At the call of a choir, Frank Sinatra’s track “New York, New York” was broadcast and sung in several districts of the Big Apple Thursday night, when locals usually applaud caregivers.
Usually, New Yorkers clap, tap with spoons or tambourines, or simply shout “thank you” from their window at 7 p.m. in the evening, faithful to their ritual of tribute to caregivers mobilized in the face of the pandemic, which has conquered the United States after several European countries, including France.
But the ritual has its variations during confinement. This Thursday, the volunteer choir of the “Peace of Heart” (“Peace of Heart” choir) had called to sing New York, New York, Frank Sinatra’s homage to this supposedly never-sleeping metropolis, a symbol of urban turmoil silenced for a month.
“It’s an iconic song”
This great classic resonated in certain neighborhoods for ten minutes on Thursday evening, with music playing from many windows and balconies. In order for the songs to be coordinated throughout the city, it was necessary to join a live from which the song was broadcast. Two New York radios also participated in the event by broadcasting the music of Frank Sinatra.
Thousands of people took part in this event across the city, according to the count of the event’s Facebook page on which they were invited to register. “We believe in the power of healing through music,” the organizers wrote on the social network.
“It’s an iconic song” with “a real message about getting out of it,” choir manager Robert Hornsby told AFP. “There’s even a passage that says, ‘Come on, you can do it, New York,’ and that’s where I think we’re all in. That’s why we picked her (. ..) and if you don’t know the lyrics, you can just pick up the parts you know.
Confinement until May 15
This daily tribute to caregivers, “it lifts your spirits, it’s something you expect at the end of the day, to change all this bad news,” said New York resident Vivian Young, smiling behind her mask. Soon “the markets will rebound, people will fight for a table at the restaurant” declares her husband, before adding: “I hope to be right”.
The ritual should however continue for a while: if the epidemic seems to have stabilized in New York State, after having infected more than 213,000 people and killed more than 11,500 people, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Thursday extended the measures of confinement until May 15.
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