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HomeExploreMusicSongs About NYC That Take You Through the City
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Ride uptown to Harlem, cross to Brooklyn, and listen for the street names that give these songs about NYC their bearings. Some tracks describe an exact address or subway line. Others let a borough, a bridge, or a neighborhood tell you whose version of New York you’re hearing. Start with a place you know, then follow the songs to a part of the city you hear less often.

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64

New York City

by record_digger  • 
New York City
Song
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, with Elephant’s Memory. Listen for the Staten Island Ferry as Lennon races through places and acquaintances around town. The churning guitar keeps the events coming like things someone has to tell you before the next stop.
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65

Shaolin Worldwide

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Shaolin Worldwide
Song
Wu-Tang Clan. Shaolin is the name the group made synonymous with Staten Island. The title sends that local identity abroad, so put it on when you want the borough to sound like the place the music comes from and the name it carries with it.
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66

Protect Ya Neck

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Protect Ya Neck
Song
Wu-Tang Clan. The debut single announces the crew from the slums of Shaolin, the group’s name for Staten Island. The rough, spare production makes it easy to pick out the rappers as they take turns. Play it after one of the borough-name anthems to hear how a whole crew can introduce a place.
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