We’re apparently on a short run of tunes about cities, so for today’s classic song of the day we point the Wayback Machine to New York City in the late ’70s with the song “Native New Yorker” by the group Odyssey. This disco track was released in November of 1977 and, while it only hit #21 on the Billboard Hot 100, it rose all the way to #6 on Billboard’s Hot Soul Singles chart and #3 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
“Native New Yorker” was written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randall. Together and separately this team was responsible for writing hits such as “A Lover’s Concerto” for the Toys and “Let’s Hang On” and “Working My Way Back to You” for the Four Seasons. In fact, “Native New Yorker” was originally recorded by Frankie Valli in 1977 for his solo album, Lady Put the Light Out. Frankie didn’t release it as a single, however; Odyssey did and had the hit with it.
The lyrics are all about a young lady growing up in New York City, with lots of references to the sights and sounds of the city:
You grew up riding the subways
Running with people
Up in Harlem, down on Broadway
You’re no tramp, but you’re no lady
Talkin’ that street talk
You’re the heart and soul of New York City
And love, love is just a passing word
It’s the thought you had in a taxi cab
That got left on the curb
When he dropped you off at East 83rd
Oh-oh-oh (oh-oh-oh)
You’re a native New Yorker
You should know the score by now
(You should know by now)
You’re a native New Yorker
The Odyssey track has a classic disco beat that fit right in on the radio in late 1977 into 1978. Musicians on the track include veterans Richard Tee on piano, Tommy Mandel on clavinet, and Michael Brecker on tenor sax. Sandy Linzer and Charlie Calello did the producing.
Odyssey was a three-person group from New York City. Members included Steven Collazo, KayJay Sutherland, and Michelle John. They had a number of disco hits (including “Use It Up and Wear It Out,” “Going Back to My Roots,” and “Inside Out”), but “Native New Yorker” was their only mainstream hit. The group, with a few membership changes, continues on to this day.
