The Big Apple Songs: When New York Had Her Heart Broke

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This is out of order in every way imaginable. It should be in the top ten, and this is definitely NOT alphabetical. However, given what today is, there’s no other place on the countdown for this song but today. Here’s today’s hug to New York City. When New York Had Her Heart Broke - John Hiatt On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, John Hiatt was in New York City to do “the rounds” of interviews on TV and radio shows in promotion of his new album, The Tiki Bar Is Open. Needless to say, he didn’t do any of those interviews. Two days later, he wrote this song. It is nothing for “topical songs” to be released in the aftermath of a news event. That’s the gist of old folk music: if you look at things like “The Great Titanic” or even something as recent as “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” you’ll see tragedy depicted in song. In this case, Hiatt waited ten years to release this song. There were a lot of songs released right after 9/11, and I’m just guessing that Hiatt didn’t want to be seen as cashing in on the worst national tragedy since Pearl Harbor. This is a relatively simple song, chronicling what Hiatt felt (“the world changed that day, forever some would say”) and saw. He ended the song with a prayer and a promise: “Ah, but she will rise again.” And may she stay strong. When New York Had Her Heart Broke Written by John Hiatt Recorded by John Hiatt From Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns, 2011 NYC LYRICS: title F-16s over Central Park: