Songs About New York City: The Ultimate Big Apple Playlist
This playlist brings together songs about New York City, songs that mention New York in the lyrics, and a few records so tied to Manhattan, Brooklyn or Harlem that they belong in any New York playlist. Some are obvious classics, others are less expected, but all of them help sketch the sound of the city.
“Wow, New York, just like I pictured it. Skyscrapers and everything,” sings Stevie Wonder on his landmark soul statement Innervisions (1973). It is a sentiment that has captured the imagination of music lovers around the world.
This collection brings together iconic records where the city name defines the title, classic anthems from the analog warmth of the vinyl era, and hidden gems that hide their urban coordinates deep within the lyrics.
Songs with “New York” in the title.
For a song to become a monument, sometimes it must wear its destination on its sleeve. The tracks below represent those definitive moments where the city's name itself is stamped right onto the label, serving as brass-heavy declarations of metropolitan ambition and urban romance.
“Theme from New York, New York” – Frank Sinatra (1980)
How can we not finish with this, the most towering of urban anthems? Sinatra, born across the Hudson River in Hoboken, New Jersey, recorded this classic for his ambitious triple-album Trilogy: Past Present Future (1980), covering the theatrical original performed by Liza Minnelli.
“New York State of Mind” – Billy Joel (1976)
“I’ve seen all the movie stars in their fancy cars and their limousines,
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
I know what I’m needin’, and I don’t want to waste more time
I’m in a New York state of mind”
A gorgeous, slow-burning love letter to his home city, Bornxite Billy Joel’s piano ballad from Turnstiles (1976) captures the friction of feeling both exhilarated and utterly exhausted by the concrete grind. While initially overlooked by mainstream radio, its bruised, gospel-infused beauty found its true, tear-stained resonance when Joel played it solo during the 9/11 Tribute to Heroes broadcast. It is the definitive hymn of a wounded but resilient city.
“The Only Living Boy in New York” – Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
While writing for Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970), Art Garfunkel headed down to Mexico to film Catch-22, leaving Paul Simon alone in the studio to construct the album’s towering harmonies. He wrote this airy, melancholy masterpiece as a gentle creative dig at his absent partner.
“Englishman in New York” – Sting (1987)
Taken from ...Nothing Like the Sun (1987), this elegant, jazz-pop portrait pays tribute to Sting’s dear friend Quentin Crisp, the legendary British gay icon who moved to Manhattan to live out his twilight years as a self-described “resident alien.” The track’s sparse, rhythmic space is punctuated by Branford Marsalis’s bright, conversational soprano saxophone.
“New York City Serenade” – Bruce Springsteen (1973)
Bruce Springsteen grew up in nearby New Jersey, frequently taking the bus into the city for his earliest club dates. The epic, ten-minute closing track of The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle (1973) is a sweeping, highly cinematic portrait of a young couple navigating the neon-slicked underworld of Manhattan.
“New York City” – John Lennon (1972)
Encouraged by Yoko Ono, John Lennon moved to the Big Apple in 1971, instantly falling in love with its round-the-clock energy, artistic freedom, and confrontational street life. Featured on the politically charged double-album Some Time in New York City (1972), this raucous, three-chord rocker captured his immense joy before the city’s dark history turned his residence fatal.
“Leaving New York” – R.E.M. (2004)
Michael Stipe always considered Manhattan his spiritual second home, admitting that escaping its gravitational pull was never easy. On one late-night departure from John F. Kennedy International Airport, the spectacular aerial view of the glittering skyline inspired him to write this vulnerable ballad for Around the Sun (2004).
“New York Tendaberry” – Laura Nyro (1969)
The Bronx-born piano prodigy Laura Nyro delivered her masterpiece with the album New York Tendaberry (1969). The title track is an abstract, intensely intimate play on words—a literal “tender berry” of a song that shifts unpredictably between quiet, whispered vulnerability and explosive, dark-hued vocal runs.
“Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues (1987)
Now deeply woven into the fabric of the festive season in the UK, this bittersweet, drunken waltz from If I Should Fall from Grace with God (1988) took its title from a book by J. P. Donleavy. The track is a bruised, beautifully tragic dialogue between Shane MacGowan’s gravelly romanticism and Kirsty MacColl’s sharp-tongued defiance.
“New York Minute” – Don Henley (1989)
Though Henley is forever anchored to the sun-drenched acoustic mythologies of the West Coast, this polished, synth-laden track from The End of the Innocence (1989) captures the cold, unforgiving pace of the Eastern seaboard. The title phrase serves as a grim warning of how quickly fortunes can change on these asphalt streets.
“The Boy From New York City” – Darts (1978)
A brilliant, high-energy slice of retro-revivalism from the London doo-wop group Darts, covering the Ad-Libs' 1965 original. This track was a staple of vintage compilation tapes, capturing the mythic allure of New York from an ocean away. (The band earned legendary status among collectors for naming their greatest hits collection Double Top.)
“New York Counterpoint: I. Fast” – Steve Reich (1985)
A pulsing, electronic minimalist masterpiece created by the visionary Steve Reich—himself the son of a Broadway lyricist. This piece uses layered, overlapping clarinets to mimic the throbbing, syncopated, and overwhelming rhythmic patterns of Manhattan's morning commute.
“Down and Out in New York City” – James Brown (1973)
Taken from the gritty analog soundtrack to the Blaxploitation cinematic landmark Black Caesar (1973), this hard-hitting, funk-laden groove sets a dark, brassy scene for a narrative about survival and systemic corruption on the streets of Harlem.
“New York City” – The Peter Malick Group (feat. Norah Jones) (2003)
Recorded just before Norah Jones took the world by storm with her multi-Platinum debut Come Away With Me (2002), this collaborative blue-eyed soul track features her smoky, late-night vocals gliding over a warm, laid-back blues groove.
“I Love New York” – Madonna (2005)
A distorted, guitar-heavy dance-pop track from Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005). The pop icon loudly declares her allegiance to Manhattan’s dirty, crowded club scene at a time when she was actually living a manicured life across the Atlantic in London.
“New York” – St. Vincent (2017)
A gorgeous, piano-led ballad from Masseduction (2017). Annie Clark sings of lost lovers and decaying artistic eras, demonstrating how even the most towering skyline can feel like a claustrophobic cage when a specific person is missing from its streets.
The Vinyl Era New York: Anthems of Grit & Gold (1967–1984)
Between the late sixties and the mid-eighties, New York’s soundtrack was forged on heavy wax and analog tape just as the city was shaking off it’s rough edges. This is the golden era of physical pressings, tracking the raw warmth of folk, the jagged edges of early punk, and the soulful street poetry that defined the city's physical grit.
Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” – Elton John (1972)
On Bernie Taupin’s very first trip to New York, he allegedly heard a gunshot echoing outside his hotel window. Elton John took those shocked, sensory lyrics and spun them into a masterpiece of bruised, slow-burning beauty. This landmark statement of urban disillusionment was recorded during the legendary sessions for Honky Château (1972) at the historic Chateau d'Hérouville studio.
“I’m Waiting for the Man” – The Velvet Underground (1967)
Lou Reed’s uncompromising street poetry laid bare the city’s underbelly, tracking a white consumer heading uptown to Harlem to score drugs. Featured on the landmark The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)—the legendary record with the peelable Andy Warhol banana cover—it chugs along on a relentless, treble-heavy piano beat.
“53rd & 3rd” – Ramones (1976)
This notorious Midtown intersection was a grim hub for male prostitution in the mid-seventies. Written by bassist Dee Dee Ramone, this frantic, three-chord punk blitz from Ramones (1976) documents the desperate struggles of a young hustler turning tricks to feed a raging drug habit.
“Across 110th Street” – Bobby Womack (1972)
Historically recognized as the boundary line separating Harlem from the manicured lawns of Central Park, 110th Street serves as the geographic anchor for this hard-hitting soul masterpiece. Bobby Womack’s grit-encrusted vocal was recorded as the title track for a 1972 crime drama, later finding global fame on the soundtrack to Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown (1997).
“Chelsea Hotel #2” – Leonard Cohen (1974)
The historic Chelsea Hotel on 23rd Street was Manhattan’s bohemian sanctuary, drawing in poets, junkies, and visionary songwriters. Leonard Cohen immortalized his brief, legendary encounter with Janis Joplin in this warm, acoustic folk song from New Skin for the Old Ceremony (1974), delivered with a heavy dose of regret and nostalgic affection.
“Chelsea Girls” – Nico (1967)
After her haunting guest vocal appearances with the Velvet Underground, the German songstress Nico recorded this chamber-folk title track for her solo debut Chelsea Girls (1967). The song was written by Lou Reed to accompany Andy Warhol’s underground cinematic experiment of the same name.
“Chelsea Morning” – Joni Mitchell (1969)
Before the Canadian singer-songwriter packed up her guitar and made Los Angeles her permanent home, she resided in a sunlit Chelsea apartment. This bright, open-tuned acoustic track from her sophomore album Clouds (1969) was directly inspired by the colorful glass mobile hanging in her window and the lively, melodic street noise drifting up from the pavement below.
“The Killing of Georgie (Pt. I and II)” – Rod Stewart (1976)
“An ambulance screamed to a halt on fifty-third and third”
A beautifully sequenced, narrative track from A Night on the Town (1976). Rod Stewart sings with gravelly warmth about the true story of a gay friend who fled to New York to find acceptance, only to meet a tragic, violent end at the hands of a street gang.
“Back in NYC” – Genesis (1974)
From the progressive rock double-album masterpiece The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974). This complex, synth-driven track introduces the listener to Rael, a rebellious Puerto Rican youth navigating a surreal, theatrical journey of self-discovery through the city's dark underbelly.
“Subway Train” – New York Dolls (1973)
A messy, gloriously distorted proto-punk track from New York Dolls (1973). It combines romantic heartbreak with the screeching, analog noise of riding Manhattan’s subterranean transit system.
“Native New Yorker” – Odyssey (1977)
Originally written for Frankie Valli, this polished disco-soul anthem from Odyssey (1977) became a massive international hit. It delivers a soaring, string-drenched message of hope to a heartbroken city dweller, reinforcing the classic idea that if you can survive the emotional grind here, you can survive anywhere.
“Living for the City” – Stevie Wonder (1973)
Stevie Wonder’s epic soul masterpiece from Innervisions (1973) tackles systemic racial prejudice and poverty. While the lyrics don't explicitly name New York, the dramatic, claustrophobic spoken-word interlude in the middle of the studio version—complete with sirens and a harsh arrest sequence—makes it undeniably clear where this tragedy unfolds.
“Coney Island Baby” – Lou Reed (1975)
Ditching his cold, street-level persona, Lou Reed delivered this warm, nostalgic, and surprisingly vulnerable title track for Coney Island Baby (1975). The song’s sweet, slow-burning guitar harmonies were dedicated directly to his trans partner, Rachel Humphreys.
“To Turn You On” – Roxy Music (1982)
The late-career return of Roxy Music on their final masterpiece Avalon (1982) saw Bryan Ferry cast as a sleek, nocturnal lounge lizard. This highly atmospheric, rain-soaked ballad contains one of Ferry’s most evocative, whispered vocal lines: “Is it raining in New York, on Fifth Avenue?”
Modern NYC: Hip-Hop, Rap & Indie Jungles (1985–Present)
As the analog warmth of the vinyl era gave way to drum machines and distorted guitars, a new metropolitan myth emerged. This is the sound of New York's modern evolution—from the pioneering block-party storytelling of hip-hop to the jagged, neon-lit revivals of the indie-rock underground.
“Welcome To New York City” – Cam’ron feat. Jay-Z (2002)
Harlem rapper Cam’ron, flanked by Jay-Z, delivers a heavy-hitting, street-level introduction to the city on Come Home with Me (2002). The track’s booming, modern production frames rapid-fire raps about local mythology, shouting out the World Trade Center, the birthplace of Michael Jordan, and the legacy of Biggie Smalls.
“An Open Letter To NYC” – Beastie Boys (2004)
Having famously declared they would get "no sleep" until they reached the borough, the Beastie Boys dedicated an entire album to their beloved hometown with To the 5 Boroughs (2004). This track is an affectionate, beat-heavy love letter celebrating the cultural melting pot of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.
“No Sleep Till Brooklyn” – Beastie Boys (1986)
This raucous rap-metal crossover from their multi-Platinum debut Licensed to Ill (1986) features a roaring guitar solo from Slayer’s Kerry King. The title is a hilarious, heavy-metal-edged nod to Motörhead’s live album No Sleep 'til Hammersmith (1981)—itself a tribute to London's legendary Hammersmith Odeon venue. It remains the ultimate, high-octane celebration of Brooklyn's gritty outer-borough energy.
“Empire State of Mind (Part II)” – Alicia Keys (2009)
“Grew up in a town
That is famous as a place of movie scenes...”
While Jay-Z’s original was a booming, stadium-sized rap record, Alicia Keys reclaims the song’s emotional core on The Element of Freedom (2009). Stripping the track down to a solo piano and her own soaring, gospel-tinged vocal, the Hell's Kitchen native delivers a vulnerable and deeply inspirational anthem of survival.
“New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” – LCD Soundsystem (2007)
The epic closing track of Sound of Silver (2007) is James Murphy's ultimate love-hate letter to his home city. Beginning as a quiet, late-night piano ballad before exploding into a wall of distorted guitars, the song perfectly captures the exhausting push-and-pull of modern urban life:
“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 pool where I'd happily drown”
“New York Is Killing Me” – Gil Scott-Heron (2010)
Taken from the legendary poet’s final studio album I’m New Here (2010), this dark, bluesy, and highly textured track chugs along on a sparse, handclap-driven rhythm. It stands as a haunting, autobiographical reference to Scott-Heron's struggles with addiction and his time spent in New York State prison.
“Heaven’s in New York” – Wyclef Jean (1997)
“First thing I'd do is go back in time
Take the Twin Towers put it back in the skyline”
After emigrating from Haiti, Wyclef Jean made the metropolitan streets of New York his creative home, delivering this smooth alternative hip-hop tribute on his solo debut The Carnival (1997).
“Brooklyn Bound” – The Black Keys (2004)
A raw, garage-rock track from Rubber Factory (2004). The duo’s gritty, blues-rock riffs and room-shaking drums perfectly mimic the industrial clatter of an outer-borough subway train.
“King of New York” – Fun Lovin’ Criminals (1996)
This ultra-cool, cinematic track from Come Find Yourself (1996) tells a story of wannabe mobsters and street-level grifters trying to emulate the notorious "Dapper Don" John Gotti, who was famously arrested by the FBI at the Ravenite Club in Little Italy.
New York in the Lyrics: Neighbourhoods, Streets, and Subways
A great metropolitan record doesn't always need to name the city in its title. Sometimes, the true spirit of the five boroughs is hidden in the geography of the lyric sheet—revealed through a passing street name, a midnight subway line, or a crowded neighborhood square.
“Walking Down Madison” – Kirsty MacColl (1991)
This infectious, sample-heavy dance-pop track from Electric Landlady (1991) features a clever title that riffs on Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (1968). It serves as a subtle nod to his legendary Greenwich Village studio, Electric Lady Studios, completed just before his tragic death in London.
“Nights On Broadway” – Bee Gees (1975)
Taken from Main Course (1975), this brilliant slice of blue-eyed soul was recorded just two years before the brothers became synonymous with the global disco boom of Saturday Night Fever (1977).
“Union Square” – Tom Waits (1985)
A gloriously off-kilter, horn-heavy track from his masterpiece Rain Dogs (1985). Waits sketches a jazzy, nocturnal portrait of the street hustlers, drag queens, and late-night characters drifting through this historic Manhattan square.
“Back to Manhattan” – Norah Jones (2009)
Now established as a solo superstar, Norah Jones recorded this melancholy ballad for her breakup album The Fall (2009). The lyrics trace her emotional departure from her partner's Brooklyn home as she heads back across the East River.
“Little Italy” – Stephen Bishop (1977)
A charming, acoustic folk-pop tale from Careless (1976), detailing everyday life, immigrant heritage, and romance in this historic Manhattan neighborhood.
“Take the ‘A’ Train” – Ella Fitzgerald (1957)
“You must take the ‘A’ train
To go to Sugar Hill way up in Harlem
If you miss the ‘A’ train
You’ll find you’ve missed the quickest way to Harlem...”
The definitive vocal version of Billy Strayhorn’s jazz standard, celebrating the subway line that connected Brooklyn and Midtown directly to the cultural heart of Harlem.
“Harlem” – Bill Withers (1971)
“Saturday night in Harlem,
Ahh everything’s alright.
You can really swing and shake your pretty thing,
The parties are out of sight.”
Released on Withers’ debut Just as I Am (1971), this acoustic-soul classic was originally put out as a single. Radio DJs overwhelmingly preferred the B-side, pushing the legendary “Ain’t No Sunshine” to become Bill’s breakout signature hit.
“Harlem Blues” – Nat King Cole (1958)
A stunning, historic vocal performance of W. C. Handy’s blues standard, taken from the film soundtrack album St. Louis Blues (1958).
“Rhapsody in Blue” – George Gershwin (1924)
As immortalized in Woody Allen’s classic film Manhattan (1979), this majestic orchestral piece is the ultimate sonic representation of the city. Gershwin, born in Brooklyn, described it as a “musical kaleidoscope of America, of our vast melting pot, of our unduplicated national pep, of our metropolitan madness.”
“Manhattan” – Ella Fitzgerald (1956)
“The great big city’s a wondrous toy
Just made for a girl and boy —
We’ll turn Manhattan
Into an isle of joy.”
Ella delivers the definitive, breezy vocal version of this Rogers and Hart show tune, turning the intimidating metropolis into a charming romantic playground on Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book (1956).
“Hey Manhattan!” – Prefab Sprout (1988)
From Durham, England, to the heart of New York City, Prefab Sprout recorded this lavish, orchestral love letter for From Langley Park to Memphis (1988), capturing the wide-eyed excitement of a first-time visitor:
“Hey Manhattan! Here I am! Call me star-struck Uncle Sam.
Strolling Fifth Avenue
Just to think Sinatra’s been here too...”
“Angel of Harlem” – U2 (1988)
On The Joshua Tree (1987), U2 had begun to embrace Americana. With their follow-up Rattle and Hum (1988), they dove deeper, recording at Memphis’s legendary Sun Studio, collaborating with a Harlem gospel choir, and writing this soulful tribute to Billie Holiday. By the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind (2000), most of the band had bought apartments in Manhattan.
“Autumn in Washington Square” – Dave Brubeck (1956)
A cool, melancholy jazz instrumental from Jazz Impressions of the U.S.A. (1956) that perfectly captures the changing of the seasons in Greenwich Village's historic park.
“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” – Christopher Cross (1981)
The Oscar-winning theme song to the classic comedy Arthur (1981). With its iconic, sweeping chorus about getting caught between the moon and New York City, it remains the gold standard of late-era soft rock.
Next Stop: LA, Baby!
While New York songs are defined by their urgency, grit, and forward analog motion, the mood shifts completely when you head out west. Once you've finished spinning this playlist, escape the concrete jungle and explore our companion guide to the best Los Angeles songs to hear how the West Coast contrasted the sounds of the East.