Native New Yorker
I have never been to New York. In fact, I have never been to America. Despite a lifelong love of many American films and recording artists, I haven’t got around to visiting that vast country. In 1977, disco music had a firm hold on the music charts in many parts of the world. The film, ‘Saturday Night Fever’ gave us many examples of this rather sanitised and safe disco music, which was being lapped up by audiences everywhere. A few years earlier, artists like Gloria Gaynor had started the trend, with huge hits like ‘Never Can Say Goodbye.’
I was twenty-five at the time, and happy to add the occasional disco record to my collection, though I carefully avoided some of the kitsch examples, such as the awful Boney M, and some other rather dubious European efforts. Then I heard a record on the radio, and liked it so much, I had to get it the same day. I had never heard of the group before, but knew that I was going to like them. Odyssey delivered a disco sound with a rich soul vocal, and this song seemed to sum up much of what I imagined life in New York might be like.
They went on to produce a string of hits, including the well-known, ‘If You’re Looking For A Way Out.’
Unusually, they became more popular in the UK, than in their home country of the USA. This led to them becoming based over here, and the current incarnation of the band continues to perform to this day. Whenever I think of the city of New York, I always remember this song.
‘No-one opens the door, for a native New Yorker…’ Great line.
beetleypete 
I briefly visited NYC back in 1970 as a young teenager. We toured the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty (elevator in one, stairs in the other). I wouldn’t want to live in NYC, and generally wish to stay west of the Mississippi River, and preferably in a mountainous state. Nevada fits the bill nicely.
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I’m sure you made the right decision for you, David. As a Londoner, I always felt an affinity with New York, feeling that if I had been born in America, that was where I would have lived. All fantasy of course, but this song summed it up for me at the time.
Regards from Norfolk. Pete.
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Beautiful!
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Glad you enjoyed this one, Arlene.
Best wishes, Pete.
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NYC is a great place – if you have the money and know where to go. That old saying, “It’s a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there” – it had to be about NYC! I believe the island is 24 miles long and 3 miles wide and on it 8 million people live there, 16 million pack in during business hours, so expect to be one of the crowd – at least the sidewalks are w-i-d-e!!! But you’re right, the music is fantastic!!
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Thanks, GP. I don’t know if I will ever get there, but if I do, I will be thinking about this old song!
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thought you might get a chuckle out of that island’s set-up.
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It certainly always looks very overcrowded, GP. Then again, so was much of London, and that’s spread over a wider area.
Regards, Pete.
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What a soulful song.
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Glad you like it, V. You should check out some of their other hits, they tend to get overlooked.
Cheers, Pete.
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I’ve always admired your taste in music Pete.
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