strangely there is actually a US Army Infantry Regiment that adopted this as their march song. This is incredibly depressing, which actually makes a lot a sense if you'd ever served in 16th Infantry.
This blows my mind. I don't think I would have noticed the song if it didn't have the mournful interpretation... There are hidden layers in melodies...
I'm not a huge fan of this version because it captures the wistful, sad, longing-for-the-past aspect of the song, but leaves out the happiness and cheer brought on by the memories. I think the song is supposed to communicate both at once, and I've always heard it sung that way before. This sounds sterile with the "cheery" aspect left out...
This touches me deeply as I recall my Irish grandmother singing this and she of course taught my mother this and my mom sang it often to us. My grandmother sang it wigh a VERY strong Gaelic Lilt. This brings tears to my eyes. It does have a very mournful longing for simpler times when neighbors knew neighbors. Bittersweet~~~~
I LEARNED THIS SONG IN P.S.124 IN CHORUS THANK U MRS SAPERSTINE WHERE EVER YOU ARE SHE WAS SWEET VERY KIND AND PATIENT WITH US AND HOW COULD WE EVER FORGET MRS WOLFSON I WONDER WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HER??????
@zooeyhall This documentary was by Ric Burns, not Ken. And if you think it's "dreadful," you have no taste in music. The singer's pensive but sweet delivery perfectly captures the wistful sense of longing for one's youth, and for the old neighborhoods
Do a Youtube search for "Sidewalks of New York--player piano" There's a great post of this song played as it would have been back at the turn of the century, with the full lyrics.
Thanks for uploading this. "Sidewalks of New York" is a true classic and immediately makes anyone think of the city.
Back in the 1960's, growing up in rural Nebraska, we sang this in our country grade school. Made us kids think of the busy streets and the big city so far away and so different from the land of corn fields and farms. My brother ended up moving to New York City and has lived there all his life.
@frantic1971 Yes - we sang this in grade school too, in my little Texas suburb, and my imagination went to New York. Back then, many school books and materials had an eastern, or New York Connecticut type setting to them, I now realize. It seemed so wonderful and important.
Reminds me of my grandfather who grew up in the New York of 1900. This was one of the first songs my father taught me as a child. Thank you so much for uploading this wonderful video clip.
This lilting melody affords a certain sentimental cachet to the song that blends perfectly with the pictures, invokes a time long gone by, and suggests a sadness for days that will never return. It is beautiful.
I couldn't agree more. I was watching the documentary about New York and thought I'd try and find a better rendition. I didn't expect to find the same crappy version.
Yeah - this is one of the things that they want to make appear downbeat when in reality, the song is song with verve and gusto - it's a celebration, not a funeral.
And it's why you only ever hear the first chorus sung.
This song took on an even richer meaning with 9/11/2001: what was can never be again. Small things, big things, all melt away in the crucibles of time. A nostalgic dirge. Bigger than itself.
That's really an unusual version of that song. It sounds like it's being sung from the perspective of an elderly man who's remembering in a melancholoy way the old days when he was young and full of life. The lyrics themselves, taken at face value, speak of joy and happiness, but that's not the way it's being sung...sort of an in an ironic fashion.
The sense of loss for the times of one's youth here is palpable. Although there is an unsettling lament in the acapella delivery, I thought it worked wonderfully in context to this documetary's volume. For a time I was a stone's throw away from NYC, and fell in love with the dazzling complexity, energy, unpredictability, and rapid pace of change this city has always meant for me. This series reaffirmed all of this.
@jmkoons I don't share your love for New York City... I live 5 miles from time square... and I think New York is a shit hole..........My family grew up in the tenantments of New York City... if they were alive they would tell you how they use to sleep outside during the summer and freeze during the winter.... and if you think the sewage smells... lol think of all the ass rot from not bathing... yeah all on the sides walks of New York.
@cyn33667 Your opinion, Times Square is a tourist trap, but it's so santitized and family friendly these days you could eat off the streets compared to what it was like back in the 70s and 80s :-P. I know several friends who live in NYC and they wouldn't leave it for anything, not even after 9/11.
Irritated that the NYRA Belmont Stakes dropped this sing-along song for hard-to-sing Broadway belter "New York, New York". Not only easier for a crowd to sing (a`la "beer-hall song") but goes much better with horses and dirt and ....uh...droppings.
Does Anyone know where I can dowload this version of the song? All the versions on itunes are upbeat and I think it kills the song. Any advice would be great. Thanks!
Ohh RSL. He sings in a really weird way, but I still like it. Like, it SOUNDS relaxed, but I also sometimes feel like he's working really hard (like he's running out of air or something)...but I still LOVE his singing voice! It's so soothing ^^(). He's got to be one of my favorite people on earth.
Yeah, "New York, New York" is sung at the end of the Yankees games as well (Or at least at the end of the last Subway Series when they played and beat the Mets recently) I still love "The Sidewalks Of New York"
Thank you so much. This song was one of a few that were avaiable to me as a 45 record when I was child growing up in the 60s. In later years I have often wondered about its origins.
Hold on, did RSL also sing "Edelweiss" in the American Musical documentary on PBS? I was watching it recently and thought, hmm, that subdued, mumbly-sounding singing voice is familiar. But I'm not sure if it is, in fact, him. IMDB was no help.
Oh my goodness, RSL, I love you so much. But seriously, how do you keep getting singing jobs? I'll listen no matter what you're singing, but....but....c'mon! Anyways, thanks for the clip!
strangely there is actually a US Army Infantry Regiment that adopted this as their march song. This is incredibly depressing, which actually makes a lot a sense if you'd ever served in 16th Infantry.
madmedic92 2 weeks ago
I love the song but the singing (like a funeral dirge) at the end ruins it.
boy18inva 1 month ago
This blows my mind. I don't think I would have noticed the song if it didn't have the mournful interpretation... There are hidden layers in melodies...
JohnMcKennaRadio 1 month ago
I'm not a huge fan of this version because it captures the wistful, sad, longing-for-the-past aspect of the song, but leaves out the happiness and cheer brought on by the memories. I think the song is supposed to communicate both at once, and I've always heard it sung that way before. This sounds sterile with the "cheery" aspect left out...
chickenygoodness 2 months ago
I don't think the song was written as a dirge.
anyname2156 3 months ago
just realized who Robert Sean Leonard is!
OcelotPwns 4 months ago
This touches me deeply as I recall my Irish grandmother singing this and she of course taught my mother this and my mom sang it often to us. My grandmother sang it wigh a VERY strong Gaelic Lilt. This brings tears to my eyes. It does have a very mournful longing for simpler times when neighbors knew neighbors. Bittersweet~~~~
Audrey206 5 months ago
In the words of Steven Patrick Morrissey:
all those people, all those lives
where are they now?
with the loves and hates
and passions just like mine
they were born
and then they lived
and then they died
seems so unfair
I want to cry
SclafaniBagni 7 months ago
I LEARNED THIS SONG IN P.S.124 IN CHORUS THANK U MRS SAPERSTINE WHERE EVER YOU ARE SHE WAS SWEET VERY KIND AND PATIENT WITH US AND HOW COULD WE EVER FORGET MRS WOLFSON I WONDER WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO HER??????
MsDIVINECONNECTION 7 months ago
This never fails to give me goosebumps. The melody and sense of sadness is unbelievably beautiful.
iluvNYC1231 1 year ago 2
Really appreciate this, very much.
leslieannina 1 year ago
Why did Ken Burns do this song in such a dreadful mournful slow dirge? It's meant to be be sprightly and gay!
zooeyhall 1 year ago
@zooeyhall This documentary was by Ric Burns, not Ken. And if you think it's "dreadful," you have no taste in music. The singer's pensive but sweet delivery perfectly captures the wistful sense of longing for one's youth, and for the old neighborhoods
MusicWriter1965 11 months ago
Do a Youtube search for "Sidewalks of New York--player piano" There's a great post of this song played as it would have been back at the turn of the century, with the full lyrics.
farmerne 1 year ago
Thanks for uploading this. "Sidewalks of New York" is a true classic and immediately makes anyone think of the city.
Back in the 1960's, growing up in rural Nebraska, we sang this in our country grade school. Made us kids think of the busy streets and the big city so far away and so different from the land of corn fields and farms. My brother ended up moving to New York City and has lived there all his life.
frantic1971 1 year ago
@frantic1971 Yes - we sang this in grade school too, in my little Texas suburb, and my imagination went to New York. Back then, many school books and materials had an eastern, or New York Connecticut type setting to them, I now realize. It seemed so wonderful and important.
leslieannina 1 year ago
How lovely
PhiloAmericana 1 year ago
gee, i wish i had a voice like david ogden stiers.
owg59 1 year ago
This Documentary is a must see!!!
bdienstag 1 year ago 3
I used to have this on an old cassette of classic tunes that my mom got me for when I was a kid. always brings back memories.
RockLife75 1 year ago
Reminds me of my grandfather who grew up in the New York of 1900. This was one of the first songs my father taught me as a child. Thank you so much for uploading this wonderful video clip.
EdwardRoche 1 year ago
best song ever for the best city ever
JETSBKLYN 2 years ago
Those pictures are amazing i love New-York City i hope to return
phoenixfade 2 years ago
Makes me homesick.
East, West, NY's best.
sukneh 2 years ago
ahh Its Robert Sean Leonard!! :)
cowsgomoo1022 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
that the worst shitting song ever about New York. Frank Sintra New york song, now that a song
masterlee123 2 years ago
this is a great song.
natureperson420 2 years ago
This lilting melody affords a certain sentimental cachet to the song that blends perfectly with the pictures, invokes a time long gone by, and suggests a sadness for days that will never return. It is beautiful.
Lashertheman 2 years ago 13
both you and jmkoons sum up my feelings towards this version. I really don't understand all the hate towards it. I like it. a lot.
mrshow1 2 years ago
Does anyone know a recording of this song that approximates this performance?
onestell 2 years ago
poetry! poetry! wonderful!!
AFVABMDES 2 years ago 2
This comment has received too many negative votes show
This may be the worst possible choice of musical performance of all-time.
Sounds like all those idiots at NBA games who want to turn "The Star Spangled Banner" into some kind of slow... bluesy... jazz, gospel, hideous thing.
Pretentious.
LazlosPlane 2 years ago
I couldn't agree more. I was watching the documentary about New York and thought I'd try and find a better rendition. I didn't expect to find the same crappy version.
presser124444 2 years ago
"two step"? wasn't it first composed as a waltz?
johnnycchops 2 years ago
Yeah - this is one of the things that they want to make appear downbeat when in reality, the song is song with verve and gusto - it's a celebration, not a funeral.
And it's why you only ever hear the first chorus sung.
This guy bummed me out!
swangonce 3 years ago
Who is this narrating? I love his voice.
Jimtoday 3 years ago
His name is David Ogden Stiers. He's done lots of narrating and acting. A lot of people know him from M.A.S.H. where he played Major Winchester.
This clip is from Ric Burns' documentary called "New York." There are eight DVDs, so you can here lots of him narrating.
StumptownBoy 3 years ago 3
Sort of ironic that an actor whose best known character dripped with Olde Boston Society narrated a (marvelous!) documentary about New York!
hanfordbombshell 2 years ago
This song took on an even richer meaning with 9/11/2001: what was can never be again. Small things, big things, all melt away in the crucibles of time. A nostalgic dirge. Bigger than itself.
capr1c1ous 3 years ago
That's really an unusual version of that song. It sounds like it's being sung from the perspective of an elderly man who's remembering in a melancholoy way the old days when he was young and full of life. The lyrics themselves, taken at face value, speak of joy and happiness, but that's not the way it's being sung...sort of an in an ironic fashion.
Good story at the beginning!
rocco4116 3 years ago
I think the lyrics were meant in that nostalgic fashion.
kesel5588 3 years ago
The sense of loss for the times of one's youth here is palpable. Although there is an unsettling lament in the acapella delivery, I thought it worked wonderfully in context to this documetary's volume. For a time I was a stone's throw away from NYC, and fell in love with the dazzling complexity, energy, unpredictability, and rapid pace of change this city has always meant for me. This series reaffirmed all of this.
jmkoons 2 years ago 13
@jmkoons I don't share your love for New York City... I live 5 miles from time square... and I think New York is a shit hole..........My family grew up in the tenantments of New York City... if they were alive they would tell you how they use to sleep outside during the summer and freeze during the winter.... and if you think the sewage smells... lol think of all the ass rot from not bathing... yeah all on the sides walks of New York.
cyn33667 1 year ago
@cyn33667 Your opinion, Times Square is a tourist trap, but it's so santitized and family friendly these days you could eat off the streets compared to what it was like back in the 70s and 80s :-P. I know several friends who live in NYC and they wouldn't leave it for anything, not even after 9/11.
cha5 1 year ago
I think the singing is charming. Just the thing for this video!
bullirish 3 years ago 2
Great pics, narration, but the singer's rendition...ugh.
LazlosPlane 3 years ago
Comment removed
legovidlm 3 years ago
Irritated that the NYRA Belmont Stakes dropped this sing-along song for hard-to-sing Broadway belter "New York, New York". Not only easier for a crowd to sing (a`la "beer-hall song") but goes much better with horses and dirt and ....uh...droppings.
theOlLineRebel 3 years ago
this is from rick burns new york a documentary film. i saw the whole thing great work.
TallBrooklynGuy 3 years ago 2
I love this song. It's about childhood. Did you have a good one or what? Take care no matter what.
daylightlover 3 years ago
There was a movie called the Sidewalks of New York....and my old friend vaudvillian Will Ahearn and his wife Gladys Ahearn were in it.
Look up Glady's obit on google.
NiftyNataliePollock 3 years ago
has anybody seen the film by ed burns? =)
xxpaminaxx 4 years ago
Does Anyone know where I can dowload this version of the song? All the versions on itunes are upbeat and I think it kills the song. Any advice would be great. Thanks!
RoutineRoit 4 years ago
Ohh RSL. He sings in a really weird way, but I still like it. Like, it SOUNDS relaxed, but I also sometimes feel like he's working really hard (like he's running out of air or something)...but I still LOVE his singing voice! It's so soothing ^^(). He's got to be one of my favorite people on earth.
haykatsi0o 4 years ago
"not literally, but metaphorically" LOL
tineblondine 4 years ago
Yeah, "New York, New York" is sung at the end of the Yankees games as well (Or at least at the end of the last Subway Series when they played and beat the Mets recently) I still love "The Sidewalks Of New York"
however.
cha5 4 years ago
Screw the Yankees. BROOKLYN represent!
just2w4tch 4 years ago
"Screw the Yankees?!!
"Bah! Now c'mon, What kind of team does Brooklyn have?
The Dodgers left some years ago you know,
I do love the Cyclones though.
cha5 4 years ago
Hey, we gotta root for some team. We had one once. We'll have one again.
just2w4tch 4 years ago
You're damn right,
There's no place like Brooklyn.
cha5 4 years ago 2
Great song,Dodger and Giant fans became Mets fans. They stayed with the National League.
southpaw817 4 years ago 2
This has been flagged as spam show
Too many Jews.
Lashertheman 2 years ago
We'll fight, and we'll win!
just2w4tch 4 years ago
Go Giants!
LOL I just know that comment
is going to start a flame war.
cha5 4 years ago
This song used to be sung at the beginning of the Belmont Stakes horserace but has been replaced by "New York, New York," the Sinatra song
luckyshow 4 years ago
Thank you so much. This song was one of a few that were avaiable to me as a 45 record when I was child growing up in the 60s. In later years I have often wondered about its origins.
BreakTheLineX 4 years ago
Hold on, did RSL also sing "Edelweiss" in the American Musical documentary on PBS? I was watching it recently and thought, hmm, that subdued, mumbly-sounding singing voice is familiar. But I'm not sure if it is, in fact, him. IMDB was no help.
hoopymusicluva 4 years ago
RSL, He's nice but in a hoity toity sort of way.
KIWI897 4 years ago
I love this song,
Thank you so much for downloading this clip.
cha5 4 years ago
Oh my goodness, RSL, I love you so much. But seriously, how do you keep getting singing jobs? I'll listen no matter what you're singing, but....but....c'mon! Anyways, thanks for the clip!
JetPrism 5 years ago
lol
KIWI897 4 years ago
Awe, come on. He's not that bad! haha.
-Sigh- I love him.
ShayRAMONE 4 years ago 2