{"id":413573,"date":"2025-11-29T20:26:23","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T20:26:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/413573\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T20:26:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T20:26:23","slug":"ryan-adams-new-york-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/413573\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Adams’ “New York, New York”"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the wake of 9\/11, \u201cNew York, New York\u201d became a symbol of courage and the\u00a0power of music for both the city and the rest of the world. Ryan <\/strong>Adams describes the character of New Yorkers,\u00a0heartbroken but hopeful or\u00a0devastated but not\u00a0disturbed.<\/p>\n

Ryan Adams has already proving himself as a thoughtful and sentimental songwriter before the world took notice with \u201cNew York, New York.\u201d With music crossing the line between sadness and enthusiasm, Adams turned his thoughts to poetic storytelling, having written about the hidden suffering of life from lost loves, changing cities, and passing moments that form\u00a0identities, with music that merged rock, country, and folk.<\/p>\n

Adams\u2019\u00a0songwriting developed into a part of NYC culture in the early 2000s. His lyrics caught the beat of America at the turn of the century as well as his own instability, a mix\u00a0of artistic\u00a0vulnerability\u00a0and self doubt that defined a huge\u00a0part\u00a0of his career. What started out gas a straightforward love song for a city he loved\u00a0became a song of determination for a nation in grief.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York, New York\u201d was written by Adams <\/strong>just before the September 11<\/a> attacks and released as a single November 26, 2001. The song acts as both a tribute and love letter to New York City, song describing New York\u2019s double attitude of loss and hope with a quick tempo and peaceful tone. Adams uses the city as a living symbol for love, tragedy, and the strength of the human spirit.<\/p>\n

The music video for \u201cNew York, New York\u201d was filmed four days before the attacks of September 11, with the Twin Towers standing tall behind Adams. The video would not be released until November 26, and was performed on Saturday Night Live on November 10, just two months after the attacks, placing in history an inspirational anthem of healing for New York City.<\/p>\n

Adams\u2019\u00a0lyrics placed a focus on hope, love, and nostalgia, with lines such as \u201cLove won\u2019t play any games with you, Not anymore if you want him to. So we better shake this old thing out the door, \u2019Cause I\u2019ll always be thinking of you, forever more. I\u2019ll always love you though, New York\u201d showing a bond between the spirit of the city and those who call the city home.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew York, New York\u201d illustrates how in times of sadness music can have historic and emotional significance and meaning. Adams uses\u00a0the city as a metaphor for resilience and community, with Americana mixed with\u00a0folk, country, and heartland rock,\u00a0giving the lyrics a raw, human feel. Despite the song\u2019s sad mood, powerful\u00a0vocals and guitar-focused\u00a0rhythm, the song became a reminder that New Yorkers and the culture of their city will\u00a0continue to stay vibrant even in the wake of tragedy. The song would later earn Adams a GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.<\/p>\n

In the wake of 9\/11, \u201cNew York, New York\u201d became a symbol of courage and the\u00a0power of music for both the city and the rest of the world. Ryan <\/strong>Adams describes the character of New Yorkers,\u00a0heartbroken but hopeful or\u00a0devastated but not\u00a0disturbed. His music will always be relevant,\u00a0just\u00a0like the city.<\/p>\n

Ryan Adams \u2013 \u201cNew York, New York\u201d Lyrics<\/p>\n

I shuffled through the city on the Fourth of July,
With a firecracker waiting to blow sky high.<\/p>\n

Breaking like a robber making his way,
Down through the cities of Mexico that day.<\/p>\n

Lived in an apartment out on Avenue A,
Had a tar hut sitting on the corner of Tenth that way.<\/p>\n

Had myself a lover who was finer than gold,
But I broke her heart \u2014 that story\u2019s been told.<\/p>\n

Love don\u2019t play any games with me anymore,
Not like she did before.<\/p>\n

The world won\u2019t wait, so I better shake,
That thing right out through the door before it\u2019s too late.<\/p>\n

Hell, I still love you, New York.<\/p>\n

Found myself a picture that fit in the fold,
Of my wallet \u2014 and somehow it stayed good as gold.<\/p>\n

Still amazed I didn\u2019t lose it that night,
On the roof when I was drunk and thinking of you under the light.<\/p>\n

Every day the children sang their tunes,
Out on the streets \u2014 you could hear from the rooms.<\/p>\n

Used to take the subway up to Houston and Third,
I would wait for you there, not saying a word.<\/p>\n

Love won\u2019t play any games with you,
Not anymore \u2014 not if you don\u2019t want him to.<\/p>\n

The world won\u2019t wait, I watched you shake,
But honey, I don\u2019t blame you for the break.<\/p>\n

Hell, I still love you, New York.
Hell, I still love you, New York.<\/p>\n

New York.<\/p>\n

I remember Christmas in the blistering cold,
In a church on the Upper West Side \u2014 truth be told.<\/p>\n

Babe, I stood there singing and holding your arm,
You were holding my trust \u2014 gentle and warm.<\/p>\n

Found a lot of trouble out on Avenue B,
But I kept my overhead low, just trying to be free.<\/p>\n

Farewell to the city and the love of my life,
At least we left before the edge of the knife.<\/p>\n

Love won\u2019t play any games with you,
Not anymore if you want him to.<\/p>\n

So we better shake this old thing out the door,
\u2019Cause I\u2019ll always be thinking of you, forever more.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll always love you though, New York.
I\u2019ll always love you though, New York.
I\u2019ll always love you though, New York.
I\u2019ll always love you though, New York.<\/p>\n

New York, New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the wake of 9\/11, \u201cNew York, New York\u201d became a symbol of courage and the\u00a0power of music…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":413574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5122],"tags":[79462,5229,194238,405,403,5226,5225,5228,5227,194239,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,54308],"class_list":{"0":"post-413573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york","8":"tag-9-11","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-music-heals","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-newyork","14":"tag-newyorkcity","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-ryan-adams","18":"tag-united-states","19":"tag-united-states-of-america","20":"tag-unitedstates","21":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","22":"tag-us","23":"tag-usa","24":"tag-world-trade-center"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115634869732812507","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}