10 Essential Songs About New York City

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Our top 10 songs about New York City peer into what makes this the most exciting city on earth. One thing New York has never been is boring. Between proud New Yorkers who became major recording stars and visitors who found themselves inspired by the city, musicians have been writing about New York for generations. From time to time, an artist comes along with a song that criticizes New York but does so with such artistic flair that it becomes impossible to ignore. As great as some of those songs are, you won’t find them here. This is a top-ten list of songs about New York that celebrates the city and its people.

Top 10 Essential Songs About New York City

Table of Contents

#10 – “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” (performed by Simon & Garfunkel)

Released on the 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, “The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy)” became one of the many musical gems written by Paul Simon and performed by Simon & Garfunkel. The song’s title refers to the 59th Street Bridge, officially known today as the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge.

Simon & Garfunkel’s recording runs under two minutes, but the song took on another life when Harpers Bizarre released its version in 1967. Their recording became a number thirteen hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The message behind the song is beautifully simple: slow down and enjoy the moment. It may not always seem easy to do in New York, but part of the city’s charm is knowing when to take a breather and take it all in.

#9 – “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo)” (performed by Alice Cooper)

Released in 1973, Alice Cooper’s Muscle of Love opened with “Big Apple Dreamin’ (Hippo).” The song turns New York into a destination filled with ambition, nightlife, and the feeling that something bigger might be waiting around the next corner. Using the city’s famous Big Apple nickname in the title only strengthens the connection.

As a fan, this is a great tune to capture the feeling of small-town rockers heading to New York City on a quest to make a name for themselves. The energy of the music keeps pushing forward until the violin at the end smooths everything out, almost as if the dream of making it big has finally come into focus. Not only is this a great ode to New York City, but it is also a source of inspiration to take on the challenge of turning your own dreams into reality.

#8 – “Safe in New York City” (performed by AC/DC)

“Safe in New York City” was released in 2000 on AC/DC’s Stiff Upper Lip. Written by Angus Young and Malcolm Young, the song uses the energy and unpredictability of New York as fuel for one of the band’s trademark hard-rock performances. Brian Johnson’s vocals and the Young brothers’ guitars turn the title into a chant that sounds both celebratory and slightly sarcastic.

Angus Young later explained that the song was deliberately tongue-in-cheek. During a visit to New York, he kept hearing people talk about how safe the city had become, while he had always viewed New York as a place where you could never predict what might happen next. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks inevitably gave the title an entirely different emotional weight after the fact.

One interesting correction to the mythology surrounding the song is that its official music video was not filmed in New York. AC/DC’s own website confirms that director Andy Morahan filmed the “Safe in New York City” video in Los Angeles in May 2000.

#7 – “New York City Serenade” (performed by Bruce Springsteen)

Released in 1973 on Bruce Springsteen’s second album, The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle, “New York City Serenade” is one of Springsteen’s most ambitious early recordings. The song brings together street characters, nighttime imagery, jazz influences, and the romantic pull of New York City.

“New York City Serenade” closes the album and is the longest song on the record, running close to ten minutes. The album also includes another iconic New York-related song, “Incident on 57th Street.” Fans of Springsteen will recognize the wonderful closing sequence: “Incident on 57th Street,” “Rosalita (Come Out Tonight),” and then “New York City Serenade.” In all honesty, listen to those three songs in a row without pause if you really want to get into a special New York groove, even if you’ve never been to the city yourself.

#6 – “New York Minute” (performed by Don Henley)

In 1989, Don Henley released The End of the Innocence, one of the defining albums of his solo career. “New York Minute” became one of the album’s memorable singles, reaching number forty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100.

The song focuses on how quickly life can change. While that can happen anywhere, the expression “in a New York minute” has long captured the city’s speed, pressure, and unpredictability. Henley’s performance gives that familiar phrase a much darker and more reflective meaning.

#5 – “New York Groove” (performed by Ace Frehley)

In 1978, all four members of KISS released solo albums on the same day. Bronx-born guitarist Ace Frehley included his version of “New York Groove,” a song written by Russ Ballard and first recorded by the British glam-rock band Hello.

Hello’s original version became a number nine hit on the UK Singles Chart in 1975. Three years later, Frehley recorded the song for his self-titled solo album. Although he was initially reluctant to record someone else’s song, producer Eddie Kramer pushed for its inclusion. That proved to be a smart decision. Frehley’s version reached number thirteen on the Billboard Hot 100 and became by far the biggest hit to emerge from the four KISS solo albums.

For Frehley, a native New Yorker, the song sounded completely natural. Its swagger, nighttime energy, and celebration of returning to the city made it feel as if the song had been written for him. Over time, “New York Groove” became one of the great rock-and-roll songs associated with the city.

#4 – “Angel of Harlem” (performed by U2)

One doesn’t have to be a born New Yorker to come up with a great song about the city. U2 proved that with “Angel of Harlem,” released in 1988 on Rattle and Hum. The Irish band’s song is an homage to jazz great Billie Holiday and also references John Coltrane, placing New York’s musical history right at the center of the recording.

U2 recorded “Angel of Harlem” at Sun Studios in Memphis with the Memphis Horns. The combination of Irish rock musicians, American soul influences, and a song inspired by Harlem made it one of the most memorable tracks on Rattle and Hum. The band’s fascination with American music was obvious throughout that project, and “Angel of Harlem” remains one of the warmest examples.

#3 – “Walk on the Wild Side” (performed by Lou Reed)

“Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed is a 1972 classic from his album Transformer and, hands down, one of the greatest rock songs ever recorded. Produced by David Bowie and Mick Ronson, the song drew inspiration from real figures associated with Andy Warhol’s Factory scene, including Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling, Joe Dallesandro, Jackie Curtis, and Joe Campbell.

The song became a counterculture anthem and Reed’s most recognizable solo hit. Its characters make their way through a New York that offered reinvention, danger, art, freedom, and a place for people who did not fit neatly into mainstream society. That atmosphere is part of what makes the song feel so inseparable from the city.

“Walk on the Wild Side” reached number sixteen on the Billboard Hot 100. Decades later, it remains one of those recordings that instantly brings to mind a particular era of downtown New York culture.

#2 – “The Boy from New York City” (performed by The Ad Libs)

Okay, so “The Boy from New York City” talks more about a handsome young man than it does about the city. Performed by The Ad Libs and released in December 1964 as the group’s first single, the song was written by George Davis and John T. Taylor and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

Lead singer Mary Ann Thomas delivers the lovestruck story while the male members of the group provide the unforgettable vocal backing. The record reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1965 and became The Ad Libs’ defining hit.

The song proved too good to belong to only one generation. British group Darts brought it back to the charts in 1978, and The Manhattan Transfer scored an even bigger American revival in 1981, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. Speaking as a fan, it was always easy enough for me to replace “the boy” with “the soul” and sing not simply about a person from New York City. Singing about the spirit of it works just as well, too.

#1 – “New York State of Mind” (performed by Billy Joel)

In 1976, Billy Joel released “New York State of Mind” on the album Turnstiles. Although the song was not originally issued as a commercial single, it became one of the defining recordings of Joel’s career and one of the greatest musical love letters ever written to New York. The RIAA eventually certified “New York State of Mind” as a platinum single in 2021.

The song grew directly out of Joel’s return to New York after spending several years living in Los Angeles. Turnstiles itself became a celebration of that homecoming, with several songs reflecting Joel’s renewed connection to New York.

In October 2001, Joel performed “New York State of Mind” at The Concert for New York City following the September 11 terrorist attacks. The song was perfectly suited to a night honoring the people who had responded to one of the darkest moments in the city’s history. On December 12, 2012, he performed it again during the 12-12-12 benefit for Hurricane Sandy relief, altering some of the words for the occasion.

This is a song New Yorkers should be proud of, and it has become much more than simply one of Billy Joel’s greatest recordings. It expresses the pull of home, the rhythm of the city, and the feeling that no matter where a New Yorker travels, there is something about returning that cannot be duplicated anywhere else. That’s why “New York State of Mind” gets the top spot.