Okay, I've got a question. Is this where the song came from? I've heard the song so many times before I'd even heard of the movie.
This movie builds up to it, it's worked into the plot well enough that it is hard to believe that the rights were acquired for this purpose. I admire the movie for what it was trying to accomplish, and if this is the original appearance of the song, I'll respect it.
Giddy-up, goat!
Okay, after watching the new DVD with the audio commentary, I am reassured that this is where the song came from.
Watching the movie a sceond time has given me a better understandinig of the movie and I appreciate it alot more. The same year this was released "Star Wars" came out and rendered movies of this pace and style nearly extinct. For better and worse, I'd say.
Giddy-up, goat!
Yes, despite the fact that it is eternally associated with Frank Sinatra's rendition, the song "(Theme from) New York, New York" was written by Kander and Ebb specifically for this film. Because the film was unsuccessful upon release, the song only really became famous once Sinatra started singing it.
shareYa, the song became real famous after it was sung by Frank Sinatra.
It has also been played by various bands such as the Mantovani Orchestra.
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"Can't sing it"??? I like Frank, but Liza's rendition is far superior . . .
shareLiza's is far superior?
Yeah, and that's why they play her version when the Yankees LOSE. They play Sinatra's version (the obviously superior one) when the Yankees WIN. Think about it, people.
Theme from New York, New York will ALWAYS be Liza's song. Frank even mangles the lyrics; I don't think he's ever sung the song the same way twice. Liza's concert version of this song is the Eighth Wonder of the World.
shareAmen
~I see a little silhouette of a man, Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango.
I think that's the biggest load of crap I've heard in a very long time.
------
"How strange when an illusion dies. It's as though you've lost a child." - Judy Garland
I am a great fan of Sinatra, but have to admit that NO ONE can sing this like Liza Minelli. I was very used to Sinatra's version, but when I saw the film a couple of years ago I remember thinking: Wow, now this is how this song is meant to be sung.
shareI agree, this song is closely associated with Frank Sinatra, but this song belonged to Liza before and I've seen her perform it live twice, and when she sings "New York, New York," it brings the house down EVERYTIME!
share
I agree, Liza's version is totally hers, I mean, it is amazing.
I heard that De Niro actually chose that song over some others that were first suggested for that movie, good choice Robert!
"Don't plant your days, they turn into weeds" Tom Waits.
liza minnelli's version of this song, the song that was written especially for her by kander and ebb, is faaaaaar superior to franks version. and robert deniro did "send the song back" to kander and ebb to re-write parts because he thought it didnt fit the movie. and as far as the yankees playing liza's version when they lose, you must hve forgotten when liza sang that song 10 days after september 11 at the mets game and people were crying because she sang that song like a battle anthem. she also sang it last month at mayor bloombergs inaugeration ceremony in nyc soooooo..... she must be doing something right. that version of ny ny is the best recording of that song.
shareI'm very glad to hear it is still in the public eye or ear, rather.
Giddy-up, goat!
Does anyone know where I can get Frank's version of the song? I am looking everywhere I can think of and striking out left and right
shareAccording to the IMDb facts, it was Robert De Niro who insisted that the original 'Theme From New York, New York,' be scrapped and replaced by something better suited to the movie. The songwriters Kander and Ebb were probably a bit put out by this, but came up with the version we all now know and love; and they have both expressed gratitude to DeNiro for his well proven artistic sensibility ever since. Plus, Scorsese is a genuis, too.
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Sinatra's version can be found on "Trilogy (Reprise, 1979)." I have the three-LP set, but I assume it's on CD.
shareI'm sure there are multiple copies.
shareI really liked Liza's version, but I've only heard it once when I saw the movie. Frank's is my favorite. I've wondered why his wasn't in the movie, but I guess it didn't come out till after it...seems like they could've asked him to do it before for the soundtrack though. Oh well.
And I didn't know that Robert De Niro had asked for the lyrics to be changed! That's great. He's come up with a lot of things for his movies that've worked really well. I'm (even more) impressed now hearing this as this song is such a classic & I had no idea he had something to do with it.
"What if this is as good as it gets?"
[deleted]
What's even more astonishing is the song did NOT receive a Best Original Song nomination.
shareBump
Giddy-up, goat!
A year when the Oscar nominations for Best Song were totally off, though The Rescuers theme was sweet.
Oscars
-"You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life* (ew)
-"Candle on the Water," Pete's Dragon (don't remember it)
-"Someone's Waiting for You," The Rescuers (in a less competitive year)
-"The Slipper and the Rose Waltz (He Danced with Me/She Danced with Me)," The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella (no offense, but a forgotten film)
-"Nobody Does It Better," The Spy Who Loved Me (I understand its appeal, but I personally find it overrated...I guess I feel that way about all Bond themes, though)
Golden Globes
-"You Light Up My Life," You Light Up My Life*
-"Deep Down Inside," The Deep (huh?)
-"How Deep Is Your Love?," Saturday Night Fever
-"Nobody Does It Better," The Spy Who Loved Me
-"(Theme from) New York, New York," New York, New York
American Film Institute's 100 Years...100 Songs Inclusions from 1977
-"Stayin' Alive," Saturday Night Fever (9)
-"(Theme from) New York, New York," New York, New York (31)
-"Nobody Does It Better," The Spy Who Loved Me (67)
-"Seems Like Old Times," Annie Hall (90) (not an *original* song, however)
What I would have nominated
-"Stayin' Alive," Saturday Night Fever*
-"How Deep Is Your Love?," Saturday Night Fever
-"(Theme from) New York, New York," New York, New York
-"More Than a Woman," Saturday Night Fever
-"Night Fever," Saturday Night Fever (Or The Rescuers theme. I have nothing against a single deserving film dominating this category.)
> "Candle on The Water" from 'Pete's Dragon' was recorded by Helen Reddy. It was released as a single that year, but failed to chart. It's still available on just about every one of her 'Greatest Hit's collections which are regularly released on CD.
> "Deep Down Inside" was recorded by the Queen of Disco herself, Donna Summer (it's not exactly disco tune by her, and failed on the charts when it was released as a single) for the movie 'The Deep' (which was not exactly a block-buster' itself). The song was hard to come by for a while, since it was never relased on any of her vinyl albums while she was under Casablanca. It was only available on the soundtrack to 'The Deep'. It is currently available on one CD by her - 'Live and More', which takes the place of 'MacArthur Park Suite' originally released on the 1978 studio side of the vinyl album.
> "New York, New York" failed to chart when it was released as a single by Minnelli back in 1977. Once Sinatra recorded it and released it in late 1979/early 1980, it took off on radio, for some reason (getting much more radio play than Minnelli's). That is why he is so closely associated with the tune.
> "You Light Up My Life" by Debbie Boone was everywhere in 1977. It topped the singles charts for nine weeks, which was a record breaker back then (I believe the next song to break that record was Olivia Newton-John's 'Physcial' four years later, which stayed for 10 weeks). There was no doubt that it would walk away with the Oscar (as well as a plethora of other awards that year).
That was such a mistake though. There's no doubt that the Theme from New York, New York and the entire soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever were better and more culturally relevant songs than that shrill Debby Boone number. Bad movie, bad song. Not to mention that the superior songs not nominated were generally better integrated into their films.
Strangely enough, I just found out that the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest is the source of the song The Greatest Love of All, best known for the Whitney Houston version. Many complain that one is too sappy, but I loved it as a child (maybe only for Whitney) and will take it any day over You Light Up My Life.
The Greatest Love Of All. For The Greatest Of All Time.
I had no idea! In context of an Ali movie, and without Whitney singing, it makes perfect sense.
This is another instance of the song taking on a life of it's own from the source movie!
Giddy-up, goat!
"Nobody Does it Better" was fine. But for the Academy to have not nominated "NY NY" as best song and have it win was atrocious criminality. I've never taken the Oscars seriously since. I mean "You Light Up My Life" by that boring professional and professed virgin Debby Boone???
Riots should have ensued.
"I slept with you and you're in love with my husband. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"
I saw this film when it was first released - the very first weekend when it was released.
Couldn't help but feel that the film as a whole was a miss - but when the title song came on everyone could tell that Liza had another hit on her hands, one that might supplant "Cabaret" as her theme.
The song was not nominated, but 1977 was the year of "You Light Up My Life" - which was the TOP song of the 1970s (according to the TV show "Solid Gold" at least). So tastes were preferring something else along the lines of feminine-y Debbie Boone instead of hard-belting Liza.
But hearing that song for the very first time - without any pre-sell or any pre-play - was like hearing Liza sing "Cabaret" for the very first time (although I had heard "Cabaret" many times on the movie soundtrack before finally seeing it sung on film during that film's initial release). You could tell it was a great memorable song from the start. Frank's later version was certainly enjoyable - and, I think, a chance for listeners who might otherwise have thought liking Liza's version made them "gay" to be able to openly proclaim their enjoyment of the song (Frank's is certainly "suave and debonair").
"Don't call me 'honey', mac."
"Don't call me 'mac'... HONEY!"
"You could tell it was a great memorable song from the start. Frank's later version was certainly enjoyable - and, I think, a chance for listeners who might otherwise have thought liking Liza's version made them "gay" to be able to openly proclaim their enjoyment of the song (Frank's is certainly "suave and debonair")."
People who think a version of a song makes them "gay" should be so lucky.
Does that mean Frank's version might make be "straight"? Maybe so, if I could ever finish listening to it. When Ol' Blue Eyes begins mangling the lyrics, I usually tune out.
Liza's version is definitive, and always will be. The song was written for her.
And "New York, New York" has just gotten better with age. If released today, it would be widely acclaimed.