Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

Arts & Entertainment

This "Brooklyn Girls" Music Video Will Make You Want To Move Back To Ohio

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jul 16, 2014

Modified Jul 16, 2014

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Rebecca Fishbein

Published Jul 16, 2014

Modified Jul 16, 2014

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Because there can never be too many reasons for young women to dream about moving to Brooklyn and taking lots of Instagram pics while posing in front of graffiti, Brooklyn-based singer Catey Shaw has gone ahead and created this music video for her new single, "Brooklyn Girls." See below, and try to look away:

Naturally, all Brooklyn Girls live off the Morgan L stop ("Bitches live in Bushwick, they all live in Bushwick") and own a minimum of four rompers. They're also not really that "Brooklyn"; Shaw grew up in Virginia Beach and moved to NYC in 2010 to attend SVA.

Here are the lyrics, an ostensible send-up of Katy Perry's 2010 hit, California Gurls:

There’s a palace of bricks in 11206 Where all the fly Brooklyn chicks reside Combat boots in the summer Subway train rollin’ under See her on the Lower East Side In her walk, there’s a fire And she’s got her own style You’ll get lost in her mystery And tonight she owns the city

Brooklyn girls
When they walk in, they rule the world
Brooklyn girls
Tough and pretty, break the rules
Brooklyn girls (x 4)

Jay-Z bumps in our headphones
Drinks on top of the brownstones
Get it on in the bathroom stall
Sunset girls acting prissy
Won’t get far in the city
We will freeze up your popsicle
‘Cuz we play rough and gritty
They all wanna catch our kitty
And there’s no use denyin’
That tonight we run the island

(Chorus)

Wait for the L train
Bedford to Broadway…

And for comparison's sake, here's Charles Hamilton's 2008 single of the same name:

Shaw, who was once a contestant on celeb blogger Perez Hilton's "Can You Sing?" cover song competition, will be performing "Brooklyn Girls," and other selections from upcoming album Brooklyn EP, at Baby's All Right tomorrow night. Which, obviously, is in Brooklyn. Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn BROOKLYN Brooklyn Brooklyn Brooklyn...

Tagged

brooklyn

brooklyn girls

bushwick

catey shaw

uh huh

Rebecca Fishbein

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE arts-entertainment

Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.

Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 16, 2026

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?

We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.

Elizabeth Shwe

and

James Ramsay

How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years

Hannah Frishberg

A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson

Sonia Rao

The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?

Lindsay Lee Wallace

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .