Five Things: Songs About New York City

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I'm getting ready to leave the city for good, thinking about music that primed me for my time here in the Big Apple.

1. Lou Reed, "Busload of Faith" 
When I was in high school, I listened to Lou Reed's New York a lot ... 


2. The Cult, "New York City" 
And the Cult too.


3. Jay-Z, "Empire State of Mind"
On the radio during my last drive from Rochester to NYC Thursday.

A friend of mine from out of town, no particular fan of Gotham, once commented that as soon as her plane touched down in the big city, her blood pressure went up. My response: "Yeah; isn't it great?"

4. John Lennon, "New York City" 
A bad father with the best intentions: no wonder I can still relate to John Lennon. In junior high, I wanted to be him.


5. Van Heusen and Cahn, "Ring-A-Ding Ding" sung by Frank Sinatra
No one singer is more New York than Sinatra. When I was in high school, I played with a pianist who was absolutely nuts for the guy; he put this song on a jazz mix tape he made for me.

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