11 classic New York songs that capture the spirit of the city

Type “New York” into a Spotify search, and you’ll get a list of hundreds and hundreds of titles (and those are just the ones with the city name in their title). Of course, the greatest city on Earth has inspired countless songs. After all, it’s the birthplace of hip-hop, punk rock, and disco, and was the launching pad of Billy Joel, Lady Gaga, and Jay-Z, to name just a few. But some tunes have made a more indelible mark on city life than others, which is why we’ve put together this list of 11 classic New York songs that capture the spirit of the city.

1. “New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra (1979)

Technically known as the “(Theme From) New York, New York,” this iconic song was originally performed by Liza Minnelli in the final scene of Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film “New York, New York.”