New York Groove

"New York Groove"
File:New York Groove single.jpg
Single by Ace Frehley
from the album Ace Frehley
Released	1978 (US)
Format	7"
Recorded	Plaze Sound Studios, New York City: 1978
Genre	Rock
Length	3:01
Label	Casablanca NB-941 (US)
Writer(s)	Russ Ballard
Producer(s)	Eddie Kramer and Ace Frehley
Ace Frehley singles chronology
"Radioactive" / "See You In Your Dreams" (1978) "New York Groove" / "Snow Blind" (1978) "Don't You Let Me Down" (1978)

"New York Groove" is a song written by English singer/songwriter Russ Ballard, which was a hit for two different artists: the band Hello in 1975, and Ace Frehley in 1978.

Hello version

The British glam rock band Hello first recorded the song in 1975, for their debut album, Keeps Us off the Streets.

The song was a number nine hit in the UK, and subsequently reached number seven in Germany.

Ace Frehley version

Ace Frehley, best known as the lead guitarist of Kiss, recorded "New York Groove" for his first solo album, Ace Frehley, released in 1978; the album was released concurrently with solo albums from the other three Kiss members. Released as a single, the song made it to No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 late that year, by far the highest charting single from any of the four solo albums. Frehley once told Rolling Stone magazine that his unique take on the song was inspired by his experience with hookers in New York City's Times Square in the 1970s.

"New York Groove" was performed on Kiss's tours of 1979 and 1980, and became a staple of Frehley's shows during his solo tours in the 1980s and 90s, and again during the Reunion Tour when he rejoined Kiss in 1996.

A live version of the song can be found on the Japanese version of the 1996 Kiss album You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best!! (and the U.S. vinyl version) recorded in Sydney, Australia in 1980, which would also make it one of the few live recordings released by the group to feature longtime drummer Eric Carr.

Other versions

"New York Groove" is the opening track on the 2012 Sweet album New York Connection. This version fuses Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' song "Empire State of Mind" (another ode to New York city), into the chorus.

Soundtrack appearances

The Ace Frehley recording appears in the following films:

• A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints (2006)
• The documentary Inside Job (2010)
• Top Cat: The Movie (2011)
• Blood Ties (2013)

"New York Groove" has also been used on television:

• It was played at the end of the 10th episode of season 4 of the TV show Entourage.
• It was the opening theme for the first two seasons of the American cable television reality series NY Ink.
• It has been played on USA Network in a promo for the series White Collar.

AT&T also used the Hello version of "New York Groove" in a 2012 commercial.

The Hello version is featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV on the in-game radio station Liberty Rock Radio.

Other uses

The New York Giants use "New York Groove" at home games after scoring a touchdown as well as Super Bowl XLII and Super Bowl XLVI.

The melody of the song inspired Argentine rock band Soda Stereo for writing the song "Zoom" for the album Sueño Stereo in 1995.

The New York Mets use "New York Groove" after winning home games.

The song has been used as the background promotional music for the 2014 and 2015 TCS New York City Marathons.