Music Monday: New York State of Mind

I’ve flown into New York a few times on my way elsewhere, but so far the only time I’ve actually been to New York as a destination was for a computer conference in 1998. The company I worked for at the time paid my expenses, which was particularly nice since I was staying at the Marriott on Broadway. My room cost around $180 per night, which was a lot of money in 1998, let alone what it would be today. I was there for two nights, but aside from the knuckle-whitening taxi ride to and from the hotel (New York taxi drivers don’t drive aggressively–that’s too tame; they treat the road like a battlefield, where it’s do or die), I didn’t leave the hotel. To be honest, I have an abysmal sense of direction, and I was afraid if I tried to go out anywhere in the evening, I’d get lost and end up down some dirty backstreet and get jumped by some hoodlums like you see in the cop shows on TV. Besides, if you’re going to go sight-seeing in New York City, it’s best to do it with someone–either someone who knows where they’re going, or someone who can get lost with you.

I know some New Yorkers, and many of them seem to have a fierce loyalty to the Big Apple. It’s far from a perfect city–and they’d be the first to complain about the politics, the people, and countless other things–but, as one puts it, it takes a crowbar to get them to leave. That sentiment alone makes me want to visit New York City properly one day; see the sights, preferably not by myself, though.

One such die-hard New Yorker is Billy Joel. He was born in the Bronx, raised in Hicksville, and currently has homes in Centre Island and Sag Habor. When he signed with Columbia Records in 1972, he moved to L.A., and lived there for three years. It was toward the end of his time in California that he wrote “New York State of Mind” to express his feelings about being away from his home State. In 1976, he returned to New York, formed a band, and recorded the album “Turnstiles” which features this song.

The style of the song is an intentional homage to Ray Charles, one of Joel’s musical heroes. For live shows, he’ll often don a pair of sunglasses and impersonate Charles while performing “New York State of Mind.” This is a lovely tribute, but for me it takes away from the intensely personal feelings of the song, which I think come through in the original studio recording. The introduction features a solo piano, but it’s more than just Billy Joel hitting notes on a keyboard. There’s an incredible sense of yearning in those notes and chords, which is only further amplified when he starts singing. Few songs express love of a city with this kind of passion, which is why it has become a much-loved anthem among New Yorkers.

I’ve noticed a lot of sheet music companies don’t bother transcribing the introduction, and I quite understand. The playing is a bit too loose for a regular time signature. Nevertheless, I’ve always wanted to figure it out properly, so here’s my attempt (and I’ll add: this was the most challenging transcription I’ve attempted so far). Again, I’m not trained in transcription, and especially for this song I encourage you to listen to the recording and adjust my note timings to that:

Here’s the lead sheet. Guitarists can substitute the E7#9 (which is an E7 with a G-note added–yes, a G and a G# in the same chord!) for a regular E7 if they prefer. You’ll notice there are a lot of bluesy/jazzy chords in this song, which I suppose is only to be expected. If you don’t know how to form the chords (either on guitar or piano), you can look them up online, or contact me if you prefer.

Finally, the videos. First, here’s the song as it appears on the “Turnstiles” album. The album was released on CD a while ago, but was then re-mastered and re-released. This re-mastered version has a different saxophone track on “New York State of Mind” which doesn’t play over the ending. I’m not sure why they didn’t use the original saxophone track, especially since I think the ending sounds bare and incomplete without it. So the version I present here is the re-mastered version but with the original ending substituted (speed and volume-adjusted to match the re-master). Hopefully you can’t hear the join!:

And here’s a clip of Billy Joel performing “New York State of Mind” live on the Mike Douglas Show on August 9th, 1976, not long after the release of “Turnstiles”: