Today’s song of the day is the jazz classic by Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York.”

• Sinatra first performed the song in 1978 at the Waldorf Astoria before recording it the next year on his album, Trilogy: Past Present Future.
• Movies featuring the Big Apple often include this jazz standard.
  • Filmmakers use this song to firmly plant the audience in the unique location and impart the associated feelings of wanderlust and opportunity.
• The song’s full title is “Theme from New York, New York” because the song was originally written to accompany the Martin Scorsese film of the same name.
  • The songwriter is Fred Ebb, and the composer is John Kander.
• The song has played over the loudspeaker in Yankee Stadium after every baseball game since 1980.
• Frank Sinatra was originally from Hoboken, NJ, which is a suburb of New York.
• Frank Sinatra earned the nickname, The Chairman of the Board because he founded his own record label, Reprise Records, in 1960.
• The Chairman was also a member of the Rat Pack, a group of famous performer friends who worked on several projects together.
  • The other members were Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop.
  • The Rat Pack also popularized televised comedy roasts.
  • Despite the prevalent racism of the 1960s and 1970s, Frank Sinatra helped Sammy Davis Jr’s career by ensuring club owners booked and paid him fairly.
• Frank Sinatra sold over 150 million albums throughout his 55-year career.
• “Theme from New York, New York” became so popular that Frank Sinatra started closing all his performances with the highly requested number.

Lyrics 

(LyricFind)

Start spreading the news

I’m leaving today

I want to be a part of it

New York, New York

These vagabond shoes

They are longing to stray

Right through the very heart of it

New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city

That never sleeps

And find I’m king of the hill

Top of the heap

These small town blues

They are melting away

I’ll make a brand new start of it

In old New York

If I can make it there

I’ll make it anywhere

It’s up to you

New York, New York

New York, New York

I want to wake up in a city

That doesn’t sleep

And find that I’m number one

Top of the list

Head of the heap

King of the hill

These little town blues

They’ve all melted away

I’m gonna make a brand new start of it

In old New York

And

If I can make it there

I’ll make it practically anywhere

It’s up to you

New York, New York

New York