12. The Rockaways

The Rockaways, that mythic oceanside stretch perched on the edge of Queens, is the subject of several songs including “Rockaway Beach” by the Ramones. There’s the luxuriously chilled-out, gloomily optimistic “Rockaway” by Summer Salt, and the sweetly meditative “Rockaway” by Christine Lavin.

It’s high time this list mentioned Bruce Springsteen, the legendary musician who often wrote about New York (check out his song “Jungleland” for one of the best descriptions of the city, hands down, and “New York City Serenade“). His song “Rockaway The Days” may or may not be in reference to the Rockaways, but many of his other songs do reference New York, often elevating it to an ideal. “Jungleland” feels infinite, a rollicking and expansive expression of love that embodies the energy and wilderness, the tangled streets, gritty parking lots, and starry lights that define New York City, and sometimes conjure such a fever pitch that they can often only be expressed in song.

There are so many more places in New York City that have inspired music, and every day new songs are being created, in lofts and practice rooms and on street corners. Some are played in tiny underground bars, and others boom out over teeming crowds at major venues, but all of them contain that same spark of New York energy that makes the city so synonymous with song.

For more, check out this list of the 10 best indie DIY music venues in NYC and this Fun Map: The Velvet Underground Map of NYC. Connect with the writer at @edenarielmusic (song suggestions welcome!)