New York: Songs of the City - Softcover

Cole Porter, Fanny Brice, Lou Reed, Joni Mitchell: they all had something to sing about New York City. New York has musically inspired so many people in many diverse ways. This is an introduction to the best-loved songs and most evocative music written about America's premier city. Drawing on years of research, music historian Nancy Groce serves as a guide for this urban tour, which features the lyrics of many of the over 1000 songs written about New York. Some celebrate certain neighbourhoods, such as "My Pearl's a Bowery Girl" (1894) and "Chelsea Morning" (1967), some commemorate landmarks -"The Statue of Liberty Is Smiling" (1918) and "Stompin' at the Savoy" (1936) - while some pay tribute to the beautiful, musical, resilient city itself, such as 1977's smash "I Love New York" and the less insistent "I Happen to Like New York" (1930). The musical landscape of New York - its multitudinous rhythms, melodies and messages - is explored in rich, sometimes gritty, detail through vintage photos, and illustrations of sheet-music covers and album jackets.