The Beat of a New York Heart

Every good love story deserves a soundtrack; here's one tailor-made for New York City with blissful beginnings and happy endings.

PJ Harvey, "Good Fortune" Taken from her New York-inspired album, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, Harvey practically gushes while name-checking Chinatown and Little Italy as unanticipated places of romantic discovery.

Maxwell, "Gotta Get: Closer" Taking several lyrical liberties, Brooklyn's neo-soul demigod transforms Nine Inch Nails' dark vulgarity into a hyper-sexual, gospel-tinged explosion.

The Crystals, "There's No Other Like My Baby" Phil Spector played fast and loose with The Crystals' lineup, but the original New York quintet recorded this declaration of unwavering affection long before any such meddling.

The Strokes, "Two Kinds of Happiness" Not exactly known for love songs, these local-gone-global rockers' message here is clear: "Don't waste your heart."

Lou Reed, "Think It Over" The Rock 'n' Roll Animal approached the twilight of his thirties with this breathless marriage proposal-set to twinkling piano and spare guitar-to his second wife. -Gary Suarez