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In 1978, Frank Sinatra began performing the song at Radio City Music Hall. He loved it so much he recorded it for his album Trilogy: Past Present Future in 1980. Sinatra’s version became a pop culture phenomenon, eventually eclipsing the film and even Liza’s original recording in terms of radio play.

Insulted but motivated, Ebb and Kander went back to their piano and wrote the iconic version we know today in a fit of pique. Kander later admitted that the famous "vamping" intro was born out of that frustration. 2. Liza’s "Signature" Song liza_minnelli_theme_from_new_york_new_york

The songwriting duo John Kander and Fred Ebb (who also wrote Cabaret ) originally presented a different title track to Scorsese and Robert De Niro. As the story goes, De Niro found the first version "too light" and not "tough" enough to represent the city. In 1978, Frank Sinatra began performing the song