There's a persistent stereotype about New Yorkers, which claims erroneously that they are cold, unfriendly, and cynical. Like any stereotype, it had little basis in reality and does not hold up to scrutiny. Don't believe me? Then perhaps this video will convince you otherwise, and prove once and for all that New Yorkers have a heart as big as anyone else's.

The video shows a subway car in NYC, which was busy and full of commuters. Seemingly out of nowhere, the happy passengers spontaneously burst into song together; belting out a passionate rendition of  the Backstreet Boy's hit song 'I Want it That Way.'

The video of the incident was uploaded to social media by a civil rights attorney Joel Wertheimer, has since been viewed more than 1.5 million times on Twitter.

Wertheimer captioned the heartwarming video: "Had a really tough week and tonight I was on the subway and some buy walks between train cars, shirtless, bumping a speaker. I wasn't in the mood for showtime particularly. But sometimes people and life surprises you and a little magic happens."

He later added a link to a homeless charity for vagrants in NYC, and wrote: "No SoundCloud but not everybody on the train in New York is so lucky, so if this made you happy."

A number of people on Twitter have expressed their delight with the video. For instance, someone with the Twitter handle @LisaK1190 wrote: "I used to feel public music was really intrusive. A friend told me they loved it, "it's like I'm in a movie and this is the soundtrack." That shift changed it for me. Even if I'm in a lousy mood, happy music has a certain irony."

I guess it just goes to show that The Big Apple is still a magical place after all...

There's a persistent stereotype about New Yorkers, which claims erroneously that they are cold, unfriendly, and cynical. Like any stereotype, it had little basis in reality and does not hold up to scrutiny. Don't believe me? Then perhaps this video will convince you otherwise, and prove once and for all that New Yorkers have a heart as big as anyone else's.

The video shows a subway car in NYC, which was busy and full of commuters. Seemingly out of nowhere, the happy passengers spontaneously burst into song together; belting out a passionate rendition of  the Backstreet Boy's hit song 'I Want it That Way.'

The video of the incident was uploaded to social media by a civil rights attorney Joel Wertheimer, has since been viewed more than 1.5 million times on Twitter.

Wertheimer captioned the heartwarming video: "Had a really tough week and tonight I was on the subway and some buy walks between train cars, shirtless, bumping a speaker. I wasn't in the mood for showtime particularly. But sometimes people and life surprises you and a little magic happens."

He later added a link to a homeless charity for vagrants in NYC, and wrote: "No SoundCloud but not everybody on the train in New York is so lucky, so if this made you happy."

A number of people on Twitter have expressed their delight with the video. For instance, someone with the Twitter handle @LisaK1190 wrote: "I used to feel public music was really intrusive. A friend told me they loved it, "it's like I'm in a movie and this is the soundtrack." That shift changed it for me. Even if I'm in a lousy mood, happy music has a certain irony."

I guess it just goes to show that The Big Apple is still a magical place after all...