New York City consists of five boroughs, Long Island and the State of New Jersey. The only part anyone ever wrote or cared about was Manhattan and occasionally Brooklyn. Now that Manhattan real estate has priced just about everyone out of living there (it's like Yogi Berra used to say. Nobody goes there. It's too crowded.), people pretend Brooklyn is the only place to be. Each neighborhood has a neighborhood inside of itself with some useless nickname or acronym that even the locals can't keep up with.

Songs about the fair city are too numerous to actually consider. I generally decided to stick with songs that put New York in the title. But then when I tried to think of the prototypical New York band--would it be the New York Dolls, the Ramones, the Strokes?--I settled on the most obvious and greatest of the New York groups: the Rolling Stones. What, you say? They're British? Yeah, sure, technically. But, c'mon, they've gotten past that. Maybe Charlie still raises sheepdogs over on the British countryside, but Mick spends most of his time in NYC and Ron and Keith hang in the city and head to Connecticut when they need to unwind. So, yes, let us start with the Rolling Stones, America's Greatest Rock n' Roll Band!

"Shattered"--The Rolling Stones: Before it was Giuliani time in New York City, there were no laws in New York City. You could jaywalk. You could deal drugs. You could kill people. There are lots of movies documenting this great time for New York when the crime rate just kept going up, up, up, up. These days "Shattered" might better apply to Cleveland or Detroit. Certainly not New York City where you have to pay to use the air. Never mind how much it costs to park a car for an hour. If you have to ask, go back to Jersey.

"Girl From New York City"--The Beach Boys: Brian Wilson was determined that they would all eventually be California Girls and here he obsesses on a girl from NYC who by the very definition does not live in California. Wilson wrote this song in hopes that he could once again lure a naïve young lass into his sandbox where his piano, his therapist and his wife would look on in curious glee.

"New York Groove"--Ace Frehley: Russ Ballard may have written it, but it took the great vocal pipes of Kiss' Ace Frehley to really bring it to life. When Ace sings "Here I am in New York City with a fist full of dollahs, so baby you'd better believe I'm back," you know you have come across if not greatness, a guy with a genuine New Yawk accent.

"New York"--Ryan Adams: This song was released on the album Gold that came out September 11, 2001. Record sales for that given day are considered skewered by the tragic events that ensued. It turns out that when faced with overwhelming tragedy people do not think about purchasing new CDs. Turns out food, shelter, water, the safety of their loved ones all trump the entertainment biz. That doesn't stop people from asking questions like "If you were stranded on a deserted island with only one album, what album would you like it to be?" or "If your house was on fire and you could retrieve one album which one would it be?" At that point, you're allowed to hit your inquisitor.

"New York, New York"--Frank Sinatra: Frank Sinatra was once very popular with ladies with blue hair. This is one of those songs where it seems almost inconceivable that it didn't always exist. It has been played so many times and on so many occasions that it is officially everywhere. Sadly, however, while New York may still be a city that never sleeps, these days with its endless gentrification has become a place where you can catch it napping from time to time.