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| How De Niro Gave Us Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York,’ Our 7 P.M. Anthem | How De Niro Gave Us Sinatra’s ‘New York, New York,’ Our 7 P.M. Anthem |
| (6 days later) | |
| The old friend shows up every night, big and brawny as ever. He’s on a Brooklyn family’s seventh-floor balcony in Windsor Terrace, and above the Portofino Ristorante in Forest Hills, and bellowing out of a truck rolling slowly up and down the empty canyons of Manhattan’s avenues, right on time to — with the crash of a cymbal — start spreadin’ the news. | The old friend shows up every night, big and brawny as ever. He’s on a Brooklyn family’s seventh-floor balcony in Windsor Terrace, and above the Portofino Ristorante in Forest Hills, and bellowing out of a truck rolling slowly up and down the empty canyons of Manhattan’s avenues, right on time to — with the crash of a cymbal — start spreadin’ the news. |
| It is 7 p.m., and the city is already clapping, a nightly outpouring of support for health care workers that has taken place for weeks. And many have added a soundtrack to their applause, as familiar as the skyline. It’s as brassy and over the top as ever — and yet, playing out across a cooped-up city of crowded apartments and masks and gloves, its bottomless optimism can visibly bring smiles, a short pause to The Pause. | It is 7 p.m., and the city is already clapping, a nightly outpouring of support for health care workers that has taken place for weeks. And many have added a soundtrack to their applause, as familiar as the skyline. It’s as brassy and over the top as ever — and yet, playing out across a cooped-up city of crowded apartments and masks and gloves, its bottomless optimism can visibly bring smiles, a short pause to The Pause. |
| I want to be a part of it — New York, New York. | I want to be a part of it — New York, New York. |
| “A lot of people stop doing what they’re doing and start cheering,” said George Leon, a manager at Portofino with a front-row seat to the nightly performance, when an upstairs neighbor plays it on loudspeakers from his apartment window. “It’s awesome.” | “A lot of people stop doing what they’re doing and start cheering,” said George Leon, a manager at Portofino with a front-row seat to the nightly performance, when an upstairs neighbor plays it on loudspeakers from his apartment window. “It’s awesome.” |
| With the city in the grip of the coronavirus, Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from ‘New York, New York,’” its actual name, has once again stepped up as its anthem, as it did after 9/11 and as it does after Yankee games and police promotion ceremonies. It seems to have always been with us, a staple of the voice instantly recognizable all over the world since his prime in the 1940s and 1950s; but in fact, it’s a song that’s barely reached middle age. | With the city in the grip of the coronavirus, Frank Sinatra’s “Theme from ‘New York, New York,’” its actual name, has once again stepped up as its anthem, as it did after 9/11 and as it does after Yankee games and police promotion ceremonies. It seems to have always been with us, a staple of the voice instantly recognizable all over the world since his prime in the 1940s and 1950s; but in fact, it’s a song that’s barely reached middle age. |
| The nightly performances are the latest stop in the unlikely journey of a song that, in more ways than one, almost didn’t get made at all. | The nightly performances are the latest stop in the unlikely journey of a song that, in more ways than one, almost didn’t get made at all. |
| In 1977, the director Martin Scorsese was making “New York, New York,” and he needed a title track. The songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote a song and brought it to a meeting with the director and the film’s stars, Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. | In 1977, the director Martin Scorsese was making “New York, New York,” and he needed a title track. The songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb wrote a song and brought it to a meeting with the director and the film’s stars, Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. |
| “We played our songs — Scorsese and Liza liked them a lot,” Mr. Kander told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2015. “We were just about to leave, and Bobby, over on the couch, waved his arm, and Scorsese said, ‘Excuse me just a minute,’ and he went over and talked to him. It was a very animated conversation in terms of arms, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying.” | “We played our songs — Scorsese and Liza liked them a lot,” Mr. Kander told the Cleveland Plain Dealer in 2015. “We were just about to leave, and Bobby, over on the couch, waved his arm, and Scorsese said, ‘Excuse me just a minute,’ and he went over and talked to him. It was a very animated conversation in terms of arms, but we couldn’t hear what they were saying.” |
| The director returned “very embarrassed” and said Mr. De Niro found the title number “lightweight” and wanted them to try again, Mr. Kander said. | The director returned “very embarrassed” and said Mr. De Niro found the title number “lightweight” and wanted them to try again, Mr. Kander said. |
| The two writers, whose credits included “Chicago” and “Cabaret,” were annoyed — “Some actor’s going to tell us what’s a good song and what’s not?” — but returned to Mr. Ebb’s apartment. “In about 45 minutes,” he said, “we wrote this song called ‘New York, New York’ — another one.” It fared better: “They seemed to like it a lot,” Mr. Kander said. | The two writers, whose credits included “Chicago” and “Cabaret,” were annoyed — “Some actor’s going to tell us what’s a good song and what’s not?” — but returned to Mr. Ebb’s apartment. “In about 45 minutes,” he said, “we wrote this song called ‘New York, New York’ — another one.” It fared better: “They seemed to like it a lot,” Mr. Kander said. |
| As he would tell The New York Times in 2015: “De Niro was completely right.” | As he would tell The New York Times in 2015: “De Niro was completely right.” |
| Ms. Minnelli sang the number on the film’s soundtrack, and the song seemed to belong to her. This would not last. | Ms. Minnelli sang the number on the film’s soundtrack, and the song seemed to belong to her. This would not last. |
| Elsewhere in the entertainment world, Mr. Sinatra, then in his early 60s, had recently emerged from an early retirement to a vastly changed cultural landscape from the ring-a-ding days of the Rat Pack. He looked around and saw not fellow crooners, but acts like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and he struggled to adapt. | Elsewhere in the entertainment world, Mr. Sinatra, then in his early 60s, had recently emerged from an early retirement to a vastly changed cultural landscape from the ring-a-ding days of the Rat Pack. He looked around and saw not fellow crooners, but acts like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and he struggled to adapt. |
| “He had fought an ambivalent battle against the new music, sometimes trying to make it his own, almost always with heart-sinking results,” wrote James Kaplan in a biography, “Sinatra: The Chairman.” | “He had fought an ambivalent battle against the new music, sometimes trying to make it his own, almost always with heart-sinking results,” wrote James Kaplan in a biography, “Sinatra: The Chairman.” |
| “Frank was straining for relevance,” he wrote. | “Frank was straining for relevance,” he wrote. |
| The singer’s wife, Barbara Sinatra, suggested he cover “New York, New York.” | The singer’s wife, Barbara Sinatra, suggested he cover “New York, New York.” |
| “‘Naw, that’s Liza’s song,’” he replied, according to Mrs. Sinatra’s book, “Lady Blue Eyes.” But she persuaded him to play it at a 1978 concert at Radio City Music Hall, she wrote, and “the number he almost didn’t sing brought the house down.” | “‘Naw, that’s Liza’s song,’” he replied, according to Mrs. Sinatra’s book, “Lady Blue Eyes.” But she persuaded him to play it at a 1978 concert at Radio City Music Hall, she wrote, and “the number he almost didn’t sing brought the house down.” |
| The Sinatra historian and radio personality Jonathan Schwartz was in attendance that night. “I suggested to him that he might want to record it,” he recalled this week. “He said something like, ‘We’ll see.’” The music publisher Frank Military, a longtime collaborator, has also been credited with introducing the man to the song. | The Sinatra historian and radio personality Jonathan Schwartz was in attendance that night. “I suggested to him that he might want to record it,” he recalled this week. “He said something like, ‘We’ll see.’” The music publisher Frank Military, a longtime collaborator, has also been credited with introducing the man to the song. |
| Mr. Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, in an interview Wednesday from her home in California, recalled another important voice in his ear. “He was reluctant to take it from Liza,” she said. “She told him, ‘It’s OK, Uncle Frank.’” | Mr. Sinatra’s daughter, Tina, in an interview Wednesday from her home in California, recalled another important voice in his ear. “He was reluctant to take it from Liza,” she said. “She told him, ‘It’s OK, Uncle Frank.’” |
| Updated June 22, 2020 | |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. | The unemployment rate fell to 13.3 percent in May, the Labor Department said on June 5, an unexpected improvement in the nation’s job market as hiring rebounded faster than economists expected. Economists had forecast the unemployment rate to increase to as much as 20 percent, after it hit 14.7 percent in April, which was the highest since the government began keeping official statistics after World War II. But the unemployment rate dipped instead, with employers adding 2.5 million jobs, after more than 20 million jobs were lost in April. |
| States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. | States are reopening bit by bit. This means that more public spaces are available for use and more and more businesses are being allowed to open again. The federal government is largely leaving the decision up to states, and some state leaders are leaving the decision up to local authorities. Even if you aren’t being told to stay at home, it’s still a good idea to limit trips outside and your interaction with other people. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. | If you’re sick and you think you’ve been exposed to the new coronavirus, the C.D.C. recommends that you call your healthcare provider and explain your symptoms and fears. They will decide if you need to be tested. Keep in mind that there’s a chance — because of a lack of testing kits or because you’re asymptomatic, for instance — you won’t be able to get tested. |
| The following year, Mr. Sinatra set about making an ambitious triple-album, “Trilogy: Past Present Future.” Amid a curious collection of covers — Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue” — and a suite of songs involving space travel, he thought back to the familiar, comfortable fit of those vagabond shoes. | The following year, Mr. Sinatra set about making an ambitious triple-album, “Trilogy: Past Present Future.” Amid a curious collection of covers — Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are,” Neil Diamond’s “Song Sung Blue” — and a suite of songs involving space travel, he thought back to the familiar, comfortable fit of those vagabond shoes. |
| On Sept. 19, 1979, in a studio in Hollywood, he recorded the song at last, with Rob Fentress, a member of Sinatra’s large circle, among those crowded in the jubilant control room after the final take. “They were playing back ‘New York, New York,’ and Frank was sitting in the engineer’s chair, and he was just oblivious to all the noise,” Mr. Fentress recalled in Mr. Kaplan’s book. “He was just focusing on the song. And you could see how pleased he was. He wasn’t laughing; he was just smiling slightly. I’d seen that focused look before.” | On Sept. 19, 1979, in a studio in Hollywood, he recorded the song at last, with Rob Fentress, a member of Sinatra’s large circle, among those crowded in the jubilant control room after the final take. “They were playing back ‘New York, New York,’ and Frank was sitting in the engineer’s chair, and he was just oblivious to all the noise,” Mr. Fentress recalled in Mr. Kaplan’s book. “He was just focusing on the song. And you could see how pleased he was. He wasn’t laughing; he was just smiling slightly. I’d seen that focused look before.” |
| The song would close his concerts for years to come, nudging aside “My Way” in that spot, and was the last one he performed in public, when he joined an array of stars in 1995 at a tribute for his 80th birthday. He died in 1998. | The song would close his concerts for years to come, nudging aside “My Way” in that spot, and was the last one he performed in public, when he joined an array of stars in 1995 at a tribute for his 80th birthday. He died in 1998. |
| “I think he could thoroughly identify with the song, growing up in Hoboken and looking across the river at the skyline,” his daughter Tina said. “He wanted to be there. He wanted to be on the other side.” | “I think he could thoroughly identify with the song, growing up in Hoboken and looking across the river at the skyline,” his daughter Tina said. “He wanted to be there. He wanted to be on the other side.” |
| Twenty-four years later, Allison Garber, 45, of Windsor Terrace, one of the countless New Yorkers who grew up with the song showing up like a proud uncle at ballgames and public gatherings, heard a friend say it was blasting nightly at 7 p.m. from an apartment in Manhattan. | Twenty-four years later, Allison Garber, 45, of Windsor Terrace, one of the countless New Yorkers who grew up with the song showing up like a proud uncle at ballgames and public gatherings, heard a friend say it was blasting nightly at 7 p.m. from an apartment in Manhattan. |
| “I wanted to bring that to my neighborhood,” she said. “It’s undeniable when you hear that last bit, you really have to point out at your city.” | “I wanted to bring that to my neighborhood,” she said. “It’s undeniable when you hear that last bit, you really have to point out at your city.” |
| She found herself a little uncomfortable with the A-number-one lyrics, “not at all about community,” and cast about for a replacement. From her balcony facing Prospect Park, she tried “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler, and others. Below, people passed by. Only one song seemed to make them stop, so she brought it back. | She found herself a little uncomfortable with the A-number-one lyrics, “not at all about community,” and cast about for a replacement. From her balcony facing Prospect Park, she tried “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Wind Beneath My Wings” by Bette Midler, and others. Below, people passed by. Only one song seemed to make them stop, so she brought it back. |
| “Maybe ‘New York, New York’ makes everybody feel like they’re that person?” she said. “That everyone is king of the hill, top of the heap.” | “Maybe ‘New York, New York’ makes everybody feel like they’re that person?” she said. “That everyone is king of the hill, top of the heap.” |