Native New Yorkers are not the only people with sentimental connections to New York. “Brooklyn,” a 2021 song by British pop singer-songwriter Maisie Peters, tells the lighthearted and tender story of the singer’s vacation to New York City with her twin sister, Ellen. Over the course of the song, Peters uses New York as the setting for a wide variety of small moments that coalesce into a touching love song to her sister.

“Brooklyn” begins with relatively simple piano chords, over which Peters’ light voice sets the scene. With fragmented, single-line images like “Gemini panic” and “Shuttle to Gatwick,” Peters describes the early-morning departure from her England home and arrival at the airport. As an upbeat percussion line kicks in, the lyrics continue to illustrate the sisters’ travels.

The song’s poppy pre-chorus covers the pair’s landing in New York, including the song’s first nod to a specific NYC location. The line “Land at 11, straight to 42nd,” though brief, positions the listener in a concrete physical space within the expanse of New York City. 42nd Street is home to several of New York’s major landmarks, including the Chrysler Building and Times Square. The Peters sisters, it seems, are embracing the spirit of tourism, wanting to start their visit by seeing the most iconic places in New York.

The percussion cuts out entering into the first chorus, leaving only piano chords and Peters’ low-register singing. With the simple but heartfelt lines “If you’re looking for the girl of your dreams / She’s in Brooklyn with me,” Peters expresses both the love she feels for her sister and her pride at being Ellen’s chosen traveling companion. Though later renditions of this chorus are more upbeat (and sung an octave higher), the sparse instrumentation in this first instance emphasizes the emotional content of the lyrics.

The song’s next reference to a specific New York locale is the second verse’s playful line “What happened in Harlem? Don’t even ask us.” Though the listener is left to imagine what the sisters may have gotten up to in Harlem, Peters offers a series of other details that capture the tenderness and merriment of the experience. Images like sharing earphones, sleeping on a bus, and the acquisition of a fake ID all contribute to the songwriter’s vivid rendering of this finite moment in time.

On Instagram, Peters shared that every detail she included in the song really did happen on the trip with her sister, from a shared jacket to the 2 a.m. plane tickets. This attention to the details of each moment reinforces the emotional honesty of the entire song. Peters uses the verses to illustrate a few small, meaningful moments in her relationship with her sister, while the chorus takes a wider view of the affection and attachment that permeate each moment. In her Instagram post about the song, Peters went on to describe “Brooklyn” as “an ode to us, and to sisters everywhere.”

As an artist from overseas, Maisie Peters has a tourist’s perspective on New York City. In “Brooklyn,” she characterizes the city as a place of freedom and excitement where anything can happen, allowing listeners, even those who know NYC well, to experience it as if for the first time. However, even in a place completely foreign to her, she does not express feelings of isolation or culture shock. In the presence of her sister, Peters feels completely at home.

“Brooklyn” Lyrics:
Village is dead
Gemini panic
Quick out of bed
Shuttle to Gatwick
Noodles for breakfast
Terrible tickets
I hate your tracksuit
Sister, I missed this

Flying, I’m flying, I’m flying with you on my shoulder
Only one jacket, fine, you can have it, you’re older
Land at 11, straight to 42nd, it’s colder
And we’re dancing down the street

If you’re looking, if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams
She’s in Brooklyn with me, she’s in Brooklyn with me
If you’re looking, if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams
She’s in Brooklyn with me, she’s in Brooklyn with me

Give you an earphone
Sleep on the last bus
What happened in Harlem?
Don’t even ask us
Sushi and a fake ID
You’re Katy from Michigan
Wing woman
“He’s fit, go for it”
But we wouldn’t ever leave a sister behind

If you want to take her out, you’re gonna have to ask me first
Come on, have you seen those eyes?
It’s nothing but the best for her
Oh, if you’re looking, if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams
She’s in Brooklyn with me, she’s in Brooklyn with me

Flying, I’m flying, I’m flying with you on my shoulder
Only one jacket, fine, you can have it, you’re older
Mum’s in the car, she parked pretty far
I’m laughing, I told ya
I miss you already

And if you want to take her out, you’re gonna have to ask me first
Come on, have you seen those eyes?
It’s nothing but the best for her
Oh if you’re looking, if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams
She’s in Brooklyn with me, she’s in Brooklyn with me
If you’re looking, if you’re looking for the girl of your dreams
She’s in Brooklyn with me, she’s in Brooklyn with me

Bluesky Discussion

View on Bluesky

No replies yet. Be the first to comment on Bluesky!

Maisie Peters New York Series

New York Series: “Brooklyn” by Maisie Peters

Bluesky Discussion