I hate to call her out on it (although she caught the error herself before the episode was over), but my friend Jessica, on this morning’s episode of the Desperately Seeking the `80 podcast, made a fleeting allusion to Ace Frehley’s rendition of “New York Groove,” mistakenly ascribing one line in the song as an allusion to the former gay-cruising strip of East 53rd Street & Third Avenue. I was quick to pedantically pounce – as I’m wont to do, much to everyone’s chagrin – and point out that the actual line refers to East 43rd. Moreover, while Ace didn’t write the song, I can’t imagine he’d have been fully onboard with making that sort of reference.
That does still beg the question, however, of why East 43rd Street and Third was the specified destination wherein, as an “exit to the night,” things were poised to dive headlong into “ecstasy.” Then as now, I don’t believe that patch of what some now call “Midtown East” has ever been a hotbed of any stripe of libidinous carnality, one way or the other. For his part, Ace Frehley once told Rolling Stone that while he initially scoffed at the notion of recording “New York Groove,” after producer Eddie Kramer suggested it, he put his own spin on it as inspired his experience with Times Square prostitutes in the `70s. That’s … uhhh.. quite an admission, Ace, but East 43rd and Third Avenue is still nowhere near Times Square which, as we all know, is to the west of Sixth Avenue.
Unlike Ace Frehley, the track’s songwriter, Russ Ballard, was not a native New Yorker, but rather a Brit, who penned the track originally for a second-tier British glam band called Hello. I cannot say if Ballard spent any time on East 43rd Street and Third Avenue, much less the whole of New York City, prior to writing the song, so he may have just arbitrarily picked that particular corner. Stop at Third Avenue and East 43rd Street today, meanwhile, and the most exciting amenities you’re likely to encounter are a couple of banks, a Staples and a pita joint. But, one imagines, `twas not always thus.
Back to Jessica’s allusion, however, there is another rock song that very specifically pertains to the hustling scene she was projecting, that being “53rd & Third” by da brudders Ramone, which I’ve discussed here and here.
All this rumination, however, reminded me of a post I logged on the long-dormant and sadly-since-dismantled site, The New York Nobody Sings. Courtesy of the Wayback Machine, I was able to re-exhume it, so here it is now…
The Disco Duel
I used to be a frequent contributor to the ILM (short for "I Love Music") discussion boards and posted a thread there in the summer of 2005 that pitted two relatively obvious New York City anthems against each other. Here's a slightly updated version of the original question: "Taking Sides: 'New York Groove' by Ace Frehley vs. 'Native New Yorker' by Odyssey.
Yeah yeah, pedants, I know Ace didn't write "New York Groove" (it was written by Russ Ballard....oddly, a Brit...for a band called Hello). I've never heard Hello's version, but I'd bet it lacks to thwomping disco stomp of Ace's rendition....the same disco thwomp that makes it the perfect opponent for Odyssey's lush disco classic.
I heard the Odyssey track the other day probably for the first time in seven or eight years, and it really took me back. It's a wonder that the producers of "Sex & the City" never cribbed it for usage in the series. Ace's track is pumpingly celebratory. Odyssey's depiction is vibrant yet simultaneously world-weary. Ace's Manhattan is one of endless opportunity for naughty hedonism, whereas Odyssey's Manhattan is a place where chilly one night stands are de rigeur, manners are non-existent and heartbreak is a given, but you'd still never want to live anywhere else. Oddly enough, Odyssey's one destination-specific allusion is East 83rd Street.
Despite being a lifelong, dyed-in-the-wool Kiss fan, I personally might have to still go with the Odyssey track here. Yes, I know -- HERESY! While I applaud Ace's track and adore it to pieces, it's inarguably lumpen and clumsy next to the stylishly swooning "Native New Yorker." Both of these tracks positively stink of a New York City that hasn't existed for years (though I've never understood why Ace cites the corner of 3rd Avenue and 43rd street --- "it's gonna be ecstacy". That's quite possibly the dullest street corner in all of Manhattan). At this point in the proceedings, I asked participants in the discussion to pick one and cite their reasons.
To refresh your memory, ...enjoy, and get out your dancing pants!
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