In June, I went to New York for the first time and fell utterly in love with it.The first couple of days were bumpy. Strangely, I didn’t feel like I was in New York at all. Having lived the city imaginatively for so long, the reality of it felt different (naturally, because a large part of imagination is fantasy). Walking amongst all the skyscrapers, it was as if the familiar landmarks were being blocked from sight!But following on from the moment I set eyes on the Statue of Liberty, New York fast became my favourite city I’ve ever travelled to, and a place I hope to live one day.The thing is though, because it is so excruciatingly cool – the restaurants and bars, the shopping, the apartments, the lifestyle – New York makes you want so much more than you’ve ever wanted before. A nagging sense of yearning settles in, and it feels a bit dangerous. That’s what LCD Soundsystem’s song ‘New York I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down’ is about for me – in particular the following line:’But you’re still the one poolWhere I’d happily drown’You’d also have to search far and wide to find a better couplet than:’There’s a ton of the twistBut we’re fresh out of shout’A comment on movement without conviction, perhaps?

Being the major Prince fan that I am, this Kanye rhyme has me tickled purple:

‘You know how long I been on ya?

Since Prince was on Apollonia

Since OJ had Isotoners

Don’t act like I never told ya’

Comedic and lyrical genius. For the uninitiated, Apollonia was Prince’s co-star in the movie musical Purple Rain (she duets with him on ‘Take Me With You’, from the soundtrack), and a member of Apollonia 6, one of Prince’s many vanity project bands.

Here’s a visual (full of 80s glamour – I particularly enjoy the bikini teamed with the fingerless gloves):

The Prince line was my way into the song, however since then I’ve been friends with the following verse (addition in square brackets is my own, to make it from my perspective which is the way I hear it):

‘I don’t know if you got a [wo]man or not

If you made plans or not

If God put me in your plans or not

I’m trippin’, this drink got me sayin’ a lot

But I know that God put you in front of me

So how the hell could you front on me?

There’s a thousand yous

And only one of me’

… an endearing blend of vulnerability and arrogance from Kanye.

Also, the situation he describes is very relevant to my own life right now. And all the best song lyrics are the ones that make us feel like they’re about us, right?