Explore The Big Apple With Music Inspired By NYC
One of the most exciting cities in the world is the Big Apple. It's one of the world's main financial and cultural centers and what's trendy here will soon be considered trendy everywhere else. Naturally a visit should include seeing the famous sights. However, to really get under its skin, simply wander around and look for the many places mentioned in music inspired by NYC.
Through the years, New York has been home to a vast variety of musicians. Some were born here, including Christina Aguilera, Neil Diamond and opera diva Maria Callas. Many more moved here later in life to try and find fame and fortune. Madonna famously arrived in New York with only thirty-five dollars to try and become a dancer.
The struggle to make it in the big city has been the inspiration for many movies, among them the Martin Scorcese musical 'New York, New York'. Its theme song, originally sung by Liza Minnelli, became a huge hit for Frank Sinatra and is synonymous with the Big Apple. However, not everyone here gets to realize their dreams, as Simon and Garfunkel sang in 'The Boxer'.
In the Sixties, the clubs of the Lower East Side were at the center of the folk movement. Many of the era's best songwriters used the city streets to inspire them. Joni Mitchell wrote about the yellow cabs and about the Chelsea neighborhood, while Leonard Cohen immortalized the iconic Chelsea Hotel in song. Later folk singers such as Suzanne Vega also sang about New York locations.
Musicians in other genres have also mentioned city locations in their songs. For instance, Gogol Bordello sings about Avenue B. Some sing about the atmosphere rather than about specific locations. Billy Joel, for instance, sings about being in a New York state of mind and how he'd rather be here than in Miami Beach or Hollywood.
The gritty city has inspired many a musical too. After all, Broadway is the spiritual home of this genre of the stage. To get a sense of how diverse New Yorkers are, listen to the songs from 'West Side Story'. 'Rent' looks at the struggle of artists and the scourge of HIV in the East Village. Other famous musicals set in NYC include 'Funny Girl', 'Hair', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie' and the classic 'Guys and Dolls'.
Often, words aren't really necessary to capture the spirit of America's largest city. You simply need to listen to the jazz of Duke Ellington's composition 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem' or to the soaring notes of 'Rhapsody in Blue', the classic by George Gershwin. Aaron Copland captured a different atmosphere in 'Quiet City' and if you want to visit Central Park after nightfall, be sure to have 'Central Park in the Dark', a 1906 composition by Charles Ives, to accompany you.
Compiling a playlist of music about NYC is very easy. You simply need to visit your local record store or an online site that allows you to download the numbers of your choice. While you're online, you may also want to find a map that shows different city locations immortalized in song and then go visit these places.
Through the years, New York has been home to a vast variety of musicians. Some were born here, including Christina Aguilera, Neil Diamond and opera diva Maria Callas. Many more moved here later in life to try and find fame and fortune. Madonna famously arrived in New York with only thirty-five dollars to try and become a dancer.
The struggle to make it in the big city has been the inspiration for many movies, among them the Martin Scorcese musical 'New York, New York'. Its theme song, originally sung by Liza Minnelli, became a huge hit for Frank Sinatra and is synonymous with the Big Apple. However, not everyone here gets to realize their dreams, as Simon and Garfunkel sang in 'The Boxer'.
In the Sixties, the clubs of the Lower East Side were at the center of the folk movement. Many of the era's best songwriters used the city streets to inspire them. Joni Mitchell wrote about the yellow cabs and about the Chelsea neighborhood, while Leonard Cohen immortalized the iconic Chelsea Hotel in song. Later folk singers such as Suzanne Vega also sang about New York locations.
Musicians in other genres have also mentioned city locations in their songs. For instance, Gogol Bordello sings about Avenue B. Some sing about the atmosphere rather than about specific locations. Billy Joel, for instance, sings about being in a New York state of mind and how he'd rather be here than in Miami Beach or Hollywood.
The gritty city has inspired many a musical too. After all, Broadway is the spiritual home of this genre of the stage. To get a sense of how diverse New Yorkers are, listen to the songs from 'West Side Story'. 'Rent' looks at the struggle of artists and the scourge of HIV in the East Village. Other famous musicals set in NYC include 'Funny Girl', 'Hair', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie' and the classic 'Guys and Dolls'.
Often, words aren't really necessary to capture the spirit of America's largest city. You simply need to listen to the jazz of Duke Ellington's composition 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem' or to the soaring notes of 'Rhapsody in Blue', the classic by George Gershwin. Aaron Copland captured a different atmosphere in 'Quiet City' and if you want to visit Central Park after nightfall, be sure to have 'Central Park in the Dark', a 1906 composition by Charles Ives, to accompany you.
Compiling a playlist of music about NYC is very easy. You simply need to visit your local record store or an online site that allows you to download the numbers of your choice. While you're online, you may also want to find a map that shows different city locations immortalized in song and then go visit these places.
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