Song of the Day (America Week): Serge Gainsbourg – “New York U.S.A.”

Serge Gainsbourg, the great French musician, actor, poet, painter, and more released his ode to New York City’s skyscrapers in 1964 on his Gainsbourg Percussions LP. The song, “New York – USA” uses the drums from a Babatunde Olatunji album, 1959’s Drums of Passion. Gainsbourg lists many of New York tallest buildings while chanting:

“I saw New York
New York USA
I saw New York
New York USA
I’ve never seen anything as
I’ve never seen anything as high
Oh! It’s high it’s high New York
New York USA”

It works better than it should. The video of Gainsbourg hanging around some cardboard skyscrapers may give you vertigo. Hopefully Serge wrote Olantunji a check.