Once in awhile a song gives me shivers. Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ ‘Empire State of Mind’ (official video below) is one of those songs.

I was driving along the road yesterday and this song came on. I had heard it maybe once or twice before, but this time I was able to turn it way up. While I’m not an Alicia Keys fan, her voice and lyrics in the chorus are absolutely awesome and pump me up: “In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of; There’s nothing you can’t do, now you’re in New York; These streets will make you feel brand new; Big lights will inspire you, let’s hear it for New York, New York, New York.” (all lyrics here)

I’ve only visited New York once. It was right after University when I was trying to figure out what to do next. It was a short trip, but I had a really good time and the trip helped me out because it reinforced the fact that I wanted to live in a big city. Not long after my trip I moved to downtown Toronto – Canada’s largest metropolis.

Now that I’m living back in Niagara again it’s really great, but I still get urges to visit big and famous cities like New York, Montreal, Paris, London and Los Angeles. I’m over the urge to live in those big cities, but I’d still like to visit and do business in them more often.

‘Empire State of Mind’ certainly pumps me up and beckons me to visit New York. Two other New York songs that I think of are Frank Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York’ and the other is Madonna’s ‘I love New York,’ which I’ve danced to in the privacy of my own home many a times.

Interestingly, I came across a YouTube video of one of Madonna’s concerts where she said “…I wrote a song about loving New York because that’s the place I learned how to survive, okay. It’s all about survival, right. But for me New York is more a state of mind than a place. What is a New York state of mind? It’s having something to say! It’s never taking no for an answer!” I like the way she put that.

Kudos to this new New York song, and to New York City which has inspired so many. Check out the Official ‘Empire State of Mind’ video below. Hope you enjoy.

Ever been to New York? Do you have an Empire State of Mind? Then feel free to leave a comment.