In January of ’07, ARC was asked to create the soundtrack to accompany the exhibit “Making of a Governor” that would also be played at the New York City reception for the new Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer, at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Station.  The trick was to find interesting songs about places in the state without using the all too familiar New York City canon.  All-in-all we created a database of over 800 NY songs, pulling some of our favorites to make the final tape.

One great clip that we didn’t use was the opening chat to Dillinger’s “Cocaine” (“How do you spell New York?” …”A knife, a fork, a bottle and a cork.”)  The fear was that somehow, someone might associate the Gov. with endorsing drug use!  Equally surprising was a total bewilderment by every NY store we checked for any Johnny C CDs, and that literally no one working these stores had ever heard of him.  When youth and ignorance unite, a mighty nation make.  Here’s the webthing and here’s the playlist.

The Boy From New York City    The Ad Libs        3:02
Empire State Express    Son House        3:43
Take The “A” Train    Duke Ellington        2:57
Shuffle Off To Buffalo    The Boswell Sisters        3:13
Old Old Woodstock    Van Morrison        4:17
Funky Broadway    Wilson Pickett        2:37
New York State Of Mind    Mel Tormé        5:20
Erie Canal    Bruce Springsteen        4:03
Opening / New York, New York    [Soundtrack] On The Town    6:14
Woodstock    Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young    3:56
On Broadway     The Drifters        3:04
Millbrook    Rufus Wainwright        2:15
Autumn In New York    Chet Baker        3:32
E-Ri-E Canal    Pete Seeger        3:20
Forty-Second Street    The Boswell Sisters        3:22
The Hudson    Dar Williams        4:40
Spanish Harlem    Ben E. King        2:56
Coming On The Hudson [Take 3]    Thelonious Monk        7:33
Going To New York    Jimmy Reed        2:24
Boogaloo Down Broadway    The Fantastic Johnny C                2:35