Before You Go - Lukas Graham

Before You Go - Lukas Graham

3:36

Good Times, 2026

Written by Lukas Forchhammer, Scott Harris, Morten Ristorp

This gentle folk-pop song is apparently a departure for this Danish-Irish band (credited as a band, but in music media, often written up as one person, the vocalist), which typically plays a more grand pop-soul (their hit "7 Years" has 2.6 billion Spotify plays).  Vocalist Lukas Forchhammer (his father's surname was Graham) sings the lyric in a rapidfire falsetto, the words tumbling out from his mouth, with the backing vocals a familiar millennial whoop.  The song is about a dying friend and the injustice of having too little time: "So before you go, could we have a final night? / Let's talk about those summer days and open up that dumb champagne / We saved, but we don't even like."  It's a bittersweet carpe diem.

For Crying Out Loud! - Finneas

For Crying Out Loud! - Finneas

3:37

For Crying Out Loud!, 2024

Written by Finneas O'Connell, Aron Forbes, David Marinelli, and Miles Morris 

Billie Eilish's brother belts this out with a warm, inviting voice that conveys a bittersweet yearning,  The song has an upbeat groove, while the lyrics reflect the chaotic mess that love can be: "Sometimes I see the future / Sometimes I'm not so bright / Sometimes you're looking for a fight."  The song begins with a slightly eerie, solitary drum beat over a synth loop, before the band and vocal come in, with punchy horns giving the song a full, rich sound.

Hey Ma - Aaron Rowe

Hey Ma - Aaron Rowe

4:00

single, 2025

Written by Aaron Rowe

This soulful acoustic ballad is in the form of a telephone call to the narrator's mother.  He's in London, a city that he finds faceless and unfriendly, and wonders how the old hometown is doing.  "Hey ma, I crossed the street today / I said hello to a stranger, but he walked away / I'm sending love from a street where no one knows my name."  Rowe is an Irish sing-songwriter; this, his debut and to date biggest single, has lush instrumentation, the inevitable fiddle, and gorgeous, soaring vocals.

Hind's Hall - Macklemore

Hind's Hall - Macklemore

2:49

single, 2024

Written by Macklemore

Recent events having shown that Ed Sheeran is a disingenuous coward who takes his marching orders from billionaires named in the Epstein files, I thought I'd focus on this two-year-old protest song about the ongoing genocide in Palestine.  From Wikipedia: the song's title is a reference to pro-Palestinian activists' renaming of Hamilton Hall at Columbia University to "Hind's Hall" in honor of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip.  Macklemore has always been an issues rapper, self-reflective and analytical to the point of turning some fans off, but here his lyrics are scathing and right on target.  "Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance / Has always been about dollars and the color of your pigment, but / White supremacy is finally on blast / Screamin' "Free Palestine" 'til they're home at last."

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City - Harry Nilsson

I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City - Harry Nilsson

2:43

Harry, 1969

Written by Harry Nilsson

This song was written for, but not included in, the excellent film Midnight Cowboy.  Too bad, because it sits nicely alongside the beautiful, and similarly gentle, "Everybody's Talkin'."  Taking the lyrics at face value, it's an optimistic song, from the point of view of someone tired of being on the losing end, wanting his prayers to come true for once.  "Say goodbye to all my sorrow / And by tomorrow, I'll be on my way."  However, knowing how the movie ends casts a pall on the deceptively sanguine words.

New York Mambo - Johnny Colon

New York Mambo - Johnny Colon

2:34

Portrait Of Johnny, 1971

Written by Johnny Colon

Colon is a salsa musician known for his Latin fusion style known as boogaloo.  It's got a jittery, urban energy: all rhythm and infectious, hip-shaking percussion, riding along a soulful piano groove and a veritable river of brass that buoys the song along.  I am no Spanish speaker, but it's hard not to hear the joy with which Colon talks about his home city: "Oye, de Nueva York no me voy, porque, aquí fué donde nací."  

New York's Not My Home - Jim Croce

New York's Not My Home - Jim Croce

3:08

You Don't Mess Around With Jim, 1972

Written by Jim Croce

There are legions of songs proclaiming loyalty to or love for a geographical place.  Possibly the majority of those songs are about how great New York City is.  This song is the opposite: it's about disillusionment with the Big Apple, about its lack of warmth and conviviality.  "Though all the streets are crowded / There's something strange about it / I lived there 'bout a year and I never once felt at home."  A soft, folksy ballad, Croce delivers it with a gentle but firm finality.  Croce was from South Philadelphia, so he apparently isn't decrying urban landscapes in general, but New York specifically.  As a New Yorker, one might take that personally.

New York's My Home - Sammy Davis Jr.

New York's My Home - Sammy Davis Jr.

3:13

single, 1956

Written by Gordon Jenkins, 1946

Ray Charles did a celebrated version of this song, but as of this post, it's not available on Spotify.  In the song, the narrator puts down all the other places, imploring anyone who will listen that New York is the best place around.  St. Louis, he observes as an example, "has lots of shoes" (I learned today that St. Louis was once one of the greatest shoe manufacturers in the world), "But it hasn't got the opera in The Met / It hasn't got a famous string quartet."  Davis delivers most of the song in a hasty half-spoken patter as one might hear on a musical stage, with a chorus backing him for emphasis. 

Going To New York - Jimmy Reed

Going To New York - Jimmy Reed

2:18

single, 1959

Written by Jimmy Reed

A beautiful 12-bar boogie shuffle, this song is a declaration to reach New York or bust.  Why?  Because of the big game show payouts!  "Goin' to New York, get on New York quiz show / Gotta win myself some alla that dough."  This song was written right after the uncovering of the scandals in quiz shows of the time (as documented in the 1994 movie Quiz Show), so maybe it was meant as tongue in cheek?  Terrific barrelhouse percussion keeps the song bouncing forward, with a nice harmonica solo by Reed.

54-46 Was My Number - Toots & the Maytals

54-46 Was My Number - Toots & the Maytals

3:24

single, 1969

Written by Toots Hibbert

Although this laid-beat rocksteady single is far better known, it's actually a reworking of a Toots song from a year earlier with a similar title, "54-46 That's My Number."  Built on a classic riddim, the lyrics describe his arrest for marijuana possession, and proclaim that he was set up: "Do you believe I would take such a thing with me / And give it to a police man? / I wouldn't do that, oh no."  The relaxed groove and Hibbert's soulful delivery make this one of the great early reggae singles.