Monday, March 5, 2012

Songs about New York City.


New York City. Many have come and dreamed. More importantly many have come and sung your praises. You offer crazy rent and high cost of living but your streets in turn offer the occasional crazy bum and inspiration...maybe.
Now while I am a self professed LA man. NYC is still the bee's knees.
For our purposes you can keep your Jay Z. He won't be on Prick's list. This list. Sinatra? No way Bro. So now I give you (I see you shiver with....antici...pation.)...

PRICK'S BEST NYC JAM NOTES!

Ah, They Might Be Giants. You guided me through the dangerous waters of high school with your freak flag at my helm. Sentiment and accordions playing you taught me that the bros in the Polo Army were wrong and that Intelligence and Pop Culture knowledge were more important than white hats and khakis. So naturally, your holiday bell laden NYC tribute goes first. And even thought TMBG said they'd "sink manhattan" they also sung "everyone's your friend in NYC". For the birdhouse in all of our souls.



Joey Ramone. I have bent an elbow to your voice at Rudy's more than any other. New York City and the Ramones go together like the Upper West side, double wide strollers and Lululemon. (shudder) Any way, before he joined the rest of the Rock Gods in the great beyond Joey wrote this simple tribute to New York. This is a crap youtube clip sound wise but it does the job.



Andrew W.K. a lot of people give this dude shit. But even if he was a collaborated planned musical creation thrust upon us by a group of music industry evil geniuses I still think he rocks. As Brodie Bruce says, "Judge not lest ye be judged." or was it "touch not lest ye be touched"? Here is a song written by "someone" but performed by Andrew W.K. Party Hard. Party Hard.



                                      


Eddie and the Cruisers. (John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band) Holy shit dude. This is a text book for how every dude in the eighties remembers himself. And there is a dude playing saxophone by a mountain brook at the 1:36 mark. Even though you and Tom Berenger took yourselves seriously then; I thank you now Eddie. With all my mulleted heart.



Josh Rouse. Known for his raspy musings on everything from waitresses to Barcelona. I love this guy. You can't blast the Suicide Machines 100% percent of the time. I know. I know. 99% of the time though totally. This song is for the 1% of the sad bastard in us all. I scoured the internet for Josh himself playing this song but all I found was it being sung by this adorable chick in Oxford. It's really nice. That's all I got. Just listen and think about your high school sweetheart...See, told you it was nice.



Lou Reed. You got it. Song about transvestites coming to New York for prostitution? Here you go. Thanks, Lou. We miss your New York Man. You can still find in dark corners downtown, but Times Square's lights are shining bigger than ever baby. Thanks for reminding us...


LCD Soundsystem fucking nailed it here. This is a gorgeous swan song to my existence here in NYC. This song is the basis and period to every booze fueled inarticulate cigarette stoop conversation I have had about why I am leaving. It's a sad thing to know that the Taxi Driver NYC, hell even the Andrew Lloyd Weber driven Broadway, is gone. Every lyric in this song is specific and spot on. But these...


"In the neighborhood bars
I'd once dreamt I would drink

New York, I Love You
But you're freaking me out

There's a ton of the twist
But we're fresh out of shout

Like a death in the hall
That you hear through your wall"

...nail it. Here is Kermit. Keeping it real.

I love you New York. And your songs. But I think it's time we start to see other cities.
Prick.