There’s no shortage of songs inspired by New York City. From Frank Sinatra‘s “New York, New York” to Billie Holiday’s “Autumn in New York” to The Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn,” the Big Apple has been musically honored countless times in just about every genre, but not all of these tunes turned into classics.
One NY-themed song that’s been hailed as a fitting tribute to the city that never sleeps for decades is, of course, Billy Joel‘s 1976 hit, “New York State of Mind.” Ranked among the “best songs about New York” by Time Out New York and Paste alike, the song has been striking a chord with New Yorkers since its release on Joel’s fourth studio album, Turnstiles.
It makes perfect sense that “New York State of Mind” continues to resonate with so many listeners, considering how much Joel’s sincere love for the Empire State comes through in the song. As the singer-songwriter explained in the documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, he wrote “New York State of Mind” in a burst of appreciation for his birth state after moving back from Los Angeles. He came up with the idea for the tune while riding a Greyhound bus to his newly rented home in Highland Falls on the Hudson River in upstate New York (as the lyrics suggest).
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“Some folks like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood,” Joel said in the doc, recalling how the words came to him. “I’m in a New York state of mind.”…