New York, New York — Frank Sinatra
In the history of popular music, I’m not sure there are many songs with more swagger than Frank Sinatra’s version of “New York, New York”.
I say “Frank Sinatra’s version” because, despite it being a song almost inextricably linked with Ol’ Blue Eyes in most people’s minds, his recording was not the original. That honour went to Liza Minnelli.
Until recently, I didn’t even realise that “New York, New York” is the theme tune to a Martin Scorsese film of the same name, starring Liza Minnelli and Robert De Niro…which, I imagine, is how Liza Minnelli came to be recording the theme tune in the first place.
I had never looked into it, particularly, but I’d always rather assumed “New York, New York” was written some time back in the 40s or 50s, from where so many of Frank Sinatra’s most famous songs came from.
Turns out my half-assumption had missed the target by about four decades.
“New York, New York” was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb in the late 1970s. Whilst not perhaps the best-known songwriting team of the 20th century, you’ll know Kander and Ebb by the high quality of their work.
If I tell you that Kander and Ebb wrote the songs for “Cabaret” and “Chicago” together, you’ll immediately realise how talented they were.
