Rock songs about New York

July 6, 2010 3:44 PM

Help me find some rock songs about New York. I'm travelling to New York in a week and my travel buddy will be inflicting Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z on me at every possible opportunity, so I need a song to counterract it. Preferably in the rock, grunge or metal genres.
posted by Kris10_b to Media & Arts (49 answers total)

Best answer: Rockaway Beach by the Ramones.

New York Fairy Tale - The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl

No Sleep 'till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys

Also: list of songs about NYC.
posted by griphus at 3:49 PM on July 6, 2010

New York Magazine's "Ultimate New York Playlist" and I would add "Movin' On Up (The Theme from 'The Jeffersons')" by Ja'Net DuBois.
posted by Frank Grimes at 3:50 PM on July 6, 2010

New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones- Fear
posted by kuujjuarapik at 3:51 PM on July 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

53rd & 3rd, Rockaway Beach -- Ramones
posted by Ashley801 at 3:53 PM on July 6, 2010

Best answer: Just play I Love NYC by Andrew WK over and over and over.
posted by komara at 3:53 PM on July 6, 2010 [3 favorites]

New York - Cat Power
Leaving New York - REM
Breakfast in NYC - Oppenheimer
posted by millipede at 3:54 PM on July 6, 2010

New York City Cops - The Strokes
posted by hector horace at 3:58 PM on July 6, 2010

People Who Died and City Drops into the Night - The Jim Carroll Band

Like Wow, Wipeout - Hoodoo Gurus (pretty much just for the opening verse: "I kiss the ground on which you walk / I kiss the lips through which you talk / I kiss the city of New York / Where I first met you" -- but it's a nifty little song nonetheless)

New York - Sex Pistols
posted by scody at 3:58 PM on July 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

New York Groove!!
posted by drjimmy11 at 4:00 PM on July 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

"New York City" by Cub, covered by They Might Be Giants (from the wikipedia page) is particularly sunny.
posted by gregglind at 4:06 PM on July 6, 2010

New York, New York
I won't go back
Indelible reminder of the steel I lack
I gave you seven years
What did you give me back?
A jaw-grind, disposistion to a panic attack
posted by otolith at 4:11 PM on July 6, 2010 [2 favorites]

Kicking Giant -- She's Real
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:17 PM on July 6, 2010

New York, I Love You but You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem
posted by lekvar at 4:18 PM on July 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel."
posted by infinitywaltz at 4:18 PM on July 6, 2010

Seconding Andrew W.K. Seriously. "I love New York City, Oh yeah New York City" is like the greatest chorus ever.
posted by Lutoslawski at 4:24 PM on July 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The first four songs on your mix should be New York Broken Toy by Nazareth.

+
New York City - The Cult
Yeah! New York - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
posted by prinado at 4:24 PM on July 6, 2010

Cub's video of "New York City"
NYC's Like a Graveyard by the Moldy Peaches.
posted by plastic_animals at 4:25 PM on July 6, 2010

Shattered by the Rolling Stones
posted by Flood at 4:30 PM on July 6, 2010

Roadrunner as performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (The original is by Jonathan Richman and is about Massachussetts, but Joan changed the lyrics.)
posted by SuperSquirrel at 4:41 PM on July 6, 2010 [1 favorite]

This list might be helpful.
posted by platinum at 4:43 PM on July 6, 2010

Demics: (I Wanna Go to) New York City
posted by bonobothegreat at 4:46 PM on July 6, 2010

Don't forget I'll Take New York by Tom Waits.
posted by komara at 4:48 PM on July 6, 2010

The Kills - What New York Used to Be
posted by ttyn at 4:49 PM on July 6, 2010

Miami 2017 by Billy Joel
posted by Captain_Science at 4:49 PM on July 6, 2010

NYC by Interpol

But seriously, does anyone listen to Interpol anymore? It's like they dropped off the map in 2005. Or is it just me?
posted by The Michael The at 5:01 PM on July 6, 2010

"Rock and Roll" by The Velvet Underground. I was just thinking today about arriving in NYC listening to this song.
posted by thatguyryan at 5:41 PM on July 6, 2010

Gone, Gone from New York City by Conor Oberst
posted by zoomorphic at 5:53 PM on July 6, 2010

Also, it's not rock in your sense, but Bob Dylan's Talkin' New York is just wonderful.
posted by zoomorphic at 5:54 PM on July 6, 2010

Luckiest Guy in the Lower East Side by Magnetic Fields
Mercy Snack by Pavement
Across 110th St by Bobby Womack
posted by zoomorphic at 5:57 PM on July 6, 2010

I Live in New York City by Sxip Shirey
posted by dywypi at 6:31 PM on July 6, 2010

new york city by john lennon
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 6:57 PM on July 6, 2010

"New York" by Nikki Sudden.
posted by tealsocks at 7:00 PM on July 6, 2010

Back in NYC by Genesis (Gabriel-era), Waiting for the Man by the Velvet Underground, City of Blinding Lights by U2,
posted by KingEdRa at 8:06 PM on July 6, 2010

Moving to New York by The Wombats.
posted by Kattullus at 8:09 PM on July 6, 2010

New York Girls
by Morningwood

Bonus that this video is fan-made.
posted by JV at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2010

I contribute to this blog where we do themes every week. Just last week was New York week. You'll find several songs there - and most of them are awesome. Also, you can sample the songs for free. Check it out here.
posted by crapples at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2010

New York, New York by Ryan Adams.
posted by kate blank at 8:34 PM on July 6, 2010

Myriad Harbor by the New Pornographers is my very favorite, upbeat, undeniably catchy song about New York.
posted by Saminal at 8:41 PM on July 6, 2010

P.S. New York Is Burning by Jawbreaker

(NSFW image from album cover)

This day feels different.
Feels like shedding skin.
My mind is clearer now
I know what state I'm in.
*

Plus others I'm sure, Blake spent a lot of of time in NY then (and now).
posted by intermod at 9:50 PM on July 6, 2010

New York, New York by The Dictators

I can't stand my neighbors
Screaming all the time
If I wasn't blasting Sister Ray
I could lose my mind
posted by intermod at 9:58 PM on July 6, 2010

The Rev. Horton Heat: New York City Girls.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:00 PM on July 6, 2010

Black 47 has more than a few songs about Irish New York:
Brooklyn Girls
Rockin' the Bronx
40 Shades of Blue
Living in America
Banks of the Hudson
Five Points
Our Lady of the Bronx
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 11:12 PM on July 6, 2010

"We've Been Had" by The Walkmen

"See me age 19
With some dumb haircut from 1960
Moving to New York City"

"Jersey Shore" by The Promise Ring
posted by bardic at 12:01 AM on July 7, 2010

New York Groove (Ace from KISS)
posted by philad at 12:15 AM on July 7, 2010

Le Tigre - My My Metrocard
posted by neushoorn at 3:25 AM on July 7, 2010

Avenue A - The Dictators
Avenue B - Iggy Pop
Central Park 'n' West - Ian Hunter
The Girl From New York City - The Beach Boys
posted by Devoidoid at 4:35 AM on July 7, 2010

Couple more (can't link to Youtube at work unfortunately):

Sonic Youth - NYC Ghosts & Flowers
Swell Maps - New York
posted by anagrama at 8:51 AM on July 7, 2010

NYC : Steve Earle
posted by essexjan at 11:15 AM on July 7, 2010

This far into the thread and no mention of "Marquee Moon" by Television? For shame, people.

Also good: Lou Reed's New York album (particularly "Dirty Blvd." and "Romeo Had Juliet") and various Velvets tunes ("Waiting For The Man" comes immediately to mind).
posted by pxe2000 at 6:22 PM on July 8, 2010