Theme from New York, New York
"Theme from New York, New York" | |
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Single by Liza Minnelli | |
from the album New York, New York | |
B-side | "Hazoy" (Ralph Burns and His Orchestra) |
Released | June 21, 1977 |
Length | 3:16 |
Label | United Artists |
Composer(s) | John Kander |
Lyricist(s) | Fred Ebb |
Producer(s) | Ralph Burns |
"Theme from New York, New York" | ||||
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Jazz | ||||
Length | 3:26 | |||
Label | Reprise | |||
Songwriter(s) | Fred Ebb, John Kander | |||
Producer(s) | Sonny Burke | |||
Frank Sinatra singles chronology | ||||
|
"Theme from New York, New York", often abbreviated to just "New York, New York", is the
History
Composer John Kander and Lyricist Fred Ebb stated on the A&E
In 1979, "Theme from New York, New York" was recorded by
Sinatra's recording peaked at #32 in June 1980, becoming his final Top 40 hit. It was also an Adult Contemporary hit, reaching #10 in the US[2] and #2 in Canada.[3] In Mexico, it reached #1 on Notitas Musicales' Hit Parade chart in December 1981,[4] remaining in that position for three fortnights. The song made a minor showing in the UK (#59); however, it recharted several years later and reached #4 in 1986. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male and Sinatra made two more studio recordings of the song in 1981 (for his NBC TV special The Man and His Music) and 1993 (for Capitol Records). From the latter, an electronic duet with Tony Bennett was produced for Sinatra's Duets album.
The lyrics of the Sinatra versions differ slightly from Ebb's original lyrics. Notably, the phrase "A-number-one", which does not appear at all in the original lyrics, is sung twice at the song's
The first line of the song is:
Start spreadin' the news, I'm leavin' today
I want to be a part of it: New York, New York.
The song concludes with the line:
If I can make it there, I'm gonna make it anywhere,
It's up to you, New York, New York.
Minnelli's original recording of the song (also used in the Tony Bennett version in Duets) uses the following closing line:
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere,
Come on, come through, New York, New York.
Liza Minnelli performed the song live during the July 4, 1986 ceremony marking the rededication of the
Charts
- Liza Minnelli version
Chart (1977) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Bubbling Under the Hot 100[9]
|
104 |
- Frank Sinatra version
|
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
In popular culture
The song has been embraced as a celebration of
Liza Minnelli performed it live on September 21, 2001 at Shea Stadium during the seventh inning stretch which was the first game in New York after the attacks on the World Trade Center. The Mets beat the Braves with a dramatic home run by Mike Piazza. It is known as the "9/11 game".
From the 2005 season until 2020, at the
The song was the musical basis for Jimmy Picker's 1983 three-minute animated short, Sundae in New York, which won the Oscar for Best Short Film (Animated) that year, with a likeness of then-mayor Ed Koch somewhat stumbling through the song, with clay caricatures of New York-based celebrities (including Alfred E. Neuman) and finishing the song with "Basically, I think New York is very therapeutic. Hey, an apple a day is... uh... great for one's constitution!" and burying his face in a big banana split with "THE END" written on his bald head. (Koch used the same rallentando climax Sinatra used, albeit with one big difference: "A-number one, top of the list, king of the hill..." followed by his impression of Groucho Marx completing, "...and incidentally a heckuva nice guy!")[23]
Parodies
- Swedish comedy group Galenskaparna och After Shave made a version of the song in 1985, called "Borås, Borås", about Borås, the mail order center of Sweden.
- Martin Short sang a parody, "North Pole, North Pole", in the 2006 film The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
- In Season 1 Episode 11 of Desperate Housewives , Susan (Teri Hatcher) sings a part of the song while she confronts her cheating ex- husband
- Stephen Colbert sang a parody of the song on the 10 June 2014 episode of The Colbert Report. His version mocked New York Governor Andrew Cuomo's and California Governor Jerry Brown's wager on the result of the Stanley Cup Finals between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings.
- Professional wrestling team The New Day sang a parody on an episode of WWE Raw the night after they won the Tag Team Championships at SummerSlam in 2015 at the Barclays Centerin Brooklyn.
- In concert, Michael Feinstein often sings parody lyrics regarding his hatred of this song.
- Puppet comedy YouTube web series, Glove and Boots recorded a parody of the song in 2015, titled "New York, New York ft Johnny T".[24] Sung by the character Johnny T (a New Yorker frog), the parody is a more cynical take about the modern New York City, with lyrics about gentrification and rising cost of living forcing residents to move out.
- A parody of the song, named "Capital City", is a song from the Simpsons second season episode, "Dancin' Homer", sung by Tony Bennett (who performed the original song as well). The music and lyrics were written by Jeff Martin.
- A parody of the song, "First Grade, First Grade", is sung at kindergarten graduations.
- Jewish song parody group, Rechnitzer Rejects, recorded a version of the song in Boro Park.
See also
- "I Love L.A." by Randy Newman
- "My Kind of Town", composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and Sammy Cahn
- "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", by Tony Bennett, who also covered "New York, New York" in a duet with Sinatra.
- "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson
References
- ^ "Don Costa". Grammy Awards. Recording Academy. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 221.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 5, 1980. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ^ "Los Discos Más Populares - Notitas Musicales (15 December)". Facebook. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
- ^ "'New York, New York'". NPR.org.
- ^ Munzenrieder, Kyle (April 13, 2020). "Liza Minnelli Belting "New York, New York" in 1986 Will Enliven Your Spirit". W Magazine. Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ Goldman, John J.; Mehren, Elizabeth (July 7, 1986). "A Glitzy Finale : Cast of 8,000 Performs in Liberty Fete". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-4438-5959-2. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. July 5, 1980. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
- ^ "IRMA". Retrieved March 22, 2021.
- ^ "Los Discos Más Populares - Notitas Musicales (15 December)". Facebook. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- ^ "Official Charts Company". Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 5, 1980". Archived from the original on August 12, 2018. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – New York, New York". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 6, 2018.
- ^ "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. February 22, 1986. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
- ^ "British single certifications – Frank Sinatra – New York New York". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ "Stadium Songs: New York Yankees". ESPN.com. July 20, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
- ^ "10 Facts About Yankee Stadium". Mentalfloss.com. September 23, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ISBN 978-0670066988.
- ^ "Belmont Stakes Traditions". Horseracing.about.com. June 15, 2010. Archived from the original on May 16, 2010. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
- ^ "Sinatra's voice returns to Belmont Stakes". boston.com. Associated Press. June 4, 2011. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
- ^ "Sundae in New York video". Zappinternet.com. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
- ^ New York, New York ft. Johnny T, archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved August 9, 2020
External links
- Present at the Creation (segment of NPR radio show Morning Edition about the song)
- New York New York Lyrics