Song Lyric Sunday – New York Minute

Time is really turned around and upside down in my life today, which I guess is appropriate for the theme this week – Minutes/Hours/Days/Weeks/Months. I say this because while I (thought I) had the topic from a list Jim Adams gives of four weeks ahead, I actually did the topic for next week. I was also waiting for him to publish the topic post so I could ping to it. I was believing it was Saturday night.

So, for the topic at hand, I picked Don Henley’s “New York Minute”. While people joke that New York time runs much faster than anywhere else, the song is ironically over 6 minutes long. It would be much less of a song without the beautiful instrumentals that set the mood. The song shows that good things can turn to bad in a “New York Minute”.

The song was written in 1989 by Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Jai Winding and included on Henley’s album “The End of the Innocence”. It reached #45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

A couple of tid-bits – The vocal group Take 6 did the background vocals It was also one of several songs from Henley’s solo career to be featured on the “Hell Freezes Over” concert and live album.

Oh, I had a very difficult time finding an authentic video of the song so this one says Eagles but it is definitely Henley singing. The year sounds right for Hell Freezes Over.

Lydia!

If you want to join in the fun of Song Lyric Sunday or just want to see other selections for the topic, head on over to Jim’s blog, A Unique Title for Me

New York Minute

Harry got up, dressed all in black
Went down to the station, and he never came back
They found his clothing scattered somewhere down the track
And he won’t be down on Wall Street in the morning now

He had a home, love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes as years unfurl
One day, he crossed some line, and he was too much in this world
But I guess it doesn’t matter anymore

In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, things can get pretty strange
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute

Lying here in the darkness, I hear the sirens wail
Somebody going to emergency, somebody’s going to jail
You find somebody to love in this world, you better hang on tooth and nail
The wolf is always at the door

In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, things can get a little strange
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute

And in these days, darkness falls early
And people rush home to the ones they love
You’d better take a fool’s advice and take care of your own
One day they’re here, next day they’re gone

Leaves were falling around me, groaning city in the gathering dark
On some solitary rock, a desperate lover left his mark
“Baby, I’ve changed, please come back”

What the head makes cloudy, the heart makes very clear
I know the days were so much brighter in the time when she was here
I know that somebody somewhere can make these dark clouds disappear
But until that day, I have to believe, I believe, I believe

In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, you can get out of the rain
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York, New York minute
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, you can get out of the rain
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, everything can change
In a New York minute, you can get out of the rain
In a New York minute, everything can change

Written by: Don Henley, Danny Kortchmar, and Jai Winding
Lyrics: Genius Lyrics
Facts: Wikipedia and Songfacts