48 US states have state songs or anthems, some with multiple songs. New York’s state song, “I Love New York,” was written by Steve Karmen as part of a successful tourism advertising campaign in 1977. The song has had a significant impact on popular culture.
Forty-eight U.S. states have one or more state songs or anthems, chosen by the legislature or government as a symbol of the state. Some of these, like “Oklahoma!” or “Georgia on my Mind,” are well known, while others, like “Hail, South Dakota!” they are less known. Several states have multiple state songs, such as New Mexico, which has four. The state song of New York is called “I Love New York”.
“I Love New York” was written in 1977 by singer-songwriter Steve Karmen. Karmen was an accomplished songwriter, best known for writing advertising jingles. Karmen has created a number of popular advertising jingles for clients such as Budweiser®, Jack in the Box®, Hershey’s® and Exxon®. Karmen donated the rights to the song to the state of New York, allowing all commercial royalty proceeds to the state.
The state song of New York is relatively short, only thirteen verses. Without referring to any specific feature of New York’s history or attractions, he proclaims the state “special” and claims that “there is no place like New York.” Fast paced and catchy, the song is easy to remember and sing along to.
Some older states, when adopting state songs, chose existing songs already associated with them. For example, Connecticut chose “Yankee Doodle” as the state song to emphasize the state’s Revolutionary War heritage. The New York state song, by contrast, was the product of a sophisticated marketing campaign. The New York Department of Commerce hired an advertising agency, Wells Rich Greene, to design an advertising campaign promoting tourism. As part of the campaign, graphic designer Milton Glaser created the “I NY” logo, which quickly became one of New York’s most recognizable symbols.
“I Love New York” was a product of the same marketing campaign as the logo. Despite drawing criticism for its high cost, the ad campaign was a success, significantly boosting New York’s tourism revenue. In 1980, Governor Hugh Carey declared “I Love New York” the state song of New York. New York had never had a state song.
“I Love New York” has had a significant impact on popular culture. He often appears in film and television portrayals of New York. In 1989, the horror film “Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan” used the song as part of its soundtrack, drawing criticism for associating the state song of New York with negative representations of New York.
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