HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NEW YORK, NEW YORK! (1985)
Brownstone Detectives investigates the history of our clients’ homes.
The story you are about to read was composed from research conducted in the course of one of those investigations.
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Exactly 35 years ago today (7 February 1985), Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” became the official anthem of “the city that never sleeps”!
According to the New York Times (the official record of New York City) it was Mayor Ed Koch who proclaimed (but not through an official “proclamation”) the tune to be New York City’s official song.
In a 22 February 2017 article, the Times wrote:
Today the song is often paired with last call at a tavern, or the final strikeout of a Yankees game, and when it was belted out by Sinatra in 1978 at Radio City Music Hall, it instantly resonated with audiences, said James Kaplan, author of “Sinatra: The Chairman.”
“Sinatra alchemized the bombast, the recalcitrant, yes, even boastful, up-all-night spirit of the city itself,” Mr. Kaplan said.
While Ol’ Blue Eyes made it an anthem, it wasn’t always Frank’s tune.
Written by the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb (the men behind the musicals “Cabaret” and “Chicago”), the song was first performed by Liza Minnelli in Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film “New York, New York.”
“But when Sinatra heard it, he took an instant liking to it,” Mr. Kaplan said, “and when Sinatra performed the song, he conveyed its emotional truth.”
Like the “little town” outsider in the song, Sinatra dreamed of making it in New York. He grew up in Hoboken, N.J., and as a teenager, he would gaze across the Hudson River at the city.
“When he sang those words,” Mr. Kaplan said, “he meant them deeply.
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Brownstone Detectives is an historic property research agency. Our mission is to document and save the histories of our clients’ homes. From our research, we produce our celebrated House History Books and House History Reports. Contact us today to begin discovering the history of your home.
