that's New York, New York from Grandmaster Flash. Our next song comes from the German punk and sort of art pop singer Nina Hagen. It's a pretty different vibe. It's also, I think, from 1983, and you guessed it, it is called New York, New York.

[Juliana Fonda]

New York City is the hottest place for a honeymoon in a hotel room. New York City is my favorite place. Cause I know so many people with a golden face.

[Simon Close]

Yeah, I didn't want to give you a warning about that one. Koosha. I love that song. That comes from Kelly Suter, who's a colleague of ours. So, Kelly, thank you very much for that. That is an incredible song. We got another track, Duke Ellington. This song, I think, was recorded in the 1970s, but it wasn't actually released until the 2000. Cuccia. Can you guess what this one is called?

[Koosha Navadar]

You put me on the spot. Is it New York, New York?

[Simon Close]

No, it's not, actually. Yeah, it is. This is Duke Ellington. New York, New York, New York, New.

[Juliana Fonda]

York, New York, New York, New York. What the apple supposed to be? I knew who your hope knew who you are.

[Simon Close]

So that's Duke Ellington's New York, New York. Next up, next up, we've got Debbie Harry of Blondie, another New York icon with Moby on a track from Moby's 2006. It's like a best of compilation album. And this track is called Everyone say it with me. New York, New York, New York.

[Juliana Fonda]

New York, New York. Does it taste right? Does it feel right? New York, New York does it burn bright? All the starlight? Do you know my name? Do you even?

[Simon Close]

So that was New York, New York, from Moby and Debbie Harry. And then, of course, I'm sure everyone has been waiting for this song. This one is sort of cheating within the category of not Frank Sinatra's New York New York, because this is Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly from the 1949 film on the Town. This is New York, New York, New York, New York. I want to go down.

[Juliana Fonda]

The Bronx is up and the Battery's out. The people riding a hole in the ground. New York, New York. It's a wonderful time.

[Simon Close]

And that was. That was Frank Sinatra. Okay, so alternatives to Frank Sinatra's New York, New York that are also called New York, New York.

[Koosha Navadar]

Simon, a few things. Number one, congratulations on assembling that beautiful bouquet of New York, New York.

[Simon Close]

Thank you so much.

[Koosha Navadar]

And secondly, Juliana Fonda, who you heard Simon mention, is our board operator, who is dexterously moving between all of these clips right now and also dancing, which is good. Just want to say, Juliana, thank you so much for all that you're doing right now.

[Simon Close]

We appreciate it.

[Koosha Navadar]

Let's go to rock and punk rock. We've got some folks who are asking about that genre. Can you say a little bit about it?

[Simon Close]

Sure, yeah. I mean, there are so many bands. The Ramones, Patti Smith, Television, New York Dolls, rock bands, Talking Heads. We just heard from Debbie Harry of Blondie before I had queued up New York Groove for this section. So that's Kiss, obviously, another New York band. Someone else who came up a lot in the suggestions. We got Lou Reed. He's got a whole New York album. He's got New York City, Man, Walk on the Wild side is a New York song. But one of the suggestions that we got was his song Egg Cream, which I'm not gonna play, but it got me thinking about, like, really specific symbols of New York state and city. And that's a song about how the best egg cream is at this restaurant in Brooklyn. So some other songs that came to mind in that category, especially in the sort of like. Like, rock and adjacent genres, was New York Dolls, Subway Train, Suzanne Vega, Tom's Diner. The Ramones have 53rd and third. Very, like, hyper local song. But I want to go with Latigre, who is a Kathleen Hannah's riot grrrl band. This is.

[Koosha Navadar]

Well, I want to mention we got a text from here from listeners asking specifically for Latigre. So this is calling out one of our texters right now.

[Simon Close]

Excellent. So this song I also love because it's speaks to, unfortunately now kind of a certain time and place in New York City history. This is my. My Metro card from Latigre.

[Juliana Fonda]

I'm the planet to the air. I'm ready. Cause it's my day situation. It's all possible everything.

[Koosha Navadar]

Listeners. My. My Metro card From Latigra is what you just heard. Probably catchier than my. My Omni card at this point. Some shade. Thank you, Simon. That's my backup. Let's go to some calls. We're talking about New York anthems, not the usual suspects. Let's go to Dwight calling in from Canada. Hey, Dwight, what song is that for you?

[Simon Close]

Hey there.

[Caller]

This is a bit of a rare one.

[Simon Close]

It's a French language song called Je.

[Caller]

Voudre voir New York I would like.

To see, written by a francophone artist.

[Simon Close]

From Canada, Danielle Lavois.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, wonderful. Thank you so much, Dwight. For that, let's go to Anu in Waldorf, Maryland. Hey, Anu, welcome to the show. What song is it for you?

[Caller]

Thank you. For me is There's a Boat Leaving soon for New York by the late, great Phoebe Snow.

[Koosha Navadar]

What do you love about that song?

[Caller]

It's just so beautiful the way it, you know, orchestrated and her voice. And I was living in Miami back in the late 70s and I was missing New York so bad that I moved back after eight months of the same weather every day. I was like, I gotta get outta here. And yeah, that song helped me get back to New York.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wonderful, Anu, thank you so much for that call. And it's wonderful when a piece of music can affect you that much. Let's go to Kit in South Orange, New Jersey. Hey, Kit, what song is the New York anthem for you?

[Caller]

Hey. I would say Manhattan by Blossom Deary. Sort of goes through all the neighborhoods. And my favorite line is what street Compares with Mott Street. So good.

[Koosha Navadar]

Wonderful. Thank you so much. Sam, you're gonna say something.

[Simon Close]

Just some listeners may know I've been working on the Public Song project for the last several months.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, really? What is the Public Song Project?

[Simon Close]

Simon Close, Taking songs from the public domain. That song, I think it's from 1925. So that is a public domain, so. And I think Robin Bilinkoff, who works with us here, also recommended Ella Fitzgerald's version of that song. So. Yes. That's a great pick, Kit.

[Koosha Navadar]

Thank you so much for that shout out. Okay, so we've talked about the city a lot. You are from the Hudson Valley.

[Simon Close]

This is true.

[Koosha Navadar]

I am from Albany. We gotta give upstate some love. You mentioned earlier that a lot of songs were good for New York City specifically. But you came along some upstate anthems too, right?

[Simon Close]

I did some searching, yeah. So we're gonna start out with. This is a nod to Kate Hines who is in the control room. I can't see her right now. But I'm sure that she's freaking out about what we're about to. There she is. So this is Steely Dan, Annandale's own Steely Dan. And this is the 1973 song My Old School.

[Juliana Fonda]

I remember the 35 sweet goodbyes when you put me on the Wolverine of you and dare. It was still September when your daddy was quite surprised to find you with the working girls in the county jail.

[Koosha Navadar]

Great. What's the next one you got for us?

[Simon Close]

Well, I just. I didn't pull this one, but I do want to give Pete Seeger a shout out. Lifelong, I think, New Yorker and lived in the Hudson Valley until his death. And in particular, I just want to shout out his version and the song in general. The Erie Canal, which name drops a lot of spots in New York, including the Erie Canal. So I feel like that's a good upstate or entire state anthem. And, yeah, I think that's. Well, there is.

[Koosha Navadar]

I've got one. Can I share one? Which I shared with Simon earlier today. Okay. So it turns out I learned this recently. Somewhere over the Rainbow was composed by Harold Arlin, who is from Buffalo, which I think is such a lovely song, maybe the most popular song to come out in New York City, if you think about Somewhere over the Rainbow.

[Simon Close]

Sure. Yeah. And when Khusha shared that with me, I shared the fun fact that is maybe apocryphal, but I'm gonna share it anyway, professionally, which is that L. Frank Baum, who wrote the wizard of Oz, lived in Peekskill as a kid, and there's a stretch of brick Road in Peekskill that is purportedly the inspiration for the Yellow Brick Road and the wizard of Oz.

[Koosha Navadar]

See, here I am thinking that I have a nice factoid to you. Just demonstrate how good you are at your job.

[Simon Close]

Yours maybe is a factoid, and mine is maybe a false factoid.

[Koosha Navadar]

Let's go to alt rock. You've got some alternative rock on here from they Might Be Giants, which. Who also participated in the Public Song Project. You want to tee that up?

[Simon Close]

Thanks so much for saying so, Kusha. Yeah, they might be right. It's written in my script, Jake. This suggestion comes from lots of people, including Jake Dobkins and Veronica Del Valle. This is New York City from they Might Be Giants, which is from 1996. It's actually a cover. The song was originally by a Vancouver band called Cub. But They Might Be Giants are obviously a super New York City band. Also shout out to them. They did another song called Albany, so they've got a little bit of an upstate thing going on too, but this is New York City from they Might be Giants.

[Juliana Fonda]

Statue of Liberty, Staten Island Ferry, Co op City. Katz is the Tiffany, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge, the Empire State where Dylan lived. Coney island and Times Square, Rockville Center. Wish I was there. He wrote me a letter just the other day Said springtime is coming soon so why don't you come to stay?

[Koosha Navadar]

That was they. They might be Giants. Right, Simon? And. And I. I want to go to a caller next who's actually going to tee up one of our next songs. So let's go to Luna in Brooklyn. Luna, what is the New York anthem for you?

[Caller]

Oh, my gosh, it's New York, I love you, but you're letting me down by LCB Sound System.

[Koosha Navadar]

Tell us, tell us. What about that song speaks to you?

[Caller]

Well, I actually grew up with the son of the drummer and L Sound system, so it reminds me of being a kind of a kid.

But.

But I don't know. It's just. I think if you're like a sad teen in the city, you hear that song and you're just like, new York is letting me down. But I love you.

[Koosha Navadar]

Oh, I love that. So let's hear it. Simon, are you gonna say something?

[Simon Close]

Just I think that that was also gonna be my personal pick. I really love the two sides of it, that it is a love letter, but also about how New York is sad. Kind of like the Moldy Peaches song that someone mentioned earlier. And they're from a similar kind of scene of New York also. But yeah, I love the this pick. Let's go.

[Koosha Navadar]

So, Luna, thanks for teeing us up. Here's LCD Sound Systems. New York, I love you.

[Juliana Fonda]

New York, I love you but you're freaking me out New York, I love you but you're bringing me down New York, I love you but you're bringing me down Like a death of the heart. Jesus, where do I start? But you're still the one.

[Koosha Navadar]

Okay, so that was LCD Sound system. I love you, New York. Simon, what else do you have for us as you're thinking about the wider scope of what New York anthems could be?

[Simon Close]

Well, one thing that came to mind, and I feel like this one sort of already is a New York anthem, but a seasonal New York anthem because sometimes, you know, it's a particular time of the year, you have to have a song that speaks not only to New York, but also that time of the year. The Pogues fairy tale of New York obviously is up there as an option for anthems, and I think we have that queued up.

[Juliana Fonda]

I could have been someone well, so could anyone. You took my dreams from me when.

[Simon Close]

I first found you I cut down.

[Juliana Fonda]

With my own I put down with my own can't make it alone I build my dreams around you the poison and my cleaning Christmas singing going by and the bells are ringing out for Christmas.

[Koosha Navadar]

All right, Simon, those are all the clips we've got, but there's a couple of texts left because our phones are blowing up. I want to make sure listeners, you know that we're listening to you. We got a text here that says I Took the L by John Roseborough. Came out this year. Heard about it on npr. Such a lovely bossa nova tune. And Marilyn May's Washington Square has a great jazzy sound. That's from Miriam. Miriam, thanks for those shout outs. Love seeing more of the jazz shout out there. And for our last caller, let's go to Steve in Queens. Stephen, what's the song for you?

[Caller]

I love, as I told you, the screen, just very song you guys been playing, but Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild side. When I hear that, I just think of the images of the old photographs of James Dean walking through Manhattan. Have you ever seen the movie the Harder They Come With Bogart, his last film, that whole scene. And just all of Manhattan, Manhattan. Just something about it. It's just the song came out when I was about 19, and it's just when I hear it still, it's like, oh, yeah.

[Koosha Navadar]

It gives you that feeling. Stephen, thank you so much for calling. There's one more text that I'd love to read that just says, I love them all, which I think is such a nice thing to go out on. Anything else you want to say, Simon?

[Simon Close]

No, I think we'd have no more time for songs. Right, Right. So then, yeah, no, I think this was a lot of fun, and I look forward to checking out these songs a little bit more.

[Koosha Navadar]

Yeah. And listeners, thank you all so much for your calls and for your texts. We see how many there are. Maybe we gotta do this segment again to hear some more recommendations. Suffice to say, there's a lot of great music coming out of New York State. Simon Close is a producer on all of it and a musical encyclopedia. Thank you so much for joining us, Simon.

[Simon Close]

Thank you for having me.

[McDonald's Customer]

I'mma put you on, nephew.

[Simon Close]

All right, unc.

[Juliana Fonda]

Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?

[McDonald's Customer]

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years now. It's back. We need snack wraps. What's a Snack Wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack Wrap is back.

[Fidelity App Representative]

Since WNYC's first broadcast in 1924, we've been dedicated to creating the kind of content we know the world needs. Since then, New York Public Radio's rigorous journalism has gone on to win a Peabody award and a DuPont Columbia Award, among others. In addition to this award winning reporting, your sponsorship also supports inspiring storytelling and extraordinary music that is free and accessible to all. To get in touch and find out more, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.