More Bowie songs that reference New York
Last week I ran a post that listed ten Bowie songs that mentioned New York and invited readers to point out some that I didn’t include. I got a lot of responses, including one that I hadn’t thought of.
By way of recap, the ten songs I mentioned last week (click HERE for the full post) were: “The Jean Genie;” “New York’s in Love;” “Don’t Look Down;” “Looking for Water;” “Lazarus;” “Slip Away;” “She’ll Drive the Big Car;” “Dancing in the Street;” “I’m Waiting for the Man;” and “Goodbye, Mr. Ed.”
OK, before I go on—yes, yes—Bowie didn’t write all of these songs, but he performed or recorded all of them. Also, some of them mention parts of New York rather than the words, “New York,” but I meant that to count.
So all that said, here are additional songs that mention New York, some of which were identified by readers and some not:
1. “(You Will) Set the World on Fire” (2013). “Midnight in the Village; Seeger lights the candles; From Bitter End to Gaslight…” The Village is the New York City neighborhood of Greenwich Village. The Bitter End and Gaslight are clubs in Manhattan. Seeger is folk singer Pete Seeger.
2. “No Plan” (2016). “Second Avenue just out of view…” This is the one I hadn’t thought of on my own.
3. “Shake It” (1983). “I’ll take you to New York; It’s the place that I know well.”
4. “New Killer Star” (2003). “See the great, white scar over Battery Park.”
5. “Aladdin Sane” (1973). “They say the lights are oh-so bright on Broadway.”
6. “Pablo Picasso” (2003). “Pablo Picasso never got called an asshole; Not in New York.” This is a cover of a song by the Modern Lovers. The line about New York is in their original version, too.
OK—so those are unambiguous. The following are a bit of a stretch:
7. “Diamond Dogs” (1974). “The Halloween Jack is a real cool cat; And he lives on top of Manhattan Chase.” Sure, there’s the word, “Manhattan,” but within this context I don’t think it is actually referring to the borough. A reader suggested this be included—you be the judge if it counts.
8. “Time” (1973). “Time, demanding Billy Dolls, and other friends of mine.” Billy Dolls was the late Billy Murcia, of the New York Dolls.
9. Concert for New York (2001). Before performing Simon and Garfunkle’s “America” and “‘Heroes,’” Bowie introduced himself to his “fellow New Yorkers.” The songs also appear on an album which obviously references and was on behalf of New York, which was just subjected to the 9/11/2001 terrorist attack. That said, while Bowie certainly mentions New York prior to his songs, the reference is not actually part of either song.
10. “It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City” (1974). The City, in this Bruce Springsteen cover, is almost certainly New York City. But it isn’t explicitly New York City.
11. “Thru These Architect’s Eyes” (1995). “Stomping along on this big Philip Johnson; Is delay just wasting my time; Looking across at Richard Rogers…” New York City is one of the only places in which buildings designed by architects Johnson and Rogers are located. I’m not sure if there’s a spot where a building designed by each can be seen from the same vantage point, as suggested by the song’s narrator.
12. “D.J.” (1979); “Little Wonder” (1999); and “I’m Afraid of Americans” (1999). These songs do not mention New York, but the videos use New York as a backdrop.
This list does not include references to cities or cityscapes that might or might not be New York. And I still feel like I’m missing something. Can you think of any more?