“What makes “Empire State of Mind” so undeniable is its innate magnetism— we can’t help but drool over a big hook and even bigger ego, regardless of metropolitan affiliation. Maybe there’s something about the whole concept of the “New York City anthem” that’s always going to resonate with and, to borrow a word, inspire us. It’s not that there’s even anything terribly out-of-the-ordinary going on here: Keys’ hook swings for the upper decks and subsequently the gut, working that “bright lights, big city” angle that appeals to the bridge-and-tunnel set as effectively as it does to people who’ve never actually visited NYC.”

This interested me, because I had really enjoyed this track while back home in London, and then felt enormously self-conscious whenever it came on my MP3 player when I was in the US last week (tho Chicago, not NYC). Even though obviously nobody knew - or cared! - it was playing, I felt over-manipulated by it, like I was walking around carrying a snowglobe or a tourist T-Shirt.

And then as soon as I was back in Heathrow I really liked it again, so it was just me being silly after all.

The song it reminds me of, actually, is Prefab Sprout’s “Hey Manhattan!” which obvious IS explicitly from a non-native perspective.