Listen to Jody Rosen’s New York Pop Playlist

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This playlist doesn’t pretend to be the Ultimate New York mixtape, or anything like that. No list that lacks a song written by Carole King or one performed by Eric B. and Rakim could possibly make that claim. Nor does it pretend to be a representative New York playlist—a list that takes in the full range of sounds and styles the city has produced. Even in the age of streaming media, that’s an impossible task. I was limited by the puzzling holes in Spotify’s celestial jukebox. (Not enough pre-1925 acoustic-era music, no “Positively 4th Street.�) So I focused on songs about New York, and about archetypal New York folkways and experiences, and I aimed for a nice blend: iconic New York anthems and obscure ones, legendary artists and little-known ones, old songs and songs recent enough to name-drop Kinkos and “some kid from F.I.T. There are a hundred of ‘em, and they’re all great. Yes, even the Barry Manilow jam.

1928: Sophie Tucker, “My Yiddishe Mama�
1929: Fats Waller & His Buddies, “Harlem Fuss�
1930: Fred Astaire, “Puttin’ on the Ritz�
1932: The Mills Brothers, “Coney Island Washboard�
1935: Johnny Green and His Orchestra, “She’s a Latin From Manhattan�
1936: Noble Sissle & His Orchestra featuring Sidney Bechet and Billy Banks, “You Can’t Live in Harlem�
1936: Benny Goodman, “Stompin’ at the Savoy�
1937: Winifred Shaw, “The Lullaby of Broadway�
1937: Paul Whiteman and His Concert Orchestra, “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue�
1939: Duke Ellington and His Orchestra, “Take the ‘A’ Train�
1946: Louis Prima and His Orchestra, “Chinatown, My Chinatown�
1947: Charlie Parker Quintet, “Scrapple From the Apple�
1947: Lead Belly, “New York City�
1949: Al Jolson, “Give My Regards to Broadway�
1952: Cab Calloway, “There’s a Boat Dat’s Leaving Soon for New York�
1952: Billie Holiday, “Autumn in New York�
1953: Babs Gonzales, “Manhattan Fable�
1954: Sarah Vaughan, “Lullaby of Birdland�
1955: Xavier Cugat, “Mambo at the Waldorf�
1956: Ella Fitzgerald, “Manhattan�
1957: Earl Bostic, “Harlem Nocturne�
1959: Leonard Bernstein and the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Rhapsody in Blue
1959: Charles Mingus, “Nostalgia in Times Square�
1960: John Coltrane, “Central Park West�
1960: Ornette Coleman, “The Tribes of New York�
1962: The Crystals, “Uptown�
1962: Bob Dylan, “Hard Times in New York Town�
1962: Connie Francis, “Does Ol’ Broadway Ever Sleep?�
1963: Mel Tormé, “Sidewalks of New York�
1963: The Drifters, “On Broadway�
1963: Bob & Earl, “Harlem Shuffle�
1964: The Ad Libs, “Boy From New York City�
1965: Tito Puente, “Carnival in Harlem�
1967: The Velvet Underground, “I’m Waiting for the Man�
1968: Ray Barretto, “New York Soul�
1970: The Last Poets, “On the Subway�
1970: Joe Bataan, “It’s a Good Feeling (Riot)�
1971: Aretha Franklin, “Spanish Harlem�
1971: Bill Withers, “Harlem�
1972: Bobby Womack, “Across 110th Street�
1972: The Joe Cuba Sextet, “Do You Feel It?�
1973: New York Dolls, “Subway Train�
1974: Bobby Short, “I Happen to Like New York�
1975: El Gran Combo, “Un Verano en New York�
1975: Bee Gees, “Nights on Broadway�
1976: Billy Joel, “New York State of Mind�
1977: The Ramones, “Rockaway Beach�
1977: The Rolling Stone, “Miss You�
1977: Odyssey, “Native New Yorker�
1978: Ace Frehly, “New York Groove�
1978: Willie Colón and Rubén Blades, “Pedro Navaja�
1978: Barry Manilow, “Copacabana (At the Copa)�
1978: Neil Diamond, “Brooklyn Roads�
1979: Kid Creole & the Coconuts, “Dario�
1979: Talking Heads, “Life During Wartime�
1980: Tom Browne, “Funkin’ for Jamaica (N.Y.)�
1980: Frank Sinatra, “Theme From New York, New York�
1981: Fear, “New York’s Alright If You Like Saxophones�
1982: Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five featuring Melle Mel & Duke Bootee, “The Message�
1982: Chic, “City Lights�
1982: Grace Jones, “The Apple Stretching�
1985: MC Shan, “The Bridge�
1985: Tom Waits, “Downtown Train�
1985: Village People, “New York City�
1987: Beastie Boys, “No Sleep Till Brooklyn�
1987: Boogie Down Productions, “South Bronx�
1987: The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl, “Fairytale of New York�
1987: Run-DMC, “Christmas in Hollis�
1988: Hall & Oates, “Downtown Life�
1988: John Zorn, “Broadway Blues�
1989: Lou Reed, “Halloween Parade�
1990: LL Cool J, “Around the Way Girl�
1990: Dion, “King of the New York Streets�
1991: Public Enemy, “A Letter to the New York Post�
1993: Wu-Tang Clan, “C.R.E.A.M.�
1994: The Notorious B.I.G., “Juicy�
1994: Nas, “N.Y. State of Mind�
1995: Ol’ Dirty Bastard, “Brooklyn Zoo�
1996: Jay-Z featuring the Notorious B.I.G., “Brooklyn’s Finest�
1999: The Magnetic Fields, “The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side�
2001: Andrew W.K., “I Love NYC�
2001: Ryan Adams, “New York, New York�
2001: The Moldy Peaches, “NYC’s Like a Graveyard�
2002: Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss and Styles, “Jenny From the Block�
2002: Cam’ron featuring Jay-Z and Juelz Santana, “Welcome to New York City�
2004: Nellie McKay, “Manhattan Avenue�
2005: Madonna, “I Love New York�
2006: Busta Rhymes featuring Swizz Beatz, “New York Shit�
2007: LCD Soundsystem, “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down�
2008: Santigold, “L.E.S. Artistes�
2009: Jay-Z featuring Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind�
2010: Gil Scott-Heron, “New York Is Killing Me�
2010: Nina Hagen and Karl Rucker, “New York New York�
2010: Phosphorescent, “The Mermaid Parade�
2011: Fountains of Wayne, “Richie and Ruben�
2012: Parquet Courts, “Stoned and Starving�
2012: Azealia Banks, “212�
2013: Vampire Weekend, “Step�
2013: A$AP Ferg featuring A$AP Rocky, French Montana, SchoolBoy Q, and Trinidad James “Work� (remix)
2014: Angel Haze, “New York�

*This article appeared in the March 24, 2014 issue of New York Magazine.