There's nothing like sitting on a bus and catching your first glimpse of One World Trade, the Empire State Building, or the Statue of Liberty while your favorite song about New York City bumps in your eardrums.
Ever strolled through Chelsea early on a Sunday morning and listened to Chelsea Morning by Joni Mitchell?
Ever blasted Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys to get stoked after a big day at work? Or used No Sleep Till Brooklyn from The Beastie Boys to justify an all-nighter?
If so, you know how good it feels to use songs about NYC to soundtrack your life. If you didn't know, well now you do.
We're lucky enough that hundreds of songs have been written about this glorious city.
So we've gone ahead and compiled our favorite 26 NYC jams-- in no particular order-- for your musical enjoyment on this Sunday. Now, go ahead and enjoy 'em!
1. New York, New York by Frank Sinatra
2. East Harlem by Beirut
[anad]
3. Maria Maria by Carlos Santana
4. Concrete Jungle by Bob Marley
5. Heaven's in New York by Wyclef Jean
6. Empire State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
7. Living for the City by Stevie Wonder
8. Shattered by The Rolling Stones
9. New York State of Mind by Billy Joel
10. NY State of Mind by Nas
11. Chelsea Morning by Joni Mitchell
12. No Sleep Till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys
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13. What New York Used to Be by The Kills
,14. Downtown Train by Tom Waits
15. Guaranteed Raw by Notorious B.I.G.
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16. An Open Letter to NYC the Beastie Boys
17. New York, New York by Ryan Adams
18. M79 by Vampire Weekend
19. Rockway Beach by The Ramones
20. Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl
21. New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down by LCD Soundsystem
22. The Rising by Bruce Springsteen
23. Jenny From The Block by Jennifer Lopez
24. Leaving New York by R.E.M.
[anad2]
25. My Blue Manhattan by Ryan Adams
26. Welcome to New York by Taylor Swift
27. New York New York by Ja Rule
Check out Take a Sonic Tour of the Most-Played Songs on NYC’s Jukeboxes (By Zip Code).