“New York State of Mind” by Billy Joel is a song describing his love for New York. He had returned to New York after being in LA for three years and thought of the idea for the song while riding a bus along the Hudson River. The song appears on Joel’s fourth album, Turnstiles, from 1976 which features multiple songs about New York City and Hollywood. The album starts with songs about Joel leaving Hollywood to return to New York City. Besides for “New York State of Mind”, songs such as “Summer” and “Highland Falls” feature New York, while he has songs like “Say Goodbye to Hollywood” and “I’ve Loved These Days” to show how he loved Hollywood as well, but has to leave. The cover photo of the album was actually taken at the Astor Place Station on the Lexington Avenue Line and Joel said that the people in the photo each represent a song in the album.
“New York State of Mind” is about Joel’s love of New York. It goes on to mention how some people travel to Miami for a beach getaway and others leave to Hollywood for a holiday, but he is on his way back to New York City for peace. He says how he wants to be back in the fast-paced nature of New York City, no matter where it is, rather than the laid-back life he was just in.
I’ve seen all the movie stars
In their fancy cars and their limousines
Been high in the Rockies under the evergreens
But I know what I’m needing
And I don’t want to waste more time
I’m in a New York state of mind
It was so easy living day by day
Out of touch with the rhythm and blues
But now I need a little give and take
The New York Times, The Daily News. . .
I think that this song can show how anyone who has lived in New York feels when they have left and returned after a long time. For me, when I went to Boston I missed the subway of New York City and the food. The subway in Boston isn’t as accommodating as the subways in New York are and no place has better pizza or bagels than New York. I could also tell that whenever my friends from college came back for a weekend, they would all say similar things. New York leaves a mark on anyone who has lived there that can’t be easily removed if it can be removed at all.
December 17, 2017 at 6:53 pm
This is a great song that captures the love and longing for New York City. As one of New York’s iconic musicians who continues to sell out Madison Square Garden every month, Billy Joel conveys the sentiment of many New Yorkers who love the city and prefer its lifestyle over that of other cities or places. “New York State of Mind” is a song that greatly symbolizes New York City and the feelings of its people. I think that you provided a great analysis of the lyrics and their meaning. I also like how you provided your own experience having left New York and how it connects to the song’s meaning.
December 18, 2017 at 2:41 pm
This song clearly captures the effect New York has on a person. Billy Joel personally describes how he longs for New York throughout this song. He talks about how he was ultimately drawn back and how he missed the many features of New York City. He also refers to several newspapers from the city as examples. “New York State of Mind” is a song that undoubtedly captures the feeling New York City has on its people. It was interesting to read how you related to this song through your own experience of Boston.
December 19, 2017 at 1:46 am
After living in New York City for 13 years, I always find myself wanting to leave the country. And I do. When I leave the city, I usually return to China to visit my family. The food is great, shopping is fun, and meeting my relatives is heartwarming. But after a few weeks, I would develop this strong desire to return to my home, New York City. One of the reasons why I feel attached to the city, despite its many shortcomings, it the diversity. NYC is most densely populated city with the most diverse people living in it. In my opinion, embracing its diversity is the “New York State of Mind”.