This week for song lyric Sunday our theme, suggested by Di of pensitivity101 is to find a song that mentions a state, country or place.
This was an easy one for me! I love this song by Alicia Keys.
Hope you enjoy it too…
some song facts…
It’s technically a Jay-Z song.
Even though Alicia Keys sings the iconic chorus, the track is credited to Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys and appears on Jay-Z’s 2009 album The Blueprint 3.
Alicia Keys wrote the chorus herself.
She initially turned down the song, but later felt inspired and wrote the powerful hook that made the track unforgettable.
The chorus is an homage to New York classics.
Alicia Keys has said the hook was inspired by songs like Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from New York, New York,” giving it that grand, anthem-like feel.
It’s a love letter to New York City.
Jay-Z references his upbringing in Brooklyn and mentions multiple NYC neighborhoods, making the song deeply personal and geographically specific.
The beat was produced by Al Shux.
He was a relatively unknown producer at the time, and this song became his massive breakthrough.
The music video was shot in black and white.
It features real New York locations and people, reinforcing the raw, authentic NYC vibe.
It won major awards.
The song won multiple Grammy Awards, including for rap and collaboration categories, and became one of the most celebrated songs of the year.
Alicia Keys released a sequel.
She later released “Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down,” a piano-driven, more emotional version focusing on her personal relationship with New York.
It became a New York anthem.
The song is still widely played at NYC sporting events, celebrations, and pop-culture moments tied to the city.
Therapy Bits 
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