New York State of Mind

Not to be confused with N.Y. State of Mind or Empire State of Mind.

"New York State of Mind"
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Turnstiles
Released	1976
Format	7"
Recorded	Ultra Sonic Studio in Hempstead, NY
Genre	jazz
Length	5:58
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Billy Joel
Producer	Billy Joel
Billy Joel singles chronology
"The Entertainer" (1975) "New York State of Mind" (1976) "Just the Way You Are" (1977)

"New York State of Mind" is a song written by Billy Joel which initially appeared on the album Turnstiles in 1976. While not a hit when it was first released, it has received much more frequent airplay in recent years.^[1] "New York State of Mind" enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and radio airplay after the 2001 September 11 attacks, and is frequently played after New York Mets, New York Knicks and New York Rangers games. It also frequently appears on playlists of adult contemporary and oldies formatted radio stations that broadcast in the New York City market.

Inspiration

Joel wrote the song after returning to the East Coast from Los Angeles, where he had spent the previous three years. In fact, most of Turnstiles deals with Joel's cross-country relocation, including "Say Goodbye to Hollywood", "I've Loved These Days", "Summer, Highland Falls", and "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)."

The inspiration for the song came from his pride in returning home to New York. Joel was literally "takin' a Greyhound [bus] on the Hudson River Line [route]" when the idea for the song came to him, and the song was written as soon as Joel arrived home.^{[citation needed]}

Versions

There are two studio versions of the song. The original version featured Richie Cannata on saxophone and appeared on the original Turnstiles album. Cannata's saxophone part was replaced by a Phil Woods saxophone part on the Greatest Hits Volume 1 & 2 album. This new version appeared on the Turnstiles CD reissue in 1998.

Covers

The song has been covered by Barbra Streisand, Shirley Bassey, Oleta Adams, Adam Pascal, The Mark-Almond Band and numerous jazz artists such as Carmen McRae, Diane Schuur, Ben Sidran, Mel Tormé and Tony Bennett.

Muppets Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem performed the song on episode 2.9 of The Muppet Show featuring Madeline Kahn, for use as a UK spot.^[2] This performance was reused as a main segment in episode 3.1 guest-starring Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge.^[3] Muppet Rowlf performed a version on his solo album Ol' Brown Ears is Back.^[3]

References

1. ^ Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N' Roll Gold Rush. Algora. p. 309. ISBN 0-87586-207-1. 
2. ^ UK Spots (The Muppet Show) - Muppet Wiki
3. ^ ^{a b} New York State of Mind - Muppet Wiki