Lizzy Goodman Celebrates 10 of the Best Rock Songs of NYC
Amp up your morning commute, workout playlist or running jams with this collection of songs that changed the industry.
1. “NYC” by Interpol
When you’ve made tens of thousands of people the world over sing along to the line “the subway is a porno” you’ve earned a place in the New York rock song hall of fame. Congrats, Paul Banks.
2. “New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down” by LCD Soundsystem
The ultimate ode to the emotionally abusive relationship that is living in this beautiful, maddening, heartbreaking city.
3. “I Was A Lover” by TV on the Radio
“I was a lover before this war,” sings Tunde Adebimpe in the first line of this elegantly unsettled track that captures the discordant feeling of living in culturally booming, existentially troubled post-9/11 New York.
4. “New York, New York” by Ryan Adams
Jangly sonic joy from one of New York’s biggest fans, the video for which famously featured the Twin Towers mere weeks before they fell.
5. “Our Time” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The closing track to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut EP is the sound of kids in New York City during the turn of the century, in those precious few years when the rock and rollers among them were forging the reckless, decadent spirit that would later be exported around the world. “One, two, ready? Go!”
6. “New York City Cops” by The Strokes
The purest city kids of them all find the right words (“even though it was only one night, it was fucking strange”) and sounds (violently colliding guitars) to summarize the feel of their town.
7. “Lua” by Bright Eyes
Girls in black eyeliner, freezing streets, off duty cabs, celebrities, cocaine, and commitment phobia — this heartbreakingly intimate track written by Conor Oberst, one of the greatest songwriters of his generation, gets at the city in its darkest and most beautiful hour like only a guy not born here can.
8. “Who’s Got the Crack” by Moldy Peaches
Yes, New York is tough, but this hilarious, profane bit of sing-along perfection by the MP showcases the scene’s silly, goofy, playful side, which was as key as the leather jacket cool.
9. “Campus” by Vampire Weekend
The ultimate college crush song written by one of the ultimate college rock bands.
10. “Stillness Is the Move” by Dirty Projectors
The romantic diffuseness of the sound matches the romantic, surreal diffuseness of the urban sensibility channeled in the lyrics, as Amber Coffman sings about girls waiting tables in remote towns and cities “longing” for bigger and bigger cities. By 2009, New York had become an idea. This is the sound of that idea.
This is just a small collection pulled from the new rock bible, Meet Me In The Bathroom. Have a song that you think missed the cut? Let us know in the comments below! And make sure you reserve your spot for May 23 in the Rare Book Room with Lizzy Goodman.
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