New York, New York

John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote New York, New York in 1977 for Martin Scorsese's film of that name, where Liza Minnelli sings it. The song was a late addition: the two men produced a first version that Robert De Niro rejected as too weak for the character, and they rewrote it in irritation over an afternoon. Frank Sinatra recorded it in 1979, and his version displaced Minnelli's in public memory and became a fixture at New York sporting events. Kander wrote the music and Ebb the words, as in all their work together.