The Dreamwidth Brain Trust

[jadesfire]

I'm on a bit of a creative tear at the moment, which I think is due to the imminent arrival of new students, and my own awareness of Autumn creeping in. It's like I have to get it all out of my system before I run out of energy and time.

So. More podfic below! But before that, O Wise and Wonderful Friendslist, lend me your brains.

I'm looking for music/songs that make you think of New York. Not just songs with New York in the title - although the less-well-known ones of those are also welcome - but songs that, for you, catch a mood or atmosphere that just says 'New York'. The ones I've got so far are fairly obvious, so I'd like some that are less so.

So far I've got:
A bunch of Simon and Garfunkel (Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., Bleeker Street, At The Zoo)
Goodnight New York by Vienna Teng
New York, New York by just about everyone - whose is the definitive version?

What else should I have on there?



I'll be honest, this isn't normally my sort of fic. At all. I tend not to read 'getting together' stories, just because I've read so many of them at this point. But this is a fun, original take on it. In general, if an author makes me laugh, I trust them at the other end of the emotional spectrum as well, because humour is so much harder.

And just to get egotistical for a second, I'm inordinately proud of the performance here - there's a range of stuff going on, and I think I was in exactly the right mood to catch it all. When it clicks, you can just feel it, and I'm chuffed to bits with how it came out.



That Spin I'm In by poinsonivory and Werelibrarian

Podfic post

Summary:

"What does that mean?" Matt asks Strange.

"Well, that depends," Strange says, unfolding his legs and letting his feet touch the floor again. Matt gets the distinct impression Strange is hedging. "Are you currently suffering heartbreak?"

Matt very carefully doesn't think about Elektra. Or Karen. Or Foggy. "Let's leave my personal life out of this."

Strange clears his throat. "Yes, well, that option may no longer be on the table."

Matt really hates magic.

Comments

[pwcorgigirl]

Didn't Kirsty McColl sing something about the sidewalks of the city? That makes me think of New York.

[jadesfire]

I think that's in the Pogues 'Fairytale of New York - it's very popular here at Christmas time!

[pwcorgigirl]

Yes, that's it!

[nightdog_barks]

Heh, Simon & Garfunkel have done so much, it's hard to think of anything else. Here are the two I could come up with --

George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein on the piano. The whole city is in this piece, and it's just incredible.

'America,' from West Side Story, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The 1950s immigrant experience in America, specifically in New York City. The verses are still shockingly blunt today.

Edited to change "1960s" to "1950s" because the musical is a little older than I thought! The film came out in 1961, but the Broadway musical's opening night was September 26th, 1957, at the Winter Garden Theatre. It ran through 1959, for a total of 732 performances (and then was revived about nine thousand times). :D

[jadesfire]

Yes, I'm leaning towards just making it an all Simon and Garfunkel project, as there's so much to choose from.

And thank you! Rhapsody in Blue was one I kept trying to think of, but kept butting up against 'An American in Paris' and couldn't bring it to mind :)

I hadn't thought of 'America' in that way, but yes, definitely.

Thanks!

[sholio]

New York Groove by KISS (which I first encountered in a White Collar vid; it is such a Neal Caffrey song)

Fairytale of New York by the Pogues - aka the most depressing Christmas song in the history of depressing Christmas songs

I'll see if I can think of anything else :D

[jadesfire]

Ooh, thanks. I would never have found my way to the KISS song on my own!

Fairytale of New York is played everywhere here, every Christmas, so I tend to lump it in with 'annoying Christmas songs', ironically enough :)

Ta muchly!

[travels_in_time]

For some reason, "Summer In the City" by The Lovin' Spoonful always makes me think of New York. YMMV.

[jadesfire]

Huh, interesting. And yes, that was the kind of association I was looking for. I have songs that make me think of London that have nothing to do with it at all.

Hmmm...that could actually work for one bit...

Thanks!