super star were placed on big billboards, which is the relevance of this line.
New York is described in line nine as a concrete jungle because of its towering buildings and the animalistic behaviors of some people when it comes to attaining dreams and living life. The jungle is full of animals that have to survive, who are willing to put their life as the first priority. This becomes the mentality of some people when coming to New York to achieve the American Dream. Upon coming to New York there is so much variety and opportunity that you can become whoever you want, relating to the notion of feeling brand new in line 12.
With the line “On the Avenue, there ain’t never a curfew, ladies work so hard” it could be referring to two things; the prostitution that was so visible in the city in the past and females made a living like this. It could also be depicting the single women who have to work and maintain the family, so they are working the night shifts to survive. A melting pot reference in line 16 is a reminder of the diversity in New York and the immigrants who come here searching for a new beginning and hopes to fulfill their dreams. Also in line 16 “rock” is a slang term commonly used to identify drugs. Due to formal employment being hard to attain for some, drugs was the alternative route a lot people took to sustain their living conditions.
Throughout the song Keys speaks on dreams and what people are faced with in the city. She mentions “some will sleep tonight with a hunger for more than an empty fridge,” relating to the intense desire of acquiring the dream and living the life that is so commonly portrayed in movies and in song lyrics. People have that urge to attain the American Dream and will go above and beyond to try and attain that. There is a constant use of the word light, “street lights,” “big lights,” “lighters;” all the use of the word describes the renewal of a person and the shining of a dream and the fight to keeping succeeding. Street lights plays on the idea of there never being a curfew and being able to work hard around the clock; the city is allows alive. The big light describes the aspiration of becoming a big star and achieving your full potential, but can also be looked at as a negative, insinuating the possibility of being lost in the big lights and the downside of attaining the successful life. The word lighters allow simple can identify that burning desire to conquer their dreams.
These lyrics identify a culture, a lifestyle, and pride in New York. People are able to write their own stories in New York and this song has the ability to give you that extra push. That original love of the city in which a lot of people can relate to is what allowed Jay Z and Alicia Keys to make this song and allow it to become a success and the Empire’s Urban Anthem.
Katrina Simmons