You have seen the eye-catching emblazoned red heart and the city initials on commercials, T-shirts, bumper stickers, and on umpteen locations in the Big Apple as well as abroad. The love for New York is not only depicted through its famous logo, but also through its official state song.
It Jingles!
Steve Karmen is known as the Beethoven of Spot Sonatas, meaning King of TV Jingles, his contagious NY song remains catchy and memorable even today due to its jingle effect.
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New York, also known as the Empire state, was earlier called New Amsterdam by the Dutch settlers. Later, when the British took over, they renamed it New York in honor of the Duke of York.
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One of the major revenue earners for the city is tourism, and it's like a rite-of-passage for people from within the U.S. as well as around the world to visit the Big Apple to witness its state of glory. And it's an absolute pride to be known as a New Yorker.
The appeal and reputation of the state around the globe stems from its most widely broadcast and imitated image in the world, the iconic I Love New York song, logo, and slogan.
Background
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Encouraging tourists to visit the Big Apple was a daunting task during the 1970s as the city was notoriously ridden with violent crime, it was also facing a crack-cocaine surge, rendering the Lower East and parts of Bronx totally degenerated.
In 1975, President Ford denied federal assistance to the depleting NY Fund which prompted extreme blackout and 4,500 arrests throughout the city due to looting and rioting.
To save the image of the city and rid its negative publicity, New York State's Department for Economic Development asked Madison Avenue advertising agency Wells Rich Greene to establish a positive drive that would generate tourism.
They developed an elating jingle, which was written and composed by Steve Karmen, and a television commercial starring actor Frank Langella and the enigmatic logo by Milton Glaser, which was collectively known as I Love New York.
Song
I Love New York- Written, Composed by Steve Karmen
I LOVE NEW YORK (repeat 3 times)
There isn't another like it. No matter where you go. And nobody can compare it. It's win and place and show. New York is special. New York is diff'rent' cause there's no place else on earth quite like New York and that's why
I LOVE NEW YORK. (repeat 3 times)
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Interesting Facts
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➔ The song was written by famed advertising jingle creator Steve Karmen, in 1977, his other famed works included working for Budweiser, Jack in the Box, Hershey's, and Exxon. He donated the song rights to the New York state for commercial royalties.
➔ The thirteen verse song is crisp and catchy and devoid of the state's history or scenic sights. In 1980, in a state ceremony, Governor Hugh Carey proclaimed the song as the state's official anthem.
Steven Kramer sued NBC when they parodied the song on 'I Love Sodom' in the popular Saturday Night Live show, in 1978.
➔ The iconic logo inspired by Art Nouveau was designed at the back of a yellow taxi in Manhattan, artist Milton Glaser on the way to a meeting with the ad agency envisaged it with a simple red crayon on the back of an envelope.
The torn envelope containing his original idea is now in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
In 2009, Glaser became the first graphic designer to be awarded America's National Medal of Arts due to the astonishing success of this iconic logo. The use of a heart as a symbolic representation for the word 'love' has been extensively copied since then.
➔ The New York State Empire State Development (ESD) holds the trademark to the 'I Love New York' logo, and permits its use.
➔ According to a news article published in the Telegraph, in 2011, official merchandise, such as T-shirts and mugs depicting the logo, generates more than USD 30 million a year.
➔ 'I Love New York' has had a popular impact on entertainment culture. It often appears in movies and TV shows that portray New York. In 1989, the song was used in the horror film Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan, as part of its theme music, it later drew staunch criticism for associating the state song with a negative depiction.
Even though the advertising venture drew heavy criticism due to the fact that over USD 3 million was spend for the tourism campaign, yet the upbeat, friendly, and attractive song, logo, and slogan sent out positive vibes and appealed to New Yorkers as well as the tourists.