Yahoo News Iconic 'New York New York' song was rewritten because Robert De Niro didn't think it was good enough
When John Kander and Fred Ebb first played their songs from New York, New York for Robert De Niro, his response provoked a 'you talkin' to me?' level of annoyance in them.
In the midst of adapting the 1977 Martin Scorsese film for Broadway, Kander shares the story of how he and longtime writing partner, Fred Ebb, wrote the now iconic title song — and it involves some notes from the Oscar winner.
"The inspiration for the song was that we were hired to write a score for a movie called New York, New York," Kander says in a video shared exclusively with EW. "The movie was directed by Scorsese and Robert De Niro and Liza [Minnelli] were the stars of it. We wrote five, six songs for it, and among them was a song called 'New York, New York,' and we went down to Scorsese's office and played them for Scorsese and Liza and De Niro was over on a couch someplace. We didn't actually see him."
Everett Collection The iconic ‘New York New York’ song was rewritten because Robert De Niro didn’t think it was good enough
Kander remembers Scorsese being initially very complimentary and sending them off feeling good about their work, until De Niro called the director over. "We saw an arm come up on the couch, and he said, 'Excuse me,' and he went over to talk to De Niro. There was a very animated conversation. Scorsese came back and in a very embarrassed way said that, 'De Niro feels that 'The World Goes Round' is a song which is attached to Liza's character, and it's very strong. And 'New York, New York,' which is attached to his character, is not.'"
This prompted Scorsese to ask the two to take another crack at the song, which the two naturally obliged (even if they were irritated privately). "We took a cab back to Fred's apartment, and in 45 minutes, we wrote another song called 'New York, New York,' which is the one that you know. It has a lot of anger in it because we were really pissed off — it was like, 'Some actor is going to tell us how to write a song?'"
Kander then explains that the recognizable vamp was the first thing they wrote. "The fact is De Niro was absolutely right," he admits. "It's a much better song."
The original 1977 film follows De Niro's egotistical saxophonist, Jimmy Doyle, and Minnelli's lounge singer, Francine Evans, from their first meeting on VJ Day and their ensuing rocky romance as their careers begin their long, uphill climb.
Now, a new musical coming to Broadway next spring (opening April 26 at Broadway's St. James Theatre) reimagines the film for the stage. A brief plot description reads, "It is 1946, the war is over, and a resurgent New York is beginning to rebuild. As steel beams swing overhead, a collection of artists has dreams as big and diverse as the city itself. But do these singers, dancers, musicians and makers have what it takes to survive this place, let alone to succeed? If they can make it there, they can make it anywhere."
In the exclusive video, Kander describes the musical as following the central couple, but also the five other stories at least. "One of the joys of making this piece is how honest we have tried to be," he says. "All of these stories are stories we can be invested in because they're true."
This will mark the first new Kander and Ebb musical to premiere on Broadway since 2015's The Visit (Ebb passed away in 2004). In addition to the Kander and Ebb score, New York, New York boasts a book co-written by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys) and Sharon Washington (Audible's Feeding the Dragon). Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton) has also contributed additional lyrics, while Tony winner Susan Stroman (The Producers) is attached to direct and choreograph.
The show will feature a mix of big band classics from the film and brand new songs.
"In 1945, World War II ended," Kander said in a statement. "In the years that immediately followed, hundreds of thousands of ex-servicemen and women – myself included – descended on New York City, a tough, gritty, beautiful dream palace, filled with youthful energy and optimism. 'The sadness is over! This is where I can become the person I was meant to become!' And this is the New York of our story."
Sonia Friedman and Tom Kirdahy are producing. Additional details, including casting, are still to be announced.
Watch the video above for more.
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