To celebrate the city that has given so much to us, we asked our staff to name the songs that represent it best.
New York City is what you make of it. It’s a city of seemingly endless contradictions, burdened by reputations it couldn’t care less to live up to, with a legacy unlike any other. We were welcomed to New York in 2013, originally trading out of our former Williamsburg space, before relocating to Manhattan in 2021. To be embraced by one of the most influential cities in the world, where music history is made nightly and creativity knows no curfew, has been nothing short of humbling. We’re endlessly grateful to call this city home.
Rough Trade NYC's Dan, Douglas, Jess, Max, Daniela, Truman, Kristi, Jenna, Shawtane, Lucy and George share 100 songs to get you in the New York groove, spanning decades, genres, and the five boroughs. Songs from lifelong citizens, fresh-faced newcomers, and outsiders looking in; songs that pay tribute, capture its essence, reveal its imperfections and the city at its best.
Read the team's highlights below and scroll for the 100-song strong playlist.
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I’m Waiting for the Man
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground & Nico
There are New York artists, and then there’s The Velvet Underground. Using clanging pianos to evoke an anxious fervor, I’m Waiting for the Man is a stark portrait of heroin use between Lexington and 125th Street. Armed with simplicity and gritty sound and a willingness to confront the darker edges of city life, they remain the perennial New York act.
An Open Letter to NYC
Beastie Boys - To the 5 Boroughs
The Beastie Boys are a New York institution. They were born out of the hardcore scene before recording their debut in Rick Rubin’s NYU dorm room. There are many songs from the trio about their hometown but none as forthright as An Open Letter to NYC. One of many tributes to the city in the wake of 9/11, The Beasties avoided jingoistic traps by concentrating on the underserved communities of New York City. Through this pronounced focus and their unique blend of hip-hop zen philosophy, it’s one of the band’s most mature and reflective statements.
New York, New York
Frank Sinatra - Trilogy: Past, Present, Future
I (Dan) am a die-hard Yankees fan and I still get goosebumps every time.
My My Metrocard
An exceptionally upbeat screed against then-Mayor Giuliani’s reign, Le Tigre craft a song as catchy as it is furious. Using the titular Metrocard to tour the effects of the late 90s “quality-of-life” crackdown, Kathleen Hanna decries Giuliani’s attack on the city’s sex workers through an infectious go-go hook.
New York Is Killing Me
Gil Scott-Heron - I'm New Here
Three years after James Murphy admitted New York was bringing him down, Gil Scott-Heron went for the jugular. Worn down by the exhaustion that comes from a city that never stops moving, Scott-Heron sounds weary, as if he’s trapped in a feeling that the city may no longer be a home. New York has prided itself as a city of blunt honesty, so any list about it is incomplete without a bit of skepticism.
New York City Cops
The Strokes - Is This It
Not only the title track, but The Strokes' entire first album evokes the city. It became my (Douglas) New York when I moved here. We saw the band play a bunch and those songs will forever sound like an NYC night out.
New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
In our 'New York Loves Music' survey, one out of every 10 entries mentioned this song as their favorite about New York.
Brooklyn Zoo
Ol’ Dirty Bastard - Dirty Story: The Best Of Odb
Wu-Tang’s wildcard started his solo career a year after their breakthrough album, Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s debut single Brooklyn Zoo was one of his biggest. Shouting out his old crew ‘Brooklyn Zu’, the track features all of the hallmarks of a great ODB track: his rambling, chaotic flow, RZA’s smooth as silk production, and an uncompromising sense of absurdity.
Open Letter (To A Landlord)
"You’ve got to fight for your neighborhood." Kind of says it all, but especially when belted out by Corey Glover accompanied by a typically jaw dropping Vernon Reid guitar solo.
Hey Manhattan!
Prefab Sprout - From Langley Park To Memphis
Originally written to feature Isaac Hayes on vocals, Prefab Sprout’s Hey Manhattan! is distinctly from a foreign perspective. Written by an English band for their transatlantic crossover, the sophisti-pop act don’t play coy with. Even as they namedrop Fifth Ave and Frank Sinatra with a wink and a smirk, its depiction of the blissful naiveté of arriving in a city ripe with possibilities still rings true.
Ever Since New York
Drawing on the contrast of a twangy instrumental and its setting’s urban longing, Ever Since New York is a moment of graceful puberty for the former teen idol. Based on a time when Styles received unfortunate news in a Brooklyn hotel, it’s the sight of an artist reaching for maturity that’s finally within their grasp.
Stoned and Starving
Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold
Since their inception, Parquet Courts have asserted themselves as one of New York’s best modern bands. Stoned & Starving sees the band taking an increasingly paranoid walk through Ridgewood, Queens. The casual stroll turns sour as they sputter out bodega options over a relentless rhythm section before erupting into slacker guitar heroism.
New York / N.Y.
Nina Hagen - Angstlos
Nina perfectly captures the essence of a glamorous, chaotic and music-driven night of old New York that we wish still existed today.
Diet Mountain Dew
Juxtaposing the bright lights of New York with the fizzy joys of Diet Mountain Dew, Lana Del Rey hints at something poisonous underneath the surface. One of her most playful compositions, the song similarly goes down easy with its bouncy hip-hop instrumental and dancing piano flourishes.
I Took the L
John Roseboro - Johnny
John Roseboro takes us on a journey through the city that may feel familiar to those of us that ride the subway every day. With his velvety voice and plucky bossa nova guitar, he makes the MTA feel romantic. With lines like "I love the Q 'cause / I love the view of Manhattan Bridge" and "Now my phone just died / but I know my way back home," Roseboro writes a love letter to the routines of New York's commuters.
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues
Few bands reflect the creative melting pot of the CBGB-era like Talking Heads. This Must Be The Place is a perfect love letter to NYC; somewhere you will always miss when you're away, somewhere that will always be home.
53rd and 3rd
One of the first punk bands, let alone New York punk bands, Ramones 53rd & 3rd is an autobiographical depiction of songwriter Dee Dee Ramone’s time as a teenage prostitute. Whereas other songs from the debut have a hooky slickness, 53rd & 3rd is ragged and tattered, embodying the seediness of New York’s underbelly.
Get Out Of The City
Ivy - Apartment Life
Jammy, dreamy, electric and longing. This song rocks. Any New Yorker has felt the melting madness of its long summer days and can relate to the yearning to get out of the city.
Shook Ones, Part II
Looping a strain of noise from Quincy Jones into one of hip-hop’s most instantly recognizable beats, Mobb Depp crafted a masterful look into the Queens street life. A grimy, hard-hitting track that set a new standard for hip-hop realism as well as one that few would ever live up to. It remains a legacy not just for the group, but for New York rap music as a whole.
Welcome To New York
I (Kristi) had already been living in NYC for 6 years by the time this song finally wormed its way into my ears. Riding the East River ferry while this song streamed in through my headphones for the first time made me feel at home. As a closeted kid from Ohio, I truly did find myself in New York, and I never once feared being who I really am again.
New York’s Not My Home
Jim Croce - You Don't Mess Around With Jim
Simply put, New York City isn’t for everyone. To some, it’s a haven for expression and opportunity, to others, it’s a hellhole. Jim Croce is no New Yorker, but he taps into a feeling even the most hardened native can understand. That despite being surrounded by millions, you can still manage to feel alone.
New York City
Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek - a-sides and b-sides
New York City by Adrianne Lenker is so soft and beautiful and honest. It makes me (Jenna) feel braver and smaller - not in a way that makes me feel incapable, but that makes me feel like I’m a part of something grand.
Down and Out in New York City
James Brown - Black Caesar
The Minister of the New New Super Heavy Funk is unfuckwitable.
Strange Powers
New York City is far from the only city mentioned in The Magnetic Fields’ globe-trotting take on obsession, but it is the first. By setting the events from the heights of Coney Island’s Ferris wheel, it creates the sensation that New York isn’t too far from any of its other destinations. It’s the closest the band came to writing a pop song as well as one of their most beloved.
ABCs of New York
No chorus? no problem. Princess Nokia strolls through life in her native city describing its communities and livelihood in bright-hued colors. Deftly manoeuvring between iconography and fine personal details and critiques, Nokia doesn’t go for cheap romanticization but a fully-realized portrait of a city by a lifelong citizen.
I'll Take Manhattan
Blossom Dearie - Once Upon a Summertime
Blossom Dearie's I'll Take Manhattan is full of wistful, nostalgic energy.
Dirty Blvd.
Lou Reed - New York
Lou Reed is music's King of New York, and this track is one of many dark, yet hopeful odes to this wonderfully chaotic city he wrote over his lifetime. He captures the little moments and makes them epic.
Fairytale of New York
The Pogues - If I Should Fall from Grace with God
The irony that the success of New York’s greatest holiday song largely comes from The Pogues’ home across the Atlantic, but perhaps that only makes it more special. Masking the drunken stupor of unsentimental lyrics with boisterous pianos and chestnut cheer, few songs come as close to capturing the specific magic of a New York Christmas as this.
Above the Bodega (Local Business)
Titus Andronicus - Productive Cough
Like many New Jerseyans, Titus Andronicus sounds like they’ve spent a lot of time staring across the Hudson, dreaming of another life. An ode to New York’s most essential, Above the Bodega (Local Business) recalls the sounds of Springsteen’s rugged yet sensitive extensions of pop music’s golden age; filling it with the same colors and joy that the corner shops give us.
In no particular order, here's our full playlist of 100 songs about New York City:
LCD Soundsystem - New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down
Joanna Newsom - Sapokanikan
Simon & Garfunkel - The Only Living Boy In New York
Sonic Youth - Cotton Crown
St. Vincent - New York
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 - The Message
Harry Nilsson - I Guess the Lord Must Be In New York City
Interpol - NYC
Steely Dan - Daddy Don't Live In That New York City Anymore
Stevie Wonder - Living for the City
Ace Frehley - New York Groove
Titus Andronicus - Above the Bodega (Local Business)
Tom Waits - Downtown Train
Al Kooper - New York City (You're a Woman)
Blossom Dearie - I'll Take Manhattan
Mos Def - Brooklyn
Nas - N.Y. State of Mind
Adrianne Lenker & Buck Meek - New York City
New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour
Bob Dylan - Talkin' New York
Ivy - Get Out Of The City
Alice Cooper - Big Apple Dreamin (Hippo)
Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx
Busta Rhymes - New York Shit
Princess Nokia - ABC's of New York
Cat Power - Manhattan
Vampire Weekend - Finger Back
The Strokes - New York City Cops
Childish Gambino - LES
Bobby Womack - Across 110th St
Purple Mountains - Snow is Falling in Manhattan
Rakim - New York (Y'all Out There)
Ramones - Rockaway Beach
Christopher Owens - Here We Go
Taylor Swift - Welcome To New York
Cole Porter - I Happen to Like New York
Beastie Boys - An Open Letter to NYC
Billie Holliday - Autumn in New York
Billy Joel - New York State of Mind
Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington - Take the A Train
Frank Sinatra - (Theme from) New York, New York
Ghostface Killah - King of New York
Jay Z & The Notorious B.I.G. - Brooklyn's Finest
Jeffrey Lewis - The East River
Jim Croce - New York's Not My Home
Jimmy Eat World - Movielike
Living Colour - Open Letter (To A Landlord)
Black Star - Respiration 50
Joey Bada$$ - Belly of the Beast
Jonathan Richman - Springtime in New York
Joni Mitchell - Chelsea Morning
John Roseboro - I Took the L
Nada Surf - Blizzard of 77
Judge - New York Crew
Julian Casablancas - Ludlow Street
Ray Baretto - New York Soul
Lana Del Rey - Diet Mountain Dew
John Coltrane - Central Park West 60
John Lennon - New York City
Le Tigre - My My Metrocard
Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan
Lou Reed - Coney Island Baby
Gil Scott-Heron - New York is Killing Me
The Wombats - Moving to New York
They Might Be Giants - New York City
Gotobeds - New York's Alright
Gran Combo - Un Verano en Nueva York
James Brown - Down & Out in New York City
Current Joys - New York City
Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
Tedeschi Trucks Band - Midnight in Harlem
Suicide - Super Subway Comedian
Lou Reed - Dirty Blvd.
The Magnetic Fields - Strange Powers
Marianne Faithful - Times Square
Mobb Deep - Shook Ones, Part II
Moldy Peaches - NYC's Like a Graveyard
Nina Hagen - New York / N.Y
Norah Jones - Back to Manhattan
Odyssey - Native New Yorker
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Brooklyn Zoo
Parquet Courts - Stoned & Starving
PJ Harvey - This Mess We're In
Prefab Sprout - Hey Manhattan
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Yeah! New York
Rolling Stones - Shattered
Run DMC - Christmas in Hollis
Serge Gainsbourg - New York USA
The Dictators - Avenue A
The Drums - 626 Bedford Avenue
The Kills - What New York Used to Be
The National - So Far Around The Bend
Petula Clark - Downtown
Phil Ochs - Outside a Small Circle of Friends
Phosphorescent - The Mermaid Parade
The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
The Undead - My Kinda Town
The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man
New York, We Love You
Here's a playlist stuffed with songs capturing the spirit of New York City in all its grit, brilliance and energy.