Old New York

Album: The American Dream Died (2015)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • When Agnostic Front formed in the '80s, their home base of New York City was far more dirty and crime-ridden than it later became. In this song, the band reflects on how they miss the skeevy side of the city, as the inherent danger helped build character and was a big part of their hardcore scene.

    Clearly, a safer, cleaner city is better in many ways, but the band still has some nostalgia for the element of fear that helped inform the band.
  • In our interview with lead singer Roger Miret, he said that the movie Taxi Driver was a big influence on this song. The film is from 1976, which was a time when New York was at its most gritty.

    The song opens with a clip from the movie where its star Robert DiNero says, "All the animals come out at night: whores, skunk pu--ies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"

Jack Tempchin - "Peaceful Easy Feeling"They're Playing My Song

When a waitress wouldn't take him home, Jack wrote what would become one of the Eagles most enduring hits.

Annie Haslam of Renaissance

Annie Haslam of RenaissanceSongwriter Interviews

The 5-octave voice of the classical rock band Renaissance, Annie is big on creative expression. In this talk, she covers Roy Wood, the history of the band, and where all the money went in the '70s.

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Francis Rossi of Status Quo

Francis Rossi of Status QuoSongwriter Interviews

Doubt led to drive for Francis, who still isn't sure why one of Status Quo's biggest hits is so beloved.

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"

Billy Steinberg - "Like A Virgin"They're Playing My Song

The first of Billy's five #1 hits was the song that propelled Madonna to stardom. You'd think that would get you a backstage pass, wouldn't you?

American Hits With Foreign Titles

American Hits With Foreign TitlesSong Writing

What are the biggest US hits with French, Spanish (not "Rico Suave"), Italian, Scottish, Greek, and Japanese titles?