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New York, New York
Anna Ternheim
Leaving on a Mayday (Limited Edition)
2008

"New York, New York" has been consistently present this week.  A Sinatra-esque version opens the season 2 episode of Hart to Hart, "Murder, Murder on the Wall".  It was blaring from Pasta Casareccia as I walked by, trudging through the snow, staring at the slushy sidewalk.  And, my iPod came back to it during every shuffle session.

I have the Sinatra version on my iPod, but it just didn't seem right when it came to my post.  I couldn't relate to it in quite the way I wanted to.  It was too brassy.  Too loud.  A little pompous and over-the-top.  I considered BUYING Liza Minnelli's 1977 original recording, but after listening to a snippet of that warbling voice, I couldn't do it. 

When I was reading about the song on Wikipedia, there was a mention of an Anna Ternheim cover.  I discovered (or re-discovered) Anna Ternheim this week.  I downloaded the album Leaving on a Mayday for her cover of "New York, New York", but it wasn't on the album.  I was disappointed, but only at first.  I fell in love in an instant when I heard the opening track, "What Have I Done"--with its cascade of strings and rollicking beat.  I quickly downloaded Anna's latest album, The Night Visitor, only to discover (when I saw the album artwork) that I had downloaded it a while ago and had already deleted it off of my iPod.

It's funny how music relates so closely to mood.  When I first listened to Anna Ternheim, I didn't have the patience for her songs.  They were slow and certainly pretty but in a quiet way.  I'm so happy that my search for "New York, New York" brought me back to her work because it is really lovely.  Maybe it's the time of year, but it makes me think of softly falling snowflakes.

After an extensive search, I found the bonus track limited edition of Leaving on a Mayday and, in turn, that coveted cover of "New York, New York".  I think that I have always loved this song (whatever the version).  I love the hopefulness of the lyrics...the idea that a place can change or renew you completely (I think I touch on this in my "Paris" and "London!" posts...haha, I'm just going to keep posting songs that are city names, obviously).  I like the idea that a place, a feeling, can "melt" the blues (little-town, or otherwise).  I think Anna Ternheim's version is interesting because she omits the more upbeat verses of the song (i.e. "If I can make it there/I'll make it anywhere [...] I want to wake up in the city/that never sleeps").  Her version has the sense of wanting to be a part of something or to get away...but there's a heaviness to it...a lack of energy...like careful dreaming, without being able to get out of bed.