Most cities don’t have the honor of having songs written about them. However, when it comes to New York City, the number of songs about the town or a part of the city is said to be at least 161. New York City, one of the most well-known cities in the world. Most folks around the world are not familiar with most American cities, but nearly everyone knows about New York. While it’s not the largest city in the world, it is the largest in the United States, more than double the size of Los Angeles! And when it comes to diversity, well…shockingly, New York is in sixth place behind Paris, Singapore, Sydney, Hong Kong, and Toronto.
Nevertheless, it is still one of the most diverse cities in America, with over a thousand different cultures from all over the world. It’s little wonder why there are so many songs about this great metropolis. However, out of all the songs, only one that comes to mind when thinking about New York City and that’s New York, New York.” The song was composed by John Kander, with the lyrics written by Fred Ebb. The song was made for and performed by Liza Minnelli for the 1977 film New York, New York, directed by Martin Scorsese. However, many would argue that the version recorded by Frank Sinatra stands out as the best. And if the Billboards are any indication they would be right, considering Sinatra’s version ranked 32 on the Billboard Hot 100 while Minelli’s version ranked 104. In this video, Lady Gaga pays tribute to Frank Sinatra with a fantastic performance of “New York, New York.”
Image via YouTube
Right from her opening entrance, you can tell that Lady Gaga was channeling the spirit of old blue eyes. During her performance, she managed to capture Frank’s swagger and mannerisms almost perfectly. Best of all, she didn’t try to outsing Sinatra; instead, she kept the same tone and diction he used. So often, singers would try to make a classic “their own” by adding little vocal tricks. However, there are some classics that should never be messed with, and Lady Gaga understood that as she delivered an outstanding performance.
Image via YouTube
Check it out for yourself in the video below.
