[title]
"Songs of New York: 100 Years of Imagining the City Through Music" is an exciting new interactive exhibit set to debut at the Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) on February 14. What better way to celebrate the day of love than celebrating the vibrant musical legacy of the city we call home?
The installation, which will be mounted in a gallery space on the second floor of the institution, was actually first presented as part of the museum's centennial exhibition, "This is New York," back in 2023. The public found it so engaging and exciting that the MCNY decided to bring it back this month.
RECOMMENDED: See cool vintage train posters at the Transit Museum's new exhibit
"Songs of New York was a standout of our centennial exhibition," said Lilly Tuttle, curator at MCNY, in an official statement. "We’re thrilled to bring this lively, interactive experience back, inviting visitors to engage with the music of the five boroughs and rediscover how it captures the very essence of New York City—its grit, its glory, and its unmatched diversity."
According to a press release, the exhibit will focus on over 100 different songs about New York that were released between the 1920s and the 2020s. A masterful, sonically delicious mixtape if you ask us!
Patrons will notice a map of the five boroughs projected onto the floor of the space. Once stepping on an area, they'll hear music connected to that specific borough.
Among the highlighted tracks are Frank Sinatra's "The Brooklyn Bridge," Leikeli47’s "Hoyt and Schermerhorn," "the Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M." and "Jenny from the Block" by Jennifer Lopez. Clearly, all musical genres are going to be represented.
A specially-curated Spotify playlist associated with the exhibit is also already available on the platform. You can listen to it right here.
In addition to the audio-adjacent portion of the program, visitors will be able to look through archival photos of the artists whose music the exhibit focuses on. Expect photographs by Allan Tannenbaum, Joe Conzo, Fred W. McDarrah and Janette Beckman, among others, with lens pointed to legendary acts like Blondie, LL Cool J and the Velvet Underground.