Song Titles Recognizing Two of America's Greatest Cities

Last week marked the centennial of the first wireless news transmission between the two largest cities in the United States at that time. The New York Times transmitted a wireless news dispatch to the Chicago Tribune on May 3, 1909.

The hundred year anniversary of the event received little media coverage, even though its impact would be even more far-reaching as technology developed quickly in the years that followed.

I decided to honor the historical centennial by dedicating a list of ten songs that mention either of the cities in the titles. Five of the songs include New York, and the other five are about the Windy City.

10. "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night: by The Hold Steady: The track from Separation Sunday is one of my favorite from the Indie rock outfit because it mentions two famous poets, William Butler Yeats and William Blake.

9. "Streets of New York" by Willie Nile: The veteran singer-songwriter's best album featured this title track, which is loaded with imagery. The song rivals only "Way Back Home" as the album's best track.

8. "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens: The avant garde folk-indie artist dedicated an entire album to songs about Illinois. Somewhere between his ballad about Illinoisan serial killer John Wayne Gacy and references to Abraham Lincoln he had to include a song about the state's most famous city.

7. "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" by Steely Dan: The song is one of the many highlights from Katy Lied. Its lyrics are as cryptic as most Dan lyrics, which is one of the appealing aspects of the Becker-Fagen collaborations.

6. "The Night Chicago Died" by Paperlace: I had this song on a 45 rpm, and I loved singing along to it. I had no idea that the song was about Al Capone or some other gangster. All I knew was that the song contained one of the most singable choruses I had ever heard.

5. "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" by Nillsson: This song showcases the singer-songwriter's smooth voice, a gift often overshadowed by his quirky sense of humor and his friendship with all of the Beatles. The song is much more like "Everybody's Talkin'" than "Coconut."

4. "Chicago Institute" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band: This is one of several gems from the band's best album, Watch. The gorgeous tenor of singer Chris Thomas is backed with an impressive mix of acoustic guitar, keyboards, and harmonies.

3. "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley: No one would have expected that the biggest solo hit from a Kiss member would come from quiet band guitarist Ace Frehley. The song is much too pop for a Kiss record, laced with unforgettable drum work, spurts of a power guitar, and nearly spoken, stuttered vocals.

2. "Via Chicago" by Wilco: The standout track from the excellent Summerteeth album, the song has one of my favorite opening lines ever: "I dreamt about killing you again last night, it felt all right to me."

1. "Talkin' New York" by Bob Dylan: Though he would write much better stuff later, Dylan showed his first glimpses of poetic political humor on this track from his self-titled debut. This tune and "Song for Woody" are the only two original tracks on the album, but they certainly reveal the great gift from an unknown young man from Hibbing, Minnesota.

Last week marked the centennial of the first wireless news transmission between the two largest cities in the United States at that time. The New York Times transmitted a wireless news dispatch to the Chicago Tribune on May 3, 1909.

The hundred year anniversary of the event received little media coverage, even though its impact would be even more far-reaching as technology developed quickly in the years that followed.

I decided to honor the historical centennial by dedicating a list of ten songs that mention either of the cities in the titles. Five of the songs include New York, and the other five are about the Windy City.

10. "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night: by The Hold Steady: The track from Separation Sunday is one of my favorite from the Indie rock outfit because it mentions two famous poets, William Butler Yeats and William Blake.

9. "Streets of New York" by Willie Nile: The veteran singer-songwriter's best album featured this title track, which is loaded with imagery. The song rivals only "Way Back Home" as the album's best track.

8. "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens: The avant garde folk-indie artist dedicated an entire album to songs about Illinois. Somewhere between his ballad about Illinoisan serial killer John Wayne Gacy and references to Abraham Lincoln he had to include a song about the state's most famous city.

7. "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" by Steely Dan: The song is one of the many highlights from Katy Lied. Its lyrics are as cryptic as most Dan lyrics, which is one of the appealing aspects of the Becker-Fagen collaborations.

6. "The Night Chicago Died" by Paperlace: I had this song on a 45 rpm, and I loved singing along to it. I had no idea that the song was about Al Capone or some other gangster. All I knew was that the song contained one of the most singable choruses I had ever heard.

5. "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" by Nillsson: This song showcases the singer-songwriter's smooth voice, a gift often overshadowed by his quirky sense of humor and his friendship with all of the Beatles. The song is much more like "Everybody's Talkin'" than "Coconut."

4. "Chicago Institute" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band: This is one of several gems from the band's best album, Watch. The gorgeous tenor of singer Chris Thomas is backed with an impressive mix of acoustic guitar, keyboards, and harmonies.

3. "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley: No one would have expected that the biggest solo hit from a Kiss member would come from quiet band guitarist Ace Frehley. The song is much too pop for a Kiss record, laced with unforgettable drum work, spurts of a power guitar, and nearly spoken, stuttered vocals.

2. "Via Chicago" by Wilco: The standout track from the excellent Summerteeth album, the song has one of my favorite opening lines ever: "I dreamt about killing you again last night, it felt all right to me."

1. "Talkin' New York" by Bob Dylan: Though he would write much better stuff later, Dylan showed his first glimpses of poetic political humor on this track from his self-titled debut. This tune and "Song for Woody" are the only two original tracks on the album, but they certainly reveal the great gift from an unknown young man from Hibbing, Minnesota.

Last week marked the centennial of the first wireless news transmission between the two largest cities in the United States at that time. The New York Times transmitted a wireless news dispatch to the Chicago Tribune on May 3, 1909.

The hundred year anniversary of the event received little media coverage, even though its impact would be even more far-reaching as technology developed quickly in the years that followed.

I decided to honor the historical centennial by dedicating a list of ten songs that mention either of the cities in the titles. Five of the songs include New York, and the other five are about the Windy City.

10. "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night: by The Hold Steady: The track from Separation Sunday is one of my favorite from the Indie rock outfit because it mentions two famous poets, William Butler Yeats and William Blake.

9. "Streets of New York" by Willie Nile: The veteran singer-songwriter's best album featured this title track, which is loaded with imagery. The song rivals only "Way Back Home" as the album's best track.

8. "Chicago" by Sufjan Stevens: The avant garde folk-indie artist dedicated an entire album to songs about Illinois. Somewhere between his ballad about Illinoisan serial killer John Wayne Gacy and references to Abraham Lincoln he had to include a song about the state's most famous city.

7. "Daddy Don't Live in That New York City No More" by Steely Dan: The song is one of the many highlights from Katy Lied. Its lyrics are as cryptic as most Dan lyrics, which is one of the appealing aspects of the Becker-Fagen collaborations.

6. "The Night Chicago Died" by Paperlace: I had this song on a 45 rpm, and I loved singing along to it. I had no idea that the song was about Al Capone or some other gangster. All I knew was that the song contained one of the most singable choruses I had ever heard.

5. "I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" by Nillsson: This song showcases the singer-songwriter's smooth voice, a gift often overshadowed by his quirky sense of humor and his friendship with all of the Beatles. The song is much more like "Everybody's Talkin'" than "Coconut."

4. "Chicago Institute" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band: This is one of several gems from the band's best album, Watch. The gorgeous tenor of singer Chris Thomas is backed with an impressive mix of acoustic guitar, keyboards, and harmonies.

3. "New York Groove" by Ace Frehley: No one would have expected that the biggest solo hit from a Kiss member would come from quiet band guitarist Ace Frehley. The song is much too pop for a Kiss record, laced with unforgettable drum work, spurts of a power guitar, and nearly spoken, stuttered vocals.

2. "Via Chicago" by Wilco: The standout track from the excellent Summerteeth album, the song has one of my favorite opening lines ever: "I dreamt about killing you again last night, it felt all right to me."

1. "Talkin' New York" by Bob Dylan: Though he would write much better stuff later, Dylan showed his first glimpses of poetic political humor on this track from his self-titled debut. This tune and "Song for Woody" are the only two original tracks on the album, but they certainly reveal the great gift from an unknown young man from Hibbing, Minnesota.