Though Sufjan only completed two out of 50 in his state albums project, Illinois and Michigan spawned a number of great songs about life in cities small and big. Sufjan Stevens - “Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!” (2003) Many more simply get swept up into the charms of city life.Ĭlick through for all 25 - unranked - on the following pages, and a Spotify playlist. The Pretenders and Sufjan Stevens ache over poorly planned Midwest sprawl branded as urban revitalization. Talking Heads and Arcade Fire bemoan small-town existence. Nas, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder give voice to the gang violence and systematic racism of inner-city living. Here, we go beyond Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind” to look at songs about New York and other cities that feel universal to city dwellers everywhere. But to be a classic of the genre, the song has to speak to bigger themes about city life, be it the hustle, the danger, or the beauty below the filth.
If that city’s New York, it has about 1000 of ’em. Most big cities with any sort of history have a song.
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