Paterson, New Jersey

Everything Paterson is known for

10 songs mention this city 3 artists from here

Paterson, New Jersey, known as "Silk City" for its historical role in silk production, has a vibrant musical presence. The city, located within the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area, has been home to notable artists across various genres.

Among the artists who call Paterson home are hip-hop artist Fetty Wap and Latin musician Frankie Ruiz. The city is also mentioned in several songs, including "Hurricane" by Bob Dylan and "Spell" by Patti Smith.

Music in Paterson

Songs About Paterson

ZooWap
Fetty Wap
98%
"I'm from 12th and 22nd"
Hurricane
Bob Dylan
49%
"In Paterson that’s just the way things go"
Boomin
Fetty Wap
8%
"Mike G, hundred zoo, only known for shootin'"
Cold Dog Soup
Guy Clark
6%
"Ginsberg and Kerouac"
Spell
Patti Smith
5%
"holy Allen"
No Days Off
Fetty Wap
4%
"Remy Boyz what I rep, Remy Boyz"
Barbie Dreams
Nicki Minaj
4%
"Man, these Fetty Wap niggas stay eyein' my shit"
Red Solo Cup
Toby Keith
4%
"you are the Abbott to my Costello"
Rewind
Fetty Wap
3%
"Remy Boyz, yeah"
Not Alike
Eminem
2%
"You'll be talkin' 'bout Fetty Wap, better call Diddy"

Artists From Paterson

F
Fetty Wap
hip-hop Pop: 77
F
Frankie Ruiz
latin Pop: 70
R
Rell
soul Pop: 32

Rivers & Roads in Song near Paterson

Songs written about the waterways and highways that run near Paterson.

New Jersey Turnpike 4 songs Interstate 95 13 songs Hudson River 8 songs

Musical Heritage

Holsten's — The Sopranos' Cut-to-Black Diner RoadyGoat

1939

Holsten's Brookdale Confectionery sits at 1063 Broad Street in Bloomfield, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and candy shop that has been making its own chocolate and ice cream since 1939 (and is still open). It earned a permanent place in TV history on June 10, 2007, when 'Made in America,' the series finale of HBO's 'The Sopranos,' filmed its last scene in one of Holsten's vinyl booths. Tony Soprano, played by James Gandolfini, ordered onion rings and punched up Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'' on the jukebox before the screen abruptly cut to black for roughly ten seconds — an ending so sudden many viewers thought their cable had failed. The original booth became a fan shrine, but it was actually sold at auction in March 2024 for about 82,600 dollars; the shop welcomes fans to sit in its place today.

8.3 mi away

CBGB — Birthplace of American Punk RoadyGoat

1973

The narrow storefront at 315 Bowery was CBGB, the grimy club where American punk and new wave were essentially born. Hilly Kristal opened it in December 1973, and the name is one of music's great ironies: CBGB & OMFUG stood for 'Country, BlueGrass, Blues, and Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers' (Kristal meant a 'voracious eater' — of music). Almost no country or bluegrass ever played there. Instead the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Patti Smith and Television cut their teeth on its tiny stage through the 1970s. CBGB closed on October 15, 2006 over a lease dispute, and Kristal died of lung cancer the following year. The space later became a John Varvatos clothing boutique (opened April 2008), which kept some of the club's graffiti and posters; 'CBGB 73' is still etched in the cement at the entrance.

16.2 mi away

History of Paterson

White Manna RoadyGoat

White Manna in Hackensack, New Jersey started as a building at the 1939 World's Fair. After the fair, it was moved to River Street and has been griddling sliders ever since. The tiny burgers — smashed thin on a flattop with onions — come six or eight at a time. The building is a perfect little Art Deco cube. The griddle hasn't cooled down in over 80 years.

7.0 mi away

Sylvia's Restaurant RoadyGoat

Sylvia Woods opened her soul food restaurant on Lenox Avenue in Harlem in 1962 with a small loan and big ambition. She became known as the Queen of Soul Food, serving smothered chicken, collard greens, and candied yams to everyone from Muhammad Ali to Nelson Mandela. The restaurant survived Harlem's toughest decades and became a symbol of Black entrepreneurship and cultural pride.

14.1 mi away

McSorley's Old Ale House RoadyGoat

McSorley's has been pouring in the East Village since 1854, making it New York City's oldest bar. Abraham Lincoln drank here. Woody Guthrie drank here. The menu is light ale or dark ale — that's it. Sawdust covers the floor. Wishbones hang from the gas lamp, left by soldiers heading to World War I who never came back. Women weren't allowed until a 1970 court order.

16.1 mi away

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park

1792

Alexander Hamilton chose the Great Falls of the Passaic River as the site for America's first planned industrial city in 1792.

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

1887

Thomas Edison's West Orange laboratory complex was the world's first industrial research facility, producing over half of his 1,093 patents.

9.7 mi away

Grover Cleveland Birthplace, Caldwell

1837

The 22nd and 24th President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, was born in this Caldwell manse on March 18, 1837.

7.6 mi away

Apollo Theater

1934

The Apollo Theater at 253 West 125th Street has been the most important venue for Black performers in America since 1934.

13.7 mi away

Harlem - Lenox Avenue

1920

Lenox Avenue in Harlem was the cultural epicenter of the Harlem Renaissance, the flowering of African American art, literature, and music in the 1920s and 1930s.

14.0 mi away

Frank Sinatra's Birthplace, Hoboken

1915

Frank Sinatra was born at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken on December 12, 1915, in a cold-water tenement in the Italian immigrant neighborhood.

14.0 mi away

Things to Do in Paterson

historical 17.1 mi away
Statue of Liberty

Give me your tired your poor. 305 feet of copper freedom since 1886.
historical 13.7 mi away
Apollo Theater

Amateur Night launched Ella James Brown and a young Michael Jackson. Harlem's crown jewel.
food 16.1 mi away
McSorley's Old Ale House

NYC's oldest bar since 1854. Lincoln drank here. You get light or dark — that's it. Sawdust floors and wishbones on the gas lamp.
food 16.3 mi away
Lombardi's Pizza

America's first pizzeria opened in 1905 on Spring Street in Manhattan. Coal-fired oven. The original New York slice started here.
food 16.5 mi away
Katz's Delicatessen

I'll have what she's having. NYC's legendary pastrami since 1888.
food 18.0 mi away
Peter Luger Steak House

Brooklyn's legendary porterhouse palace since 1887. Cash only. The steak sauce is iconic. Zagat's top steakhouse for 30 straight years.
food 23.0 mi away
Di Fara Pizza

One man hand-cutting basil and drizzling olive oil on every pizza since 1965 in Brooklyn.
food 4.0 mi away
Rutt's Hut

Deep-fried hot dogs called rippers since 1928. The Ripper will change your hot dog life forever.

Everything Near Paterson

338 stories, landmarks & places within ~20 miles — the same local lore RoadyGoat plays as you drive through.

Explore Paterson on the Map
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