This song was originally written for, and made famous by, Petula Clark, in 1964. It's a really odd song, with a sound sort of halfway between big-band and rock despite being mostly played by a string orchestra. Clark's label had no idea what to do with it, but their American licensor loved it and pushed it hard, and it went to #1 on the charts.
I don't know if the songwriters have ever spoken about what it's about, but Petula described it as a small-town Brit's fantasy idea of what New York City must be like.
It had a brief resurgence in popularity when Petula Clark did a disco version of the song, which may be where the B-52s first got interested in it—but at some point they definitely discovered the original. Kate has talked about the string arrangement, and even things like the French lyrics in "Dans le Temps" (a loosely-translated version Petula released in Quebec in 1965).
This song was originally written for, and made famous by, Petula Clark, in 1964. It's a really odd song, with a sound sort of halfway between big-band and rock despite being mostly played by a string orchestra. Clark's label had no idea what to do with it, but their American licensor loved it and pushed it hard, and it went to #1 on the charts.
I don't know if the songwriters have ever spoken about what it's about, but Petula described it as a small-town Brit's fantasy idea of what New York City must be like.
It had a brief resurgence in popularity when Petula Clark did a disco version of the song, which may be where the B-52s first got interested in it—but at some point they definitely discovered the original. Kate has talked about the string arrangement, and even things like the French lyrics in "Dans le Temps" (a loosely-translated version Petula released in Quebec in 1965).