Leaving New York

Album: Around The Sun (2004)
Charted: 5
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Lead singer Michael Stipe described this ballad as a love song about one of his favorite cities in new world and how he sees it changing for the better since September 11, 2001. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Ian - Melbourne, Australia
  • This is a sequel to R.E.M.'s 1996 song "Electrolite," which sang the praises of Los Angeles.
  • According to Michael Stipe in the London Daily Mail October 8, 2004, "Leaving New York was written on a plane above the city. On a clear night, the city looks magnificent." Peter Buck added, "The song can be taken literally. On one level, it's just about leaving the city. For me, though, It's hard to hear a song with New York in the title without thinking about September 2001." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for above 2
  • Peter Buck isn't a big fan of the Around the Sun album because he was tired of writing songs "in any traditional way, so the chord changes don't make any sense," he noted in Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage. For this song, he added, "The chord changes are crazy, but Michael came up with such a great melody you don't really notice how bizarre the chords are."
  • This was used on the TV series Parkinson in 2004.

Comments: 3

  • Bravado from Quebec"It's easier to leave than to be left behind" makes me think they also talk about attatchment problem
  • Stephan from St Georges, CanadaLove this song. Definitly unknown but as good as Murmur stuff.
  • Joe from Baltimore, Md"Leaving New York" is without a doubt one of the finest songs off of "Around The Sun."
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Kristian Bush of Sugarland

Kristian Bush of SugarlandSongwriter Interviews

Kristian talks songwriting technique, like how the chorus should redefine the story, and how to write a song backwards.

Christmas Songs

Christmas SongsFact or Fiction

Rudolf, Bob Dylan and the Singing Dogs all show up in this Fact or Fiction for seasonal favorites.

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Gary Numan

Gary NumanSongwriter Interviews

An Electronic music pioneer with Asperger's Syndrome. This could be interesting.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.