The Big Apple is a fascinating city to explore and even people who've been living there for years constantly discover new aspects to the city. When you visit, you'll want to see the famous sights but you can make your stay even more interesting by, for instance, trying to spot locations from the many movies and television shows filmed here. However, you'll need some tunes too and there is nothing better than a playlist of 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 lives of those musicians trying to make it big have been the subject of several movies, including 'New York, New York'. The movie's theme song was a hit for Liza Minnelli but became even bigger when Frank Sinatra made it one of his signature songs. In contrast to the optimistic mood of this song is 'The Boxer' by folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, which is about someone whose NYC dreams didn't quite work out as planned.
Simon and Garfunkel were icons of the folk movement of the Sixties. This movement embraced the streets of areas like the Lower East Side and many hit songs from the era mention locations by name. One of these is the Chelsea Hotel, which Leonard Cohen sang about and which still stands. Chelsea is of course a neighborhood immortalized in song by Joni Mitchell too.
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 home of the Broadway musical naturally is a theme for many a stage show too. 'West Side Story' is one of the most famous and looks at the ethnic diversity of native New Yorkers. A more recent musical that takes a look at the seedier part of life in the East Village and Alphabet City is 'Rent'. Other hit musicals to consider include 'Guys and Dolls', 'Follies', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie', 'Funny Girl' and 'Hair'.
Not all music inspired by New York has lyrics. There are many orchestral numbers too. George Gershwin, who composed 'Rhapsody in Blue', was a New Yorker, as was jazz legend Duke Ellington, who composed 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem'. Among the classical pieces you may want to listen to are 'Quiet City' by Aaron Copland and 'Central Park in the Dark' by Charles Ives.
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 lives of those musicians trying to make it big have been the subject of several movies, including 'New York, New York'. The movie's theme song was a hit for Liza Minnelli but became even bigger when Frank Sinatra made it one of his signature songs. In contrast to the optimistic mood of this song is 'The Boxer' by folk duo Simon and Garfunkel, which is about someone whose NYC dreams didn't quite work out as planned.
Simon and Garfunkel were icons of the folk movement of the Sixties. This movement embraced the streets of areas like the Lower East Side and many hit songs from the era mention locations by name. One of these is the Chelsea Hotel, which Leonard Cohen sang about and which still stands. Chelsea is of course a neighborhood immortalized in song by Joni Mitchell too.
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 home of the Broadway musical naturally is a theme for many a stage show too. 'West Side Story' is one of the most famous and looks at the ethnic diversity of native New Yorkers. A more recent musical that takes a look at the seedier part of life in the East Village and Alphabet City is 'Rent'. Other hit musicals to consider include 'Guys and Dolls', 'Follies', 'A Chorus Line', 'Annie', 'Funny Girl' and 'Hair'.
Not all music inspired by New York has lyrics. There are many orchestral numbers too. George Gershwin, who composed 'Rhapsody in Blue', was a New Yorker, as was jazz legend Duke Ellington, who composed 'A Tone Parallel to Harlem'. Among the classical pieces you may want to listen to are 'Quiet City' by Aaron Copland and 'Central Park in the Dark' by Charles Ives.
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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